Georgian-Japanese City-Shanson

Project Overview

Toyota is one of the most beloved car brands in Georgia — one in every three Georgians drives one. Yet despite Toyota’s deep Japanese roots, a recent survey revealed a surprising insight: Toyota Center Tegeta wasn’t culturally associated with Japan at all. The emotional link to its heritage had quietly faded.

Goals

Toyota Center Tegeta partnered with us to:

• Reconnect the brand with its Japanese identity
• Build a culturally relevant and emotional narrative
• Use creative storytelling to differentiate from competitors

Challenges

Before the campaign, the brand faced:

• Weak association with Japanese culture
• No strong emotional narrative or local relevance
• A need to stand out in a highly trusted but crowded category

Strategy

We reimagined Japan’s iconic loyalty story — Hachiko — in Tbilisi, through the emotional lens of spring and sakura season.

To bring it to life, we combined AI tools (Stable Diffusion, Runway Gen-3) with human creativity, creating a stunning 90s-style anime short film about a loyal Georgian dog waiting for his favorite ritual: a road trip with his owner.

To deepen the emotion, we invented a new music genre: Geo–Japan–City–Shanson — a fusion of Japanese City Pop and Georgian Shanson — and launched a 5-track original album inspired by Toyota’s core values: loyalty, friendship, love, and growth.

Implementation

• 90s anime-style short film using AI + human design
• 5-track original album
• Multi-channel rollout: YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, radio, OOH

Project Results

• 2M+ streams & views in the first weeks
• Shared by the Ambassador of Georgia in Japan, trending on Japanese X
• Japanese Embassy in Georgia proposed an official cultural partnership

Most importantly, Georgians saw Toyota Center Tegeta not just as a dealership, but as a bridge between two cultures — a symbol of Japanese loyalty, right here in Georgia.

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