The One Show

The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising, design and digital marketing. For 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has had a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.

2023 One Show - Branded Entertainment

Chiaki's Journey

Agency MullenLowe U.S.

Client Acura

Category

Craft / Art Direction

Annual ID

OS23_BE099M

About the Work

Background: After more than a decade-long hiatus, Acura decided to bring back the legendary Type S badge. To introduce this iconic and storied performance variant to a new generation of drivers, the brief was simple: Show the importance of the Type S story in a way that would stand out in a category where Acura had become nearly invisible. Idea: Fast cars, racing, and rivalries—we developed an anime series to celebrate the return of Type S performance. But it wasn’t just about making anime. We needed to reintroduce Type S to Acura diehards but also bring in new generations of Millennials and Gen Zers who may never have heard of Acura. We had to do something that was unmistakably, authentically Acura that would connect with current culture. To do that, we needed a vessel for our idea that would resonate among these new attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles. Through genuine storytelling, we created a robust world from the ground up that showcased Acura’s birthplace, Southern California, featured three new Type S vehicles, and introduced compelling characters who took us on their own journey but who also mirrored the brand’s story. Through this, we were able to tell two stories: one, the thrilling story of Chiaki’s personal journey, and two, the story of the Acura brand, our racing heritage, and our ambitions for the future. Execution: With authenticity at the core of everything surrounding the series, we decided to launch Chiaki’s Journey like a legitimate streaming show. First, we teased the series with four :30 trailers online and in theaters. Then, we launched the four :60 volumes at the Sundance Film Festival. We continued the rollout through digital, social, cinema, and OOH, with everything driving to the Type S YouTube channel. Digital media was placed across CrunchyRoll, YouTube, Kotaku, Jalopnik, The Takeout, Gizmodo, and the AV Club as well as promoted through Sundance and IMDb channels. Billboards were placed in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Miami, and for the finale, we took over Acura’s and Chiaki’s home race, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

2023 Awards

Total Points: 3

Merit

Credits

Agency

MullenLowe U.S.
MullenLowe LA

Production Company

The Line / London

Music / Sound Production Company

Source Sound / Los Angeles

Post Production Company

Yeti / El Segundo

Editor

Tim Jieh

Executive Creative Director

Carlos Alija
Laura Sampedro

Executive Producer

Amy Jo Deguzis

Account Supervisor

Joe Litwak

Senior Designer

Aaron Nandor

account director

Kylie Mugg

Artist/Band

Nemophila

Associate Creative Director - Art

Alex Haase
Sean Stell

Associate Creative Director - Copy

Jason Brady

Creative Director - Copy

Ty Hayward

Creative Director - Design

fabiano de queiroz

Freelance Senior Designer

Fernando Pino

Head of Integrated Production

Kate Hildebrant

Illustration

KK Masterworks / Tokyo

Sr. Business Affairs Manager

Heidi Clemens
Nickie Kolb

VP, Director of BA

Davina Turnbull

VP, Group Account Director

Nicole Neopolitan

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