ANA launches Covid recovery campaign starring Uma Thurman

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has launched a Covid recovery campaign fronted by Hollywood actress Uma Thurman.

The carrier worked with digital production firm Travlrr and UK creative agency Kemosabe on the campaign which took nine months to edit and shoot using remote teams in Japan. It is the first campaign the airline has produced that can claim to be carbon neutral.

Filming took place during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2021 in more than 60 locations while crews battled the impact of pandemic travel restrictions, typhoon season and the Olympics.

We Are Japan focusses on the Japanese concept of Ikigai, or idea of happiness, and invites visitors to the country to discover their own personal “reason for being”.

Travlrr is the sustainable remote production division of London-based digital studio CLICKON that taps into a global eco-system of local creators to create net-zero campaigns.

Darren Khan, founder of Travlrr and chief commercial officer at CLICKON, said: “Our teams on the ground in Japan managed the production sustainably.

“Using residents as the talent for the project and the factual nature of the content produced enhanced the local culture and authenticity.

“Travlrr organised for a local team from Tokyo to move to the different locations in Japan, looking for the right businesses to capture in the name of Ikigai.

“The team took local car rides, flights and ferry boats to reach the locations with a team of three, reducing their kit and allowing for more sustainable group sizes to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re very proud of the results – both the creative content and achieving net zero across the entire production.”

The campaign focusses on what Japan has identified as its four most culturally significant attributes – wellness, food, craft, and nature – and highlights 45 experiences across the country.

An interactive and immersive microsite invites web visitors to watch dynamic video content and create their own bespoke travel itineraries by clicking on a map including interactive hotspots.

Producers described the campaign as the destination’s “most interactive and digitally immersive experience yet for promoting Japanese tourism from across Europe”.

The objective of the campaign was to drive footfall to the lesser-known regions of Japan to support local economies and offer an authentic experience.

Phill Clark, creative director at Kemosabe, said: ‘Kemosabe had long been searching for a more sustainable approach to delivering content from overseas. Travlrr answered this brief in every way through their innovative approach.

“This was a huge project that included multiple locations, from New York to Japan, 16 hero films and 240 shorter films. With the imposition of COVID lockdowns, Travlrr was tested to the full and came out with flying colours.

“Their creative workflow platform came to the fore, enabling Kemosabe to work with their team from afar to deliver exactly the vision and quality required. This is the future of production.”

Kemosabe oversaw the entire production from its London HQ including the filming Thurman in New York to ensure it met both quality and environmental standards.

It was claimed the campaign used 88.5% less carbon than a standard production of this capacity, saving 111.66 tonnes of carbon emissions as estimated using UK Advertising Associations Carbon body Ad Green’s carbon calculator.

And it is estimated 15,000kg of carbon has been removed from the atmosphere through planting a grove of trees for ANA in Scotland in partnership with Trees for Life.