It continues to amaze me how brands develop inventive and original ways to reach their consumer. Onitsuka Tiger, by shoe giant Asics, reached the height of its fame when Uma Thurman played a yellow-clad assassin in Kill Bill by wearing ‘those yellow shoes’. Ontitsuka continued on the creative path with short film Running Fish Gutter in 2006, which profiles the life a Japanese Fisherman. More recently the Onitsuka Tiger Electric Land forms the centerpiece for Tiger’s new ‘made in Japan’ campaign. The electric shoe is one metre long and is incredibly intricate. Miniature highways packed with mini Toyotas are surrounded by high-rise buildings, there are Japanese market signs in the toe, a vending machine selling miniature Onitsuka Tigers in the heel and there is also a hidden Ipod dock which plays lazy beats through camouflaged speakers. Much of the inspiration comes from Deko Tora (decorative trucks phenomenon in Japan) and the advertising agency’s idea to present Tiger through a global, dramatic and integrated campaign that represents the culture and personality of its shoes and its consumers.
