Client: Sapporo
Creative Partner / Artist: Tokyo Hiro (@tokyohiro)
Duration: March 11 – March 31
Location: Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
Tactics: EV Trucks (mobile creative), Digital Billboard + Dragon extension, Organic Social Amplification

Campaign Overview

For this Sapporo campaign, Sapporo partnered with a well-known local artist, Tokyo Hiro, to create their iconic “Unleash the Dragon” campaign. The campaign featured a dynamic dragon-themed billboard extension mounted on iKahan’s iK-LA007 digital billboard (designed to extend beyond the billboard face for extra visual impact). Complementing that, iKahan deployed two EV Trucks wrapped with bespoke dragon-inspired creatives that drove through the core of Little Tokyo, activating high foot-traffic corridors and cultural touchpoints.

This campaign serves as a flagship example of how to execute an integrated, multi-touchpoint OOH + mobile + social campaign that grabs attention, reinforces brand identity, and drives measurable impact.

Objectives & Strategy

Elevate brand salience of Sapporo in a culturally resonant, high-density environment
Employ “brand theater” by merging art, technology, and mobility to surprise and delight
Leverage Tokyo Hiro’s local artistic voice to amplify authenticity
Capture multi-channel reach (OOH + mobile + social) to deliver integrated impact

Performance & Impact

Below is the cumulative impression and reach breakdown across all channels.

ChannelImpressions / ReachNotes & AssumptionsEV Trucks (2 trucks, 4 hours peak)~18,000 impressionsBased on estimate of ~2,250/hr per truck × 4 hrs × 2 trucksDigital Billboard (3 weeks)~664,632 impressions (18+)221,544 weekly × 3 weeksAdditional Social Amplification~12,000 impressionsEstimate from iKahan posts + other channels + Tokyo Hiro’s contributionsTotal Estimated Impressions (All Channels)~694,632Sum of above channels

Total Campaign Reach Estimate: ≈ 695,000 impressions (rounded)

This reflects a well-executed synergy among static, mobile, and digital/social components—all working toward maximizing eyeballs in a compact timeframe.

Channel Insights & Creative Highlights

EV Trucks – Mobile Activation

The trucks served as “moving billboards,” bringing the dragon motif into the streets of Little Tokyo.
Their mobility allowed the campaign to intersect with foot traffic, restaurants, plazas, and museum districts.
In dense pedestrian zones and busy thoroughfares, the trucks likely captured fresh “surprise and delight” views beyond static OOH.

Digital Billboard + Dragon Extension

The iK-LA007 billboard with the dragon extension delivered dominant visual real estate in Little Tokyo’s skyline.
Over 3 weeks, this signage became a fixed anchor—reinforcing recall for passersby and commuters.
The extension (3D or overhanging element) heightened memorability and shareability.

Social Media / Organic Amplification

iKahan’s 3 posts to 54.1K Instagram followers (plus cross-posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) drove estimated ~6,000 impressions organically.
Other social channels (e.g. Facebook, X) contributed ~4,000 additional impressions.
Tokyo Hiro’s amplification, assuming moderate following, added ~2,000 impressions.
Importantly, organic social content helped echo the OOH message in users’ feeds and extended campaign life beyond physical exposure.

Why This Campaign “Worked Right”

Strong Visual Hook — The dragon motif across trucks + billboard extension made it instantly recognizable and cohesive.
Multiple Touchpoints, Unified Messaging — Street-level (EV trucks) + skyline (billboard) + social (organic echo) created layered exposure.
Cultural Relevance & Local Artist Collaboration — Tokyo Hiro’s involvement lent local legitimacy and artistic flair.
Compact but High-Impact Schedule — Running during peak periods helped concentrate reach when audiences were highest.
Measurable & Complementary Media — Each channel’s exposure sums into a credible total reach for marketing storytelling.

Business / Brand Lift Evidence (Supporting Context)

While we don’t have direct public data confirming a sales lift specifically from this campaign, there is broader evidence of Sapporo’s growth momentum that lends credence to the brand’s marketing investments:

Sapporo’s U.S. business continues to expand. Their Sapporo-Stone Brewing operations in California made major capacity investments. Origlio Beverage
In 2024, Sapporo reported that domestic alcoholic beverage revenues increased by JPY 3.8 billion, with beer sales increasing by JPY 3.5 billion (contributing to stronger results overall). sapporoholdings.jp
In the U.S. import beer market, Sapporo has also shown strength: its flagship Sapporo Premium reported +13.3% dollar sales growth and +13.5% volume growth in a recent reporting period. Bevnet
In Australia, Sapporo has had double-digit growth tied to renewed branding and packaging efforts. Drinks Digest

These signals support that the brand is in a growth phase, making investments like “Unleash the Dragon” timely and defensible.

Key Takeaways & Best Practices

Don’t underinvest in experiential OOH — Moving creative (EV trucks) paired with bold static extensions helps break through in dense corridors.
Artistic / local partnerships add authenticity — Working with a local visual voice (Tokyo Hiro) helps resonate in culturally rich neighborhoods.
Layer media exposures — Use social to extend and echo physical campaign content—don’t treat them as separate silos.
Concentrate reach windows — For short-duration campaigns, choose peak hours/days to maximize impressions per dollar.
Track and sum across touchpoints — Being able to credibly say “nearly 700K impressions across channels” gives narrative strength for client reporting.