TWO SIMPLE NUMBERS,
THAT BROKE THE LANGUAGE BARRIER,
TO SHOW A NATION’S THANKS.
New Zealand wanted to show respect, and say ‘thanks’ to Japan for hosting the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and for looking after their team the ‘All Blacks’. But how, when the two countries speak different languages?
In Japan numbers are used as short-cuts to whole words.
15 - Ichi Go, means ‘Strawberries’.
26 - Furo, means ‘Bath’, and...
39 - San Kyu, is commonly used as ‘Thank You’.
Embracing this meant that New Zealand was able to send a simple message of ‘Thank You’ to a whole nation in a language everyone would understand. Two simple numbers on the back of the All Blacks.
This gesture was launched with the All Blacks changing the numbers on their jerseys to ‘39’. And extending into multiple New Zealand brands, and diplomatic ministries adopting the language of 39. Including Air New Zealand, who even renamed their Tokyo flight as ‘NZ 39’.
$40,000,000
IN EARNED MEDIA COVERAGE
$20 : $1
ROI
21% increase
IN APPEAL OF NZ AS A DESTINATION