What Brought the Team Together Was “Powerful Words”! Behind the PR for “Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” [Part 2]

Continuing from Part 1, we share behind-the-scenes PR stories, including memorable moments that made us feel we had captured attention worldwide and the secret to how the team came together. Read Part 1 here.

In this blog post, following on from the previous one, we bring you Part 2 of our interview that delves into the behind-the-scenes PR for “Mori Building Digital Art Museum: Epson teamLab Borderless” (hereafter, teamLab Borderless).

■The pinnacle of PR! Did it even reach Melania Trump and a Bhutanese princess?!

—The museum also welcomed many inbound visitors, didn’t it?

Takahashi:
Even before the facility opened, we placed great importance on PR and communications from a “global perspective.” Of course, we gained exposure in overseas media, but what surprised us was that from the first year after opening, many visitors learned about us through “in-person introductions from acquaintances” and then came to visit. This trend was common not only among Japanese visitors but also among people from overseas, which truly surprised us.

People were so moved that they recommended it to others; those introductions brought in more visitors, who then recommended it again or shared their experiences on social media. As those posts increased, overseas media began covering it as well—creating a positive spiral.

Thanks to this spiral, many celebrities have visited to date, but it was especially memorable when Melania Trump visited and introduced us on Twitter. Around the time of our first anniversary, Prime Minister Suga (then Chief Cabinet Secretary) held a press conference at our museum and said, “This is truly a new tourist destination in Tokyo. It is the ultimate model.” When people hear “influencer,” they may think of celebrities or models, but it was also striking that we were recognized from a wide range of perspectives across industries.

Hirukawa:
For me, it was memorable when a Bhutanese princess visited (laughs).

Takahashi:
For our first anniversary, we prepared a world map in the museum entrance hall and held an event where visitors placed stickers on their country of origin. We had been coloring in countries where we knew visitors had come from, but at that time we had not yet had any visitors from Bhutan. During the event, when Mr. Hirukawa contacted me saying, “A Bhutanese princess is here and she put a sticker on Bhutan on the world map!” I was truly moved.

Hirukawa:
The princess said, “I’m glad I was able to come to a place I thought I would never be able to visit in my lifetime.” It made me happy to realize that we had been able to deliver information even to a Bhutanese princess (laughs).

—That truly is the pinnacle of PR.

So many spots you cannot help but want to post on social media. ©teamLab

■What brought the team together was powerful “words”

—Listening to both of you, I felt that even in a major project, the key to success is having the entire team face the same direction. What was the “axis” that enabled everyone to align?

Hirukawa:
I recently looked back through emails from that time, and there were so many messages filled with feeling, such as “Let’s improve the quality as much as possible right up to the last minute” and “Let’s absolutely do it!” The Mori Building team also responded in their own words. I believe those strong feelings and words pulled the entire team forward.

Takahashi:
In terms of scale, it was among the largest of teamLab’s projects. It was also our first attempt to connect an enormous facility of about 10,000 m² in a borderless way throughout. What would it look like, and how should we communicate what makes this facility special? Because there were no similar facilities, we struggled a great deal. However, because everyone shared one clear goal and thought it through to the very end, I believe we were able to convey the artists’ vision.

—What an excellent team. Going beyond the roles of client and agency, recognizing each other as partners, discussing as equals, and taking action. That coming together successfully was the key to this project.

Hirukawa:
The keyword was “Mori Building × teamLab × SUNNY SIDE UP—borderless, too!” I spent a whole night thinking of that (laughs).

■When did you truly feel the “fun commotion”?

—Looking back, what scenes moved you through the project?

Takahashi:
It was definitely the day the museum opened. I believed it would be an incredible, unprecedented facility, but I was still anxious about how many visitors would actually come. However, seeing so many people lined up from the morning even though it was a weekday made my body tremble. Even if you asked me to recreate it, I could not.

More recently, among families who visit, there are people who come first thing in the morning like at a famous theme park and lead the way around like a tour conductor (laughs). I am happy that we can excite so many people. I am moved every day by these everyday scenes.

—When did you feel the “fun commotion”?

Takahashi:
Thankfully, even after two or three years, its popularity shows no sign of fading. The emotion gradually washes over me. I feel we were able to convey not only the value of simply “creating a new facility,” but also the essence of the facility itself. Even now, we receive many inquiries from around the world, and we are featured at the top of travel guidebooks, so I feel we were able to make an impact on society. That is my “fun commotion,” I suppose.

—In PR, it is easy to position a facility’s opening as the goal, but from the facility’s perspective, opening is the start. Being able to continue working together is truly rewarding for PR professionals.

Finally, what do you like most about SUNNY SIDE UP?

Takahashi:
At our regular project meetings, even Director Matsumoto always participated. What is wonderful about SUNNY SIDE UP is that rather than imposing PR-industry conventions, they understood our concerns and goals, consistently stood at the same level as us, and took on new approaches together. Also, I thought their corporate culture was excellent: they let young employees take on challenges, they move quickly, and they work while communicating closely with top management.

Hirukawa:
I feel that is almost our lifeline. Even during proposals, we are often told, “Please give us a proposal that feels like SUNNY SIDE UP.” It is challenging, but it is also the enjoyable part of the work.

■ In Closing…

Behind the teamLab Borderless movement was “borderless” communication that transcended the boundaries between companies.

At the end of the interview, when asked, “What is your vision for the museum going forward?”, Ms. Takahashi answered as follows:

“Personally, rather than ending with this facility alone, since the concept is ‘borderless,’ I hope we can develop new borderless initiatives that branch out from here.”

In Ms. Takahashi’s eyes as she spoke, you could clearly see the “next fun commotion” that will likely move the world.