Maserati looks to break rules as it collaborates with Japanese streetwear brand

Italian automotive brand has partnered Hiroshi Fujiwara, founder of Japanese streetwear brand Fragment Design to create an immersive 360-degree campaign celebrating the launch of “Maserati Ghibli Operanera”.

Done by Mullenlowe Singapore, the campaign is “the first time Fujiwara has collaborated creatively in the automotive industry”, according to a press release. Interpreting Maserati’s signature Trident brand “through a street culture lens”, the agency said it looked to break the rules of traditional automotive marketing, treating it more like a work of art or fashion design.  

Following a global pitch, Mullenlowe developed a global campaign inspired by street art and anime, using the streets of Tokyo as a canvas and backdrop for much of the promotional activities and creative work, said the agency.

The limited-edition Maserati Ghibli Operanera model was revealed on the streets of Tokyo along with an experiential pop-up store on Cat Street in Tokyo’s Harajuku district. To bring content closer to street culture, the agency also co-created an anime content piece with Fujiwara for amplification across social channels. The 360-degree campaign includes digital media, POS, traditional advertising and PR amplification but also gifting and working with key cultural influencers and street artists focused on attracting the attention of the target Millennial and Gen Z audiences.

Paolo Tubito, CMO Maserati SpA said that the purpose of the campaign was to launch the car and the capsule collection “born from the unexpected collaboration between the Godfather of streetwear Hiroshi Fujiwara and the iconic Maserati brand”, adding that it found the most unconventional location to place a car was in the heart of Harajuku fashion district in Tokyo. Tubitio also said that after teasing the campaign on social media for six months, the launch was met with positive results in the media and sales, reaching out to a new audience for Maserati.

Daniel Kee, ECD, MullenLowe Singapore said that it was “emboldened by Maserati’s enthusiasm for experimentation”, adding that after meeting Hiroshi Fujiwara, the agency was "left under no illusion that our job wasn’t to ‘advertise’, but to bring a work to art alive, through art itself via all sorts of explorations from street and interactive art to anime and environmental design,” said Kee.

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