Who we are

CONNECT is one of a few creative consultancies that specializes in helping major Japanese companies with their communication outside of Japan. We apply over 20 years of experience and insights honed by a long track record of successes to pinpoint and anticipate our clients' needs. We carefully craft a coherent and compelling message that transcends languages and cultural barriers. We creatively package the message to precisely fit each touchpoint. Whether the message is about products, services, corporate vision or brand image, we make sure it resonates with our client's targeted audience.
With the advent of social media, everyone has a voice that can reach around the world. Connect makes sure your corporate voice carries a message that comes through loud and clear across every medium, and, of course "connects".

What makes us unique

We're global.

CONNECT's in-house staff comprises various nationalities and backgrounds. They are supported by an overseas network of affiliated creators from many different disciplines. Global creative solutions crafted by a truly global team of creators!

We're proactive.

CONNECT always goes one step further. We identify your needs and propose not only ideas that answer your needs but also additional approaches you may have never thought of. We will surprise you.

We're always on the bleeding edge.

CONNECT’s global staff are always looking out for new ways to meet your needs. New technology, new media and new ways to be creative. Driven by endless curiosity, our young staff and affiliates in diverse regions are shaping global standard solutions - timely, relevant and resonating.

What we do

HA-SZ

Equipped with a subwoofer, this distinctive over-the-ear headphone from JVC targeted a more gadget-oriented audience. CONNECT created a full 3D CG animation that revealed the inner structure of the headphone. In addition to streaming on YouTube, the video is used on the top page of the website to highlight key elements such as the subwoofer and Carbon Nano Tube Diagphram.

NX-SA

The sleek tumbler-shaped NX-SA iPhone/iPad dock features a 360-degree arrangement of speakers, enabling great audio enjoyment wherever you place it in a room. In order to drive that message home, we developed an AR app. With it, target users can virtually place a 3D model of the product anywhere in the room and check out how well it matches the look and feel of their home environment.

RV-S

"Powerful Inside, Stylish Outside". In order to illustrate this new boombox concept, CONNECT proposed a video showing a young man break dancing to tunes from the RV-S on the rooftop just before heading to work. Later the same boombox and guy now dressed for the office are seen in a fashionable home setting. The website itself is also split in half showing a stylish design on one side and a powerful features on the other.

XX Series

JVC’s XX Series is synonymous with “Street Culture" and the Hip Hop scene. By creatively editing still images shot in the US into a video and adding some fresh background footage, we communicated today's XX brand - still true to its established image and still at the forefront of the target lifestyle.

ésnsy

Especially developed for the European market, ésnsy is an earphone positioned as a fashion accessory. Connect was involved from a fairly early stage of its conceptual development. Our initial presentation was created for the dealership and later adapted as a video for the consumer website. The video seamlessly integrates the product into the lifestyle of prospective users.

Home Audio Catalog

Instead of an orthodox catalog approach, CONNECT proposed showing the various products in diverse target lifestyle scenes and tying them together in an engaging story. We came up with the idea of chronicling a typical day of 4 friends. The catalog begins with Jane waking up to tunes from her iPod dock and ends with a get-together with all her friends and a new connection with the target.

Car Audio Catalogs

Every season since 2005, Kenwood has appointed CONNECT to plan and produce its car audio catalog for key markets around the world. As the official supplier of car audio systems for Lamborghini, Kenwood is required to feature the exotic sports car as the main visual. The challenge for CONNECT is to create a new visual and creative copy that conveys a new concept with a fresh impact.

Kenwood Car Audio Ads

CONNECT has been creating car audio ads for Kenwood for many years. These ads target particular areas in the USA, Western Europe, Asia and Middle East. Coming up with advertising concepts and a graphic language that appeal to audiences with diverse cultural background is what CONNECT does best.

Home Audio Catalog

One family under the same roof. The daughter grooving to pop music on her Kenwood iPod dock. Dad relaxing with classical jazz playing on his Kenwood component system. Slices of audio life with the wide selection of Kenwood audio systems are revealed from the unique perspective of bird's eye view photos. The result is a more graphic catalog that immerses the target in the Kenwood lifestyle.

Mitsubishi Corporate Brochure

Global research revealed most corporate brochure readers do not want to read through a textbook of facts and self-promotion. They simply want a general sense of the scale and scope of the business. Guided by this insight, CONNECT produced this new corporate brochure for Mitsubishi Electric. Our reinvention featured large symbolic photos on every page and minimum copy. Just quickly leafing through the brochure effectively tells the reader exactly what he wants to know and what the client needs to communicate.

90th Anniversary book

Commemorating the 90th year anniversary of Mitsubishi Electric, this booklet of over 100 pages embodies the corporate slogan “Changes for the better”. The message begins when the reader turns the cover page and "90" becomes "100". Cutting out windows to reveal part of a word is repeated on all title pages. With every new section, the message changes - dynamically and graphically expressing how Mitsubishi Electric is at your side, making changes for the better in every field of endeavor.

Mitsubishi Electric FA web site

Factory automation is one of the fastest growing sectors of Mitsubishi's global businesses and services. Constantly evolving and introducing new products and concepts, the FA Division of Mitsubishi Electric demands a website that is always current and global. CONNECT rapidly responds with support for timely multi-lingual website updates - and always with the creative flair that connects.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC ELEVATOR BRAND ADS

In order to demonstrate how widely Mitsubishi Electric's elevators and escalators are installed and to build brand image and raise brand recognition, Connect created a series of ads showing Mitsubishi Electric elevators in the most unlikely places. This included the Galapagos Islands, inside the Myanmar Shwedagon pagoda and in the Alexandria library. These ads (total of 12) and corresponding web site are being produced by CONNECT with original location photography and in depth interviews.

UNESCO World Heritage

In partnership with UNESCO since 2010, Panasonic has performed a series of World Heritage-themed campaigns as a vital part of its CSR commitment to the environment, sustainability and a better global society. In addition to creating various educational and PR tools, CONNECT has been acting as a liaison between the UNESCO World Heritage Headquarters in Paris and Panasonic in Japan, coordinating media campaigns, educational programs and promotional activities.

World Heritage Calendar

Only the World Heritage Calendar published by Panasonic is authorized to display the UNESCO World Heritage logo. CONNECT produces all 4 versions: a large wall hanging type, a small desktop type in 3 languages for distribution through UNESCO schools worldwide, an iPad/Android calendar app and a computer wallpaper version - the latter two in 5 languages.

Corporate Brochure

CONNECT has produced the corporate brochure of Kewpie Corporation for the past 8 years. The clean and warm design speaks to both the trusted corporate image and to the products of this major food company, representing the face of Kewpie Corporation.

Investor’s Guide

CONNECT has produced the Investor's Guide for Kewpie Corporation for over 10 years. In collaboration with an IR communications specialist, we create a guide that speaks the language of individual private investors and presents the information in an easy-to-understand format.

Unisys

CONNECT was engaged to provide creative direction for the BITS 2013 Forum by Nihon Unisys, Ltd. The logo designed by CONNECT "visualized" the process of “VISION” becoming “ACTION” by showing one word literally dissolving and its elements recombining in a new word. Symbolizing the theme for the entire forum, the iconic logo was displayed on all forum communication tools, the website and in a movie, providing a unifying element for integrated communication.

Tange

CONNECT produced the website and company brochure for the world-renowned architectural firm of Tange Associates. The extensive list of projects (including those of the founder Kenzo Tange) were incorporated into a database that facilitated easy online searches by region, age and category. In addition, CONNECT designed the database for simple management and updating by the firm's staff.

KENZO Capital Corporation

Kenzo Capital Corporation is a real estate investment company with capital participation by German investors. CONNECT was involved from the initial stage of the company’s establishment. By using an unusual color combination for this business domain, we created an identity that will stand out in this crowded industry.

IT HOLDINGS

IT Holdings is the 2nd largest system Integrator, next only to NTT data. Since 50 group companies are part of the organization, the development of an integrated brand image was essential. CONNECT collaborated with ADK for over a year to develop the brand strategy. Together we identified current problem areas and determined the direction the company should take. Based on this thorough analysis CONNECT developed an integrated CI and brand slogan.