Sakura season campaign

Yutaka are the original importers of Japanese food into the UK, being the premier supplier of restaurants and retailers for over four decades.

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To create a strong and ownable association between their brand and Japanese culture, their campaigns focus on Japanese iconography and references that seek to transport their audience into the true taste of Japan.

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Building on the 2024 marketing campaign, this year the challenge included digital out of home (OOH) sites across some of London's most high-traffic / footfall areas, so we needed a campaign creative to match its premium setting.

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For their spring campaign, we devised a creative that is as iconically Japanese as the food itself, with a cherry blossom themed celebration of springtime's Sakura festival, where Japan blooms with iconic pink petals and lush landscapes spring into life.

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Great care was taken in researching and re-creating a setting that authentically resonates with the essence of Japan. The campaign maintains strong visual consistency throughout, with each asset performing effectively both individually and as part of the overall composition. From initial sketches to final execution, every detail of the campaign was meticulously crafted.

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Inspired by the Yutaka packaging and the visual language of traditional Japanese watercolours, each element was uniquely crafted by the Freak team, creating a visual palette that was as ownable as it was iconic. Featuring digital, social and OOH elements, our iconic Sakura campaign has been seen far and wide, from your local Tesco to the escalators on Tottenham Court Road.

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The campaign achieved its goal of 20m view 25% under media budget - the price of great quality content.