Overview:

The first Tokyo Great Santa Run was held at Meijijingugaien in December 2018, with participants enjoying running and walking dressed as Santa, or just coming for the entertainment. A portion of the proceeds are donated to children fighting illnesses and for children in need overseas. In 2019, the expanded event was held at Komazawa Park with the governor of Tokyo in attendance, and appearances by singer songwriter Maki Oguro and actor Anna Tsuchiya. 3500 came to the event which was organized by a committee made up of students who delivered 1000 messages to children who were spending Christmas in a hospital.

URL : https://santarun.jp/

What we did:

SSU was responsible for PR activities to enhance awareness and solicit participants for the first event in Tokyo, using videos and photos from the past events in Osaka and Edinburgh where the event originated. Proactive media outreach about the event led to coverage from all 5 TV stations, national newspapers and news wires, as well as coverage by a non-Japanese news service. In the second year, we cast a popular singer songwriter as the event Ambassador to make appearances in mass media to promote the event. With other special touches such as a behind-the-scenes footage of the event theme song creation and special visits to hospitals by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, we successfully positioned the event as a new seasonal event for Tokyo at Christmas.