Georgian-Japanese City-shanson

Background / Context:

One in three Georgians drives a Toyota. The brand is loved for its quality and is seen as the most loyal car, a true companion for decades. Yet a recent survey revealed a surprising gap: although Toyota Center Tegeta is Georgia’s largest official Toyota dealership, people didn’t associate it with Japan. The brand's Japanese essence got lost in translation somewhere along the way.
So our mission was clear: reconnect Toyota Center Tegeta to its cultural roots through the universal language of loyalty.

Solution & Execution:

We found inspiration in one of Japan’s most iconic stories of loyalty, Hachiko, the Akita dog who waited for his owner every day for nine years. But we didn’t just retell it. We set out to reimagine this story in a uniquely Georgian context, and most importantly, to set it in the spring streets of Tbilisi, where blooming sakuras and cobbled alleys could bring this already emotional tale even closer to people’s hearts.

To do that, we turned to powerful AI tools like Stable Diffusion, Runway Gen-3, and, just as important, the extra touch of our creative Designers. Together, we brought to life a 90s anime-style short film about a Georgian Hachiko, waiting patiently for his beloved human to return to their favorite ritual: driving together through Georgian roads.
Once the story was crafted, we built rough compositions (let’s be honest—some were downright junky) to give Stable Diffusion clear direction. The results were breathtaking, but with a classic AI mess. That’s where our designers stepped in, polishing, fixing, and adding consistency and soul, where AI fell short.

Then came Runway’s magic. We fed in each frame to give it motion and suddenly, the Georgian Hachiko story was alive.
To add another emotional layer, we created an entirely new music genre: Geo–Japan–City–Shanson, a fusion of Japanese City Pop and Georgian Shanson, both iconic road-trip styles known for their soul and drama, and unique linguistic aspects. The campaign launched with a 5-track original album filled with themes that echo Toyota’s values: loyalty, friendship, love, togetherness, and growth.

We timed the launch with the cherry blossom season, Japan’s emotional peak. The video and album dropped across platforms and turned the campaign into an unforgettable cultural bridge.

Results:

Within weeks, our Georgian Hachiko touched nearly 2 million hearts and is still counting. The music spread from YouTube and Spotify to taxis, marshrutkas, and Parties.
Then, the story crossed borders.

The Ambassador of Georgia in Japan shared our video, helping us trend on Japanese social media. Even the Japanese Embassy in Georgia reached out and offered an official partnership to help promote Japanese culture through future campaigns.

But the most important result? For the first time, Georgians didn’t just see Toyota Center Tegeta as a car dealership. They saw it as a proud symbol of Japanese heritage and loyalty, right here in Georgia.