The Magic Sakura
View the case- Brand
- JNTO
- Year
- 2016
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Travel & Hospitality
- Mechanic
- Puzzle
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Circul8
Objective
JNTO wanted a social campaign that would inspire Australians to travel to Japan during cherry blossom season while growing its social following and contact base. Circul8 built on the insight that JNTO's target audience overlaps heavily with Facebook's casual-game crowd, so destination knowledge got folded into a game rather than promotional posts — a way to cut through a crowded feed and turn passive scrollers into future travelers.
Solution
Players are handed their own sakura tree set in an origami-style world and asked to look after it like a Tamagotchi — checking back in to keep it healthy and watching it grow. As the tree matures, the scene fills in around it: Japanese mythical creatures appear, backdrops change, and lanterns light up along the branches. Players collect those lanterns for points, and each one unlocks a fact about a Japanese city, landmark, or lesser-known spot. Collect 50 lanterns and you're entered into a draw for a trip to Japan during cherry blossom season. It all runs inside Facebook, playable from desktop or mobile.
Results
The campaign reached 4 million people, drew more than 3,000 organic players within the first few days of launch, and held an average session length of over 17 minutes.
- 1
The player discovers the campaign in JNTO's Facebook feed and opens the game directly there, loading in-browser as HTML5 on desktop or phone.
- 2
The game opens on an origami-styled scene: a small, personal sakura tree set against a Japanese landscape, framed as a calm digital retreat rather than a standard ad unit.
- 3
The core loop is a tamagotchi-style caretaking mechanic: the player returns to the game over time to keep the tree healthy, with the design rewarding repeat visits rather than a single interaction.
- 4
As the tree is tended, it matures visibly — its canopy grows, the surrounding scenery changes, and Japanese mythical creatures and animals begin appearing in the scene alongside it.
- 5
Lanterns light up on the tree's branches as it grows; the player collects them from the foliage to earn points.
- 6
Progress unlocks achievements that introduce the player to real Japanese destinations, mixing well-known cultural landmarks with lesser-known spots.
- 7
Collecting 50 lanterns qualifies the player for a sweepstakes entry to win a trip to Japan to see the cherry blossoms in person.
