JRA | 20th Century Boy | 2011
Looking Back, It Still Makes Me Stand Up Straight / JRA "20th Century Boy"
No celebrities, just horses, just a riff — who knew it could look this cool.
The problem
JRA usually ran light, breezy commercials aimed at drawing in casual fans, but 2011 was a complete turnaround: a series that put the spotlight squarely on the racehorses themselves. Because of the Great East Japan Earthquake, this series aired in place of the celebrity-driven commercials that had originally been planned.
The insight
This was an unusual approach — taking famous horses and famous races from the 1990s and swinging for the fences with their existing core fans. History and tradition, built up over time, are assets that can't be replaced by anything else, and this series used that asset for all it was worth. Sure, there's a place for quirky collaborations aimed at winning over younger audiences, but this makes you realize all over again that the romance and drama built into horse racing itself are something special.
The idea
Set to T-REX's unmistakable guitar riff from "20th Century Boy," silhouettes of thoroughbred horses appear in monochrome, along with the year, the race name, the champion horse's name, and a beautifully crafted tagline. Each spot closes with the words "[Race name] is coming." The series aired before nine races, from the Satsuki Sho to the Arima Kinen, each one built around a winning horse from the 1990s. Two lines in particular are favorites: "Genius exists. Unfortunately." (for Tokai Teio) and "There are no answers in the herd." (for Narita Brian).
What happened
Commercials following this same approach aired from 2011 through 2013, winning enormous support from hardcore racing fans, who came to call it "JRA's true seriousness." The campaign was created by Daisuke Kobayashi.
Afterthought
Maybe it's all a matter of perspective, and you could say that about almost anything, but still — the romance and drama horse racing carries really are something else. At the very least, if you're trying to reach guys, I think this is the way to go about it, every time I happen to look back on this series. Every time I look back on it, it still makes me stand up a little straighter.
