It takes a lot to get attention in the world of ads, especially cell phones, but the DOCOMO Touch Wood SH-08C video has definitely turned a lot of heads lately.
To showcase the natural resources that give the Touch Wood its unique look, an ad agency engaged Invisible Designs Lab's Kenjiro Matsuo to make a giant wooden xylophone that stretches across a lengthy swath of forest. The Rube Goldberg-like contraption (thanks, CNET, for filling in what it reminded me of) plays Bach’s Cantata 147, "Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring" in (seemingly) one take, using one wooden ball that rolls down the length of the custom-made instrument. The Touch Wood cellphone doesn't even make an appearance until the very end.
New York Times writer Lia Miller tracked down the maker of the video, Morihiro Harano, the creative director of Drill Inc., who told her, "We did not add any artificial music at all," though he did admit to adjusting some levels to "bring out the sound of river and nature."
The commercial was filmed in Kama City in Kyushu, Japan.
The handset, with limited quantities of 15,000, is on sale now. The DOCOMO website gives a few more details: the phone's case is made from Shimanto cypress and uses the Olympus' three-dimensional compression molding technique to achieve its look and feel. It comes with a 3.4-inch screen, QWERTY touchscreen keyboard and a 5-megapixel camera.
More Japan stories:
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- Electronics: Another casualty of Japan's disaster
- Satellite photos show devastation in Japan
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