Mitsui Chemicals & JWT Japan Launch 'Whole You' Healthcare Brand in US

Mitsui Chemicals Inc. has launched a brand campaign created by J. Walter Thompson Japan to introduce Whole You, a new healthcare solutions brand, to American consumers.

Whole You offers innovative healthcare solutions to help those with sensory and physical mobility challenges experience life more fully. Mitsui Chemicals Inc. has acquired Dentca, Respire Medical, as well as proprietary PixelOptics and Panasonic Healthcare electronic eyewear technology and established Whole You., Inc. in San Jose, California, last year. 

Whole You launched its first product, Whole You Sleep Appliances for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, earlier this year, followed by the launch of Whole You Nexteeth full denture solutions and plans to introduce other innovative sensory and physical mobility solutions soon.

The brand consumer launch campaign, which includes activations and film content, as well as print, digital and radio executions, illustrates how Whole You helps people enjoy life to the fullest by unlocking their potential.

J. Walter Thompson Japan invited acclaimed photographer Bruce Hall, who has been legally blind since birth, to take part in a brand activation on October 18, 2015 at CicLAvia, a car-free festival hosted each year in Los Angeles where roads are closed to motorists to let cyclists and pedestrians explore the city in new ways. Hall captured the celebration of movement and senses through his lens as he rode through the crowd on a bespoke bike pedalled by professional cyclist Damon Roberson. Roberson, who overcame a serious cycling accident in 2008 to ride again, also understands what it means to overcome physical challenges to live a free from limitations. Hall engaged with festival goers and shared his photos at a “Whole Day” forum organized by the brand.

J. Walter Thompson Japan also captured Hall and Roberson on film and created “Whole Day”, a documentary-style video that aired on December 2 on the brand’s website and on social media channels. 

“Whole You believes that every single life is meant to be well-lived, and living whole is not just a declaration - it’s a lifelong journey and challenge. As the first major brand communication, we wanted to make it clear what Whole You stands for. The film showcases the company’s philosophy and belief through the lens, and the personal story, of Bruce Hall, who really epitomizes what it means to overcome challenges and live life to its fullest,” said Go Sohara, Executive Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson Japan.

Print executions, which are running in Time and People magazine in California, introduce the Whole You Sleep Appliances as tools that help consumers get back to enjoying the life “that made you whole”.

Whole You marks Mitsui Chemicals Inc.’s first move into the healthcare consumer products brand space. 

J. Walter Thompson Japan worked closely with Mitsui Chemicals Inc. for two years prior to the launch of Whole You to create the foundation of the brand vision that shaped the direction and purpose of the brand itself. Using a proprietary tool called Brand Nurturing, which J. Walter Thompson Japan created to help Japanese companies build global brands, the agency partnered with Mitsui Chemicals Inc. leadership team to develop a strong ‘root’ for the new brand, Whole You.

J. Walter Thompson Japan put together an interdisciplinary global team of experts from across the WPP network to launch the Whole You brand in the US, including PR agency H+K Strategies, media agency Mindshare, and J. Walter Thompson Co.’s digital agency, Mirum.

A strategy team from J. Walter Thompson’s Japan and Toronto agencies also worked with Mitsui Chemicals Inc. to create the concept of Whole You Living Lab, which generates new product ideas through interdisciplinary collaboration with a range of partners, including the InnoCentive Challenge, a crowd-sourced product innovation idea platform.

“Three years ago, when we started the development of the Whole You brand, there was not only no brand name – there weren’t even any products. Whole You didn’t grow out of a product, which is the usual route for Japanese companies. Instead, it started from thinking about the identity of the brand and how it should serve a higher purpose in the society. This was an exciting and rare opportunity to get on board at the very start and create a brand that would define a company,” said Ichihara Takumi, General Manager at J. Walter Thompson Japan. 

“At Whole You we want to redefine health as the ability to enjoy life to the fullest, revolutionizing what human health looks, sounds and feels like,” said Hiromi Inagaki, Chief Innovation Officer, Whole You., Inc. “The video with Bruce is an expression of this vision, inviting everyone to join us on the journey to live beyond our limitations, celebrating the senses and experiencing all that is around us.”