My Japan Railway

Read the campaign story

Dentsu’s account places My Japan Railway within the railway’s 150th-anniversary activity. Six JR companies participated, and travellers could collect digital stamps when their phones were within eligible station areas. The agency describes intentionally variable stamp impressions and locally researched designs. D&AD credits Dentsu Tokyo, Creative Power Unit and Adbrain. The service began in April 2022; later award dates should not be mistaken for its launch.

Editorial interpretation: the campaign gives a familiar journey a second meaning without requiring the railway to become something else. A station remains useful infrastructure, while the collected object makes the visit feel personally owned. The system invites attention to differences between places that might otherwise blur together. Its emotional value comes from recording an encounter, not from issuing a generic reward for every transaction.

A collection can motivate another visit, but it can also reward travel people would have made anyway. The published agency account reports substantial participation without providing an independent counterfactual for additional journeys. This case therefore treats collection activity as evidence of use, not proof of incremental travel or profit. For another brief, the important decision is what kind of experience the collection should deepen and whether the destination benefits from the extra attention.

The collection should also remain meaningful when the event ends. Explain whether people can keep or export their records and what happens if the service closes. A digital souvenir is a promise of continuity as well as a moment of delight; disappearing access can undermine the attachment the campaign worked to create.

Make each collectible worth noticing

Start with the character of each place rather than assigning a decorative number to every location. Ask local staff and communities which details are meaningful and which common depictions feel inaccurate. Establish a visual system that accommodates those differences without making the set incoherent. A smaller collection with distinctive stories can offer more value than hundreds of interchangeable badges. Test whether users can remember something about the place after collecting the item. If they remember only the interface, the reward may be distracting from the experience it was meant to enrich.

Borrow tactile qualities selectively

A digital object can feel warmer when it preserves a useful ritual from the physical version. However, simulated imperfection should not make controls confusing or obscure important information. Separate expressive elements from functional ones: a stamp impression can vary while the date, location and collection status remain legible. Include accessible alternatives and clear permission explanations. Location access should serve the collection action, not silently become continuous tracking. The design challenge is to create a personal moment without making users trade unnecessary privacy for a souvenir.

Distinguish collection from exploration

Track whether people discover unfamiliar locations, revisit favourites or simply collect along an unchanged commute. These are different forms of value. Do not rank every participant against a maximal collector who can afford extensive travel. Offer satisfying small routes and allow people to pause without losing progress. Evaluate local congestion, accessibility and staff workload as well as app use. A place-based campaign should encourage respectful participation rather than dangerous rushing, trespassing or visits that overwhelm a small destination for the sake of completing a set.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a neighbourhood cultural group could create five original digital or printed tokens for an accessible walking route. Obtain permission from each host and involve them in selecting the detail represented. Use a simple voluntary check-in rather than background location tracking. Give visitors a short story and a suggested moment of observation at every stop. Test the route with residents and first-time visitors, including people with different mobility needs. Ask whether collecting helped them notice the neighbourhood or merely added an administrative task. Offer the collection without a purchase requirement and keep it enjoyable for people who complete only one stop.

Measure remembered place details, route completion, new-location discovery, host feedback and accessibility problems. Keep token counts separate from incremental visits and spending.

Pause if check-ins encourage unsafe behaviour, overwhelm a host or require location collection beyond the user’s clear understanding.