UP-T new commercial presentation

2024.04.25

Marui Textile Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kashima-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture; President and CEO: Miyamoto Yoshio) has released a new commercial featuring members of AKB48 and Nishimura Hiroyuki as image characters since April 11th. On the same day, a press conference was held in Tokyo to announce the new UP-T commercial, with AKB48 (Omori Maho, Oguri Yui, Sato Kisei, Hirata Yuki, Yamauchi Mizuki), choreographers Makita Saeko and Nishimura Hiroyuki in attendance. The new commercials consist of three versions: "Hiroyuki x AKB48 Call-and-Say," "What's that? Is that okay?" and "Business Skills."

■Greetings from Yoshio Miyamoto, President and CEO of Marui Textile Co., Ltd.
UP-T is one of Japan's largest services for creating original T-shirts and other goods on demand. Not only can you create them, but you can also sell them on the UP-T website or turn them into NFT designs. We also collaborate and sponsor events such as Tokyo Girls Collection and idols.

■Talk session (about commercial choreography and filming)
Choreographer Makita: "There are lots of up and T-poses scattered throughout the dance, so I want the dancers to focus on cuteness, just like the AKB48 members."
Omori: It's easy to remember with the UP and T. The choreography is also perfectly in line with the lyrics of the commercial song.
Oguri: The choreography was simple and catchy, so it was easy to remember and understand, which was great.
Sato-san: Actually, Omori-san is not good at dancing. He stumbled during the final pose. Even during the commercial shoot, he kept saying, "I don't know, I don't know."
Omori-san: Wait a minute! I'm five years older than you! Everyone's learning so quickly!
Nishimura: Memorizing lines and joining in with AKB48's dance routines are things I've never done in my life, so to be honest I thought it was a pain. I didn't find speaking lines interesting either. Besides, no one would be happy with a T-shirt with my illustration on it, right? No one would want one. I like plain clothes, so it felt unnatural. If I were to make one, I'd like to make a plain, mean-spirited T-shirt that's plain but has a design when you look closely.
Omori: Hiroyuki's movements are surreal and funny, so it's a funny commercial that makes you laugh out loud while watching. It's addictive and makes you want to watch it over and over again.
Sato: I like character items, so I'm particular about cuteness and breathability of fabric. I like colorful designs, so I'm the complete opposite of Hiroyuki. At UP-T, not only can you freely choose your T-shirt, but you can also complete the entire process using just your smartphone.
Oguri: It's amazing how easy it is to do with just a smartphone. I'm happy that even someone as lazy as Hiroyuki can do it so easily.

■ Presentation Battle
During the event, AKB48 members gave a presentation in front of debate king Hiroyuki on the theme of "How can we make UP-T known to the whole nation while incorporating it into the T-shirts that we ourselves have made?"
Omori gave a presentation titled "A walk around the country," Sato gave a presentation titled "Creating the UP-T baseball team," Oguri gave a presentation titled "Hiroyuki gets photographed and cut out," Hirata gave a presentation titled "Coordinating T-shirts," and Yamauchi gave a presentation titled "Making the most of TikTok + voice-over with Hiroyuki."
Nishimura's favorite presentation was Hirata's because it seemed realistic. The lowest ranking was Omori's because it seemed impossible to actually do.
Hirata, who was presented with a voucher for a luxury gourmet trip to Kanazawa, was overjoyed, saying, "I was confident in my presentation this time, so I won with flying colors!" Meanwhile, Omori was punished by having to wear a T-shirt with the word "Debate" written on it and a mask of Hiroyuki, meaning he was not allowed to show his face... But even so, Omori remained optimistic, saying, "Today, I'll do my best as Hiroyuki's twin brother!"

■ Impressions from student newspaper interns
I had no experience creating original goods, but when I heard that it was easy to do with "UP-T," I wanted to give it a try. If you're a student, you can try out a variety of ideas, such as class towels for the school festival or matching T-shirts with your light music club band members. It's sure to be a hit! Also, at the press conference announcing this commercial, I was given a T-shirt designed by an AKB48 member and tried it on, and was surprised at how soft it felt against my skin. It felt so soft I couldn't help but want to rub it against my skin. The content of the commercial was also very unique and interesting. I found the difference in attitude between Hiroyuki and the AKB48 members humorous.
N High School 2nd year Teru Ishikawa