Wink and smile for Godiva with facial recognition technology via Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Tokyo

Before the clicking and tapping of social media messaging, perhaps the oldest and most personal way people communicated was through the expression on one’s face while standing in front of another. This is true the world over, yet people in some cultures communicate in much more subtle ways than others.

In Japan, it is uncommon to see people expressing overt displays of affection in public places. So often, shyness prevents the exposure of true feelings, even in terms of facial expression. Despite what the heart desires to say, Japanese people tend to maintain a “Poker Face”.

In partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon, Godiva Japan is out to change that – at least for Valentine’s Day.

In 2013, Godiva encouraged people to express their love for each other by hugging a specially constructed mannequin that measured the qualities of a person’s hug and enabled people to share it online.

This year, through the use of facial recognition technology, a wink and a smile received through an interface, creates a custom digital message that can be sent to a loved one. The act of winking and smiling moves a digital cursor and allows people to select words to create their message of love. In addition, photos of the individual winking and smiling in various combinations to navigate the program will be turned into a series of unique and charming animated GIFs to accompany the text that’s created.

The Wink & Smile Booth will appear at several locations throughout Tokyo leading up to Valentine’s Day. All the messages and accompanying animated clips will be uploaded onto the Godiva Wink & Smile campaign website and can be easily shared on social media. This campaign reflects the emotional brand values of Godiva; creating a fun and truly unique way for typically shy Japanese to express their feelings for one another this Valentine’s Day.