• by Emily Burg , November 10, 2006

Hitachi America is featuring real people in short documentary-style online films describing how the company's technology has been of personal benefit to them.

Televisions or personal electronics don't appear in this new campaign. It is all about familiarizing the North American audience with Hitachi's lesser-known capabilities in technological infrastructure, telecommunications systems and consumer electronics technologies.

The multimillion-dollar campaign, called "Hitachi | True Stories," was conceived and developed by McCann-Erickson. It consists of five films designed for the Web that focus on the impact of Hitachi technology and its infrastructure on people's lives, as recounted by real people in their own words.

In addition to growing the scope of recognition of the Japanese electronics conglomerate's brand on this continent, the campaign also is intended to help boost Hitachi's global market share. Overseas revenue currently represents 40 percent of total sales.

"Not everyone is aware of the extent of Hitachi's infrastructure capabilities--it's hard to view," said Dash Hisanaga, of Hitachi America's branding and corporate communications group. That's a reason the company chose personal stories to convey the message. Hisanaga also said there is room to broaden the campaign by inviting people to contribute their own short, documentary-style films describing the positive impact Hitachi infrastructure technology has had in their lives.

The first film, "Small Town Oregon Logs On," shows residents of Bandon, Ore., a remote coastal town, discussing the availability of broadband Internet, delivered via Hitachi's fiber-to-the-home technology. In the second film, "A New Breed of Bloodhound," South Carolina law enforcement officials explain how Hitachi storage technology is used to catch predators online.

The films at www.hitachi.com/truestories will be supported with advertising and media placements online, print and out-of-home advertising.