[Overview]
ZAMST COOL SHADER is heat-protection wear developed from expertise in both medicine and sports. Simply soak it in water, wring it out, and give it a shake: evaporative cooling lowers body temperature, while the fabric blocks 99% of UV rays. It is available as a cooling poncho and a cooling vest.

Extreme summer heat has become the norm, and heatstroke is now a social issue that reaches far beyond sports into everyday life. Our research showed that while most athletes take some measures against heatstroke, actively cooling the body during sports has yet to become common practice.
This project therefore began not by selling the product, but by communicating to society why cooling the body matters as a heat countermeasure. Our approach was to grow the cooling poncho market itself while positioning COOL SHADER as the brand of choice within it. With this approach, we handled everything from overall promotion strategy to PR and advertising.

Brand site:
https://www.zamst-online.jp/coolshader/

[Promotion Strategy]
By combining market analysis with target analysis, we built a strategy that advanced “market development” and “product promotion” at the same time. PR raised interest in heat countermeasures and expanded the pool of potential buyers, and we designed a flow that carried that interest through TV commercials and web advertising to purchases in stores and online. PR played two roles: earning media coverage through the lens of a social issue, and spreading product awareness among users through the lens of the product itself.

[PR Concept]
Under the message “Protecting athletes’ health and performance from midsummer heat and UV rays,” we launched the “ZAMST Heat Guard Action,” ZAMST’s heat-countermeasure initiative. Our aim was to spread the importance of the “cooling break,” taking a rest while cooling the body, as an easy-to-remember catchphrase.

[What We Did]

Heat Countermeasures Summit
On May 20, 2026, we held the “Heat Countermeasures Summit 2026,” a two-part PR event for the press at Ebisu Garden Place. Guests included former professional baseball player Daisuke Matsuzaka, former Japan women’s national football team player Homare Sawa, TV personality Nozomi Tsuji, and sports physician Dr. Masahiko Saito, with freelance announcer Satoshi Uwashige serving as MC.
The guests shared perspectives from very different positions: athletes recalling grueling summers, a parent voicing her real concerns, and a physician explaining the latest heat countermeasures. Together they discussed the current state of heatstroke and the challenges facing sports settings. At the venue, we set up a tent recreating an extreme-heat day of over 40°C. After the guests experienced it, they put on COOL SHADER, and a thermal camera showed their skin temperature dropping in real time. This live demonstration made the cooling effect visible at a glance and became a key visual moment for the media.
Part 1 was held in a hybrid format, combining the live venue with online streaming, so that school club advisors and youth team coaches could also join online. Part 2 featured a warm-up demonstration by athletes, a talk session, and a photo session, meeting the shooting needs of sports and entertainment media.
Outreach to Schools
We sent direct mail invitations to approximately 7,200 elementary and high schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Aichi, and Osaka. We also promoted the event through the email newsletter of an education trade paper, delivering information directly to school sports clubs.
Media Relations
Working through PR specialists who maintain day-to-day relationships with directors at each program and outlet, we provided information at the timing and from the angle each outlet was looking for. More than 30 media outlets attended the summit across its two sessions.
TV Commercials
We aired 15-second spot commercials in three regions: Kanto, Kansai, and Chukyo. The first flight ran from late May to June. The second, in July as the heat intensified, increased the airtime, and an additional flight aired in Kanto in August. We adjusted the airtime as temperatures rose and concentrated exposure in the periods when demand peaked. In Kanto, we also ran programmatic TV commercials delivered only on sunny days, reinforcing the product at the moments viewers were feeling the heat.
Streaming Service Ads
We ran 30-second video ads nationwide on TVer and Netflix. The ads targeted people aged 18 to 54 with an interest in sports, which also reached parents whose children play school sports. Much of the viewing took place on TV screens, allowing us to show the product in use on the big screen.
Web Advertising
We ran Google search, Performance Max, and Shopping ads. Launched in mid-April as a heat-countermeasure campaign, they captured searches from users whose interest had been sparked by PR and TV commercials and converted them into online purchases.
Use of Assets
We recorded and filmed the summit and the hands-on events and used the footage as archive videos on the product landing page and as advertising material. This content also supported brand building aimed at the sports community.
Other Initiatives
Through school sports club support coupons and sponsor booths at sports tournaments, we expanded touchpoints with school staff and users.

[Overview]
ZAMST, a brand of sports support and care products, opened the limited-time “ZAMST POP UP STORE” at two locations: AEON Mall Makuhari Shintoshin and AEON Lake Town Outlet.
The store was created as a place where visitors could easily try out and learn about two things: heat countermeasures for enjoying summer sports and outdoor activities in comfort, and foot care to support the body from the ground up. By actually wearing the heat-protection items, visitors could check the cooling sensation, the feel of the fabric, and the freedom of movement. Through foot measurement, they could see data on features of their feet that are hard to notice on their own, such as arch condition and left-right differences. For this project, we were responsible for the store design.

[Store Design]
We designed the space so that the wide range of shoppers visiting the mall would naturally stop, join an experience, and move on to a purchase. The store was built around two experiences: trying on the ZAMST COOL SHADER cooling poncho, and foot analysis using a 3D foot scanner. The layout connected these experiences, product selection, and purchase in a single flow. All experiences were free of charge, and together with a sales area where products could be bought on the spot, we aimed to create an easy-to-visit space that served as a first point of contact with the brand.

[Event Details]

• AEON Mall Makuhari Shintoshin
  July 9 (Thu) to July 15 (Wed), 2026 (7 days)
  Grand Mall 3F, in front of the Hobby Zone
• AEON Lake Town Outlet
  August 1 (Sat) to August 16 (Sun), 2026 (16 days)
  South St. 2F, Outlet Bridge Plaza

[Store Content]

• ZAMST COOL SHADER Experience
  We set up a corner where visitors could try on the cooling poncho, which delivers a cooling sensation simply by soaking it in water, wringing it out, and putting it on. This year’s model was updated with a new specification that also blocks near-infrared rays, a cause of flushed, overheated skin.
• Foot Measurement with MyFootcraft
  We set up a corner offering free foot measurement with the latest 3D scanner, which measures up to 13 parameters, including arch type, without contact. Based on the results, staff recommended the best insoles, and visitors could also have custom-made insoles created on the spot.
• Product Sales
  In addition to heat-protection items such as the COOL SHADER poncho, the COOL SHADER Active Vest, and arm sleeves, the store sold the Footcraft CUSTOM series of custom-made insoles and supporters for various joints.