ecotonoha
NEC2003
ecotonoha is a 2003 interactive website for NEC, created by NEC Media Products (in-house), Tokyo.
Why it works
A website on which a single virtual tree grew one leaf at a time. From July to December 2003, visitors to NEC's ecotonoha clicked the tip of a branch and typed a short message, which sprouted as a new leaf; each person could add one a day, and for every 100 messages NEC promised an extra real tree in its reforestation project on Australia's Kangaroo Island. The name joins 'ecology' to kotonoha, an old Japanese word for words. Art-directed by the Flash designer Yugo Nakamura, it is studied as early proof that a corporate website could be generative, collective and beautiful rather than a brochure, and as a forerunner of the many click-to-give and participatory sites that followed. Around 60,000 messages arrived from around the world, adding 609 trees. In 2004 it won the Cannes Cyber Grand Prix for websites, ending Nike's four-year run of wins in that category, and Best of Show at the One Show Interactive.
Techniques
- Participation Visitors type a short message that sprouts as a new leaf on a virtual tree, building a shared, growing artwork one leaf a day.
- Purpose and cause For every 100 messages the brand promises an extra real tree in a reforestation project, linking each click to planting.
Sources · 4
Updated
