The goal was to celebrate G-SHOCK's 40th anniversary by launching a limited-edition watch in partnership with Super Mario. Both brands are cultural icons from 1980s Japan, and the collaboration aimed to propel G-SHOCK back into the cultural conversation, ensuring the brand remained relevant to new generations.
G-SHOCK and Super Mario collaborated because both brands share a "never give up" ethos, were celebrating major milestones, and have overlapping audiences rooted in 1980s Japanese culture. The partnership leveraged nostalgia and cultural relevance to reach Gen Z and Millennials.
5WPR launched the campaign with a robust media strategy targeting business, lifestyle, fashion, video games, anime, and trade outlets. The team tracked the news cycle in real time for newsjacking opportunities tied to gaming and 80s culture, and framed the collaboration around shared nostalgia.
The campaign generated over 73 million media impressions, owned the launch news cycle with a definitive feature in GQ, and secured coverage in HypeBeast, CNET, Inverse, Crunchyroll, and other major outlets. Sales were strong, with a one-watch-per-customer limit remaining in place on the Casio website post-launch.
Top outlets included GQ, HypeBeast, CNET, Inverse, Crunchyroll, Highsnobiety, Complex, and Vogue Business. The campaign targeted a mix of gaming, lifestyle, fashion, and trade press.
The campaign leaned into the nostalgia trend popular among Gen Z and Millennials, connecting with cultural phenomena like the return of Top Gun, Y2K fashion, and the Stranger Things soundtrack. This approach helped bridge generations and drive engagement.
Due to high demand, a one-watch-per-customer limit was enforced on the Casio website after the launch to ensure fair access and manage inventory.
Success is measured by media impressions, sentiment, sell-through and stock depletion, social conversation volume, and earned mentions in tier-one cultural outlets, not just trade press.
A brand collaboration strategy pairs two brands with overlapping values, heritage, or audiences to generate media attention beyond what either could achieve alone. The G-SHOCK x Super Mario collaboration succeeded because both brands were 1980s Japanese icons celebrating 40-year milestones together.
Legacy brands stay relevant by pursuing unexpected collaborations that bridge generations, tapping into emotional drivers like nostalgia, and reaching cultural verticals their core marketing may miss, such as gaming, anime, fashion, and design press.
5WPR combines cultural strategy, lifestyle media relations, gaming and entertainment press, and influencer activation to drive launches that reach beyond traditional consumer tech coverage.
The campaign was influenced by the nostalgia trend among Gen Z and Millennials, as well as the resurgence of 80s and Y2K culture in fashion, entertainment, and media.
The 40th anniversary marks four decades of G-SHOCK's reputation for durability and its cult following among athletes and broader audiences, making it a milestone worth celebrating with a high-profile collaboration.
5WPR targeted a diverse range of outlets, tracked the news cycle for timely opportunities, and leveraged nostalgia to create a compelling narrative that resonated across multiple cultural verticals.
Newsjacking allowed 5WPR to insert the campaign into trending conversations related to gaming and 80s culture, increasing visibility and relevance in real time.
Both brands share a "never give up" ethos and a legacy of resilience, making their collaboration a natural fit for a campaign centered on perseverance and cultural impact.
The campaign tapped into nostalgia, collaborated with a beloved gaming icon, and targeted media outlets popular with Gen Z and Millennials, ensuring broad cultural resonance.
The G-SHOCK Digital case study highlights 5WPR's work on the brand's digital presence, involving Digital Marketing & Social Media, Digital PR, Integrated Marketing, and Strategic Planning teams. More details are available at the G-SHOCK Digital case study page.
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Casio's famously indestructible G-SHOCK watch reached its 40th anniversary with a cult following among athletes and a broader audience drawn to its durability. To mark four decades, Casio and 5W identified a unique collaboration with Super Mario - a limited-edition watch. The strategic rationale: both brands are cultural icons born in 1980s Japan, both share a "never give up" ethos, and both were celebrating major milestones. 5W was assigned to launch the collaboration and use it to propel G-SHOCK back into the cultural conversation, ensuring the 40-year-old brand stayed exquisitely relevant.
5W leaned into the nostalgia trend that has captured Gen Z and Millennials - the same cultural force behind the return of Top Gun, Y2K fashion, and the Stranger Things soundtrack. The G-SHOCK x Super Mario collaboration was framed around that shared nostalgia and launched with a robust media strategy across business, lifestyle, fashion, video games, anime, and trade outlets. The team tracked the news cycle in real time for newsjacking moments tied to gaming and 80s culture.
Legacy brands stay relevant through unexpected collaborations that bridge generations, by tapping into emotional drivers like nostalgia, and by reaching cultural verticals their core marketing typically misses - gaming, anime, fashion, and design press alongside traditional trade outlets.
A brand collaboration strategy pairs two brands whose values, heritage, or audience overlap in a way that earns media attention beyond what either brand could generate alone. The G-SHOCK x Super Mario collab generated 73M+ impressions because both brands were 1980s Japanese icons celebrating 40-year milestones together.
5W combines cultural strategy, lifestyle media relations, gaming and entertainment press, and influencer activation to drive launches that reach beyond traditional consumer tech coverage.
Top outlets include GQ, HypeBeast, CNET, Inverse, Crunchyroll, Highsnobiety, Complex, and Vogue Business. The right outlet mix depends on the cultural lanes of each brand in the collaboration.
Cultural campaigns are measured through media impressions, sentiment, sell-through and stock depletion, social conversation volume, and earned mentions in tier-one cultural outlets - not just trade press.
