Hitachi and Mamapöol Take Epic Action to Save the Planet without Blowing Anything Up

According to traditional blockbuster action movies, saving the planet is a thrillingly explosive business involving guns, gadgets and car chases. But in real life, it’s down to technology hidden under the sea or buried in data centres: clean energy transmission, pioneering low-carbon cloud storage, clean transport solutions, and digital technology. Businesses that global conglomerate Hitachi has been investing in for over a century as part of its mission to accelerate the planet’s transition to a sustainable future.

To shine a light on these almost invisible businesses, and how Hitachi brand has evolved from a consumer electronics business to a world leader in sustainable technology, digital and data-led solutions, the 114-year-old company has launched its multi-regional B2B campaign: Achieve Together

Developed by creative collective Mamapöol and shot by Emmy-nominated director Cameron Harris, the two-and-a-half minute film humorously riffs on a classic blockbuster action movie, showcasing how Hitachi, along with its partners and customers are working together to take real action to achieve a sustainable future.

The epic spot, which is Harris’ first film directed through Park Village in the UK and Europe, opens with a dramatic shot of an ageing action movie star - who promptly forgets his lines and even which film he’s in, before a Hitachi representative helpfully informs him that he is filming Hitachi: Action For A Sustainable Future.

Watch the full Action For a Sustainable Future film here.

Over the course of the film, the shaven-headed hero prepares to fly a helicopter into the whirling blades of a wind farm; do battle with a robot-controlled train, and don an invisibility jet pack - all accompanied by suitably atmospheric music - only to be reminded that this isn’t a traditional Hollywood action movie: the ‘action’ being taken to save the planet is efficiently connecting wind farms to homes and businesses, training robotics systems to build batteries for electric school buses, and partnering with medical tech firms to develop life-saving digital technology. Dejected, the star wonders if this is really his kind of movie, before learning that climate change can’t be defeated alone - but rather, by everyone taking action together. 

Underlying the campaign’s comic tone is a serious, decades-long commitment to sustainability. Hitachi has been transforming its business by investing in new businesses spanning clean energy transmission, pioneering low carbon data centres, clean transport solutions, and digital technology - including Hitachi Energy, global digital engineering company GlobalLogic, robotic systems integration company JR Automation, and the recently-acquired Thales’ Ground Transportation Systems business. 

The campaign film launches on 4 September across Hitachi’s LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and X accounts. It will be followed by a paid media campaign across the UK, Italy and USA later.

Kazunori Tsushima, general manager, global corporate brand and communications division, Hitachi, Ltd. said, “This is a hugely important step for Hitachi as we look to grow our reputation as a global leader in sustainability, digital and data. With over 260,000 employees working in diverse business sectors we needed an impactful and engaging approach to shift perceptions of the brand and highlight the real action we are taking together to achieve a sustainable future.” 

Jason Mendes, co-founder and creative partner of Mamapool added, “When Hitachi asked us to create a new B2B brand campaign, we knew we’d have to approach things a bit differently - just showing their products and partnerships in action wasn’t going to cut through. ‘Action’ being the operative word. Therefore, our creative digital content needed to be as interesting as the content we were interrupting or our audience was searching for."

Tom Pinsent, co-founder and strategic partner of Mamapool continued, "So, leaning on the teachings of Binet and Field, System 1, Mark Ritson et al, we created an action movie with a twist: a human story, using humour and emotion, featuring believable characters, dialogue, music and a touch of nostalgia - basically, the last things you'd expect to see in traditional B2B advertising for an industrial multinational.”

Cameron Harris, film director at Park Village said, “Hitachi’s commitment to sustainability is more epic than any ‘90s action hero could handle. Even the Terminator would be impressed by how they’re taking on the planet’s biggest challenges.”

Achieve Together follows on from Mamapool’s previous award-winning campaign for Hitachi, Racing To Zero, the world’s first zero carbon film which won awards in the UK along with two golds at the inaugural Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards for Best Production and Best Industrial Campaign.