The Groop Announces the Launch of Aiwaworld

May 18, 2004

The Los Angeles-based design collective, THE_GROOP today announced the launch of AIWAWORLD, a web-based youth channel anchored by an unprecedented audio-visual experience to showcase the AIWA brand of consumer electronics. This is the most collaborative project to-date for THE_GROOP: drawing from the creative talents of distributed teams representing renowned advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy's offices in London and Tokyo, as well as Oceanmonsters and Hello Design, also LA-based studios. The L.A. teams were directed by Eric Cruz from WK Tokyo, Jose Caballer from THE_GROOP and Jack Peng from Oceanmonsters. THE_GROOP led the user interface efforts contributed by each firm to the design of the groundbreaking new website, accessible from URL: www.AIWA.com/aiwaworld. "Together, everyone has brought this project to unexpected heights with amazing passion from each office and contibutor" said John Jay, W+K Tokyo's Creative Director, "I look forward to all the work and results of new creative relationships to come."

To create the engaging visual dynamics and gracefully whimsical user experience AIWA required, Wieden+Kennedy partnered with THE_GROOP and Oceanmonsters to design a highly innovative audio-visual online destination that effectively caters to the diversity of younger users around the world. The new AIWA website, is an entertaining destination that effectively augments the AIWA brand; it is an engrossing interactive experience that meets the appetite for excitement of younger users, and invites repeated playful exploration of the fresh, dynamic design, content and programs.

The website features three primary areas, "AIWA TV," "SONICS" and "AIWAMALS." The "AIWA TV" section provides users with original material from leading artists and content creators including New York-based Mumbleboy and London-based Tokyo Plastic. In the "SONICS" or "Sonic Land," users listen to a wide range of interactive characters, representing a diverse range of music genres. Users can also create their own sonic characters and assign a soundtrack. The goal is to exemplify the proper pronunciation of the Aiwa name-brand for the global internet audience and to introduce the youth demographic to the new, re-designed AIWA logo. In the "AIWAMALS" section, users playfully interact with animated characters dubbed "AIWAMALS." Each AIWAMAL has unique musical characteristics and attributes. However, users are welcomed to combine distinct characters to personally create a new hybrid offspring of "AIWAMAL."

"For THE_GROOP, this is our latest successful project and a true testament to unprecedented creative collaboration amongst team members on three continents and an enormous range of functional disciplines: AIWA, Wieden+Kennedy London, Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo, Oceanmonsters, and Hello Design" says Jose Caballer, co-founder of THE_GROOP, "collectively we all have brought together and managed an amazing cross-border team of talented professionals who produced the site in less than 5 weeks. eartist: THE_GROOP assigned one team of an brand steward, a designer, an animator, a sound designer and an illustrator for each artist. Over 20 global GROOP members collaborated on the project, key members of the team included Sharon Cardinal, CaLArts graduate, Jose Caballer, award-winning faculty member at Art Center College of Design and UCLA, Wade Convay, recent Art Center College of Design graduate, and also included DJ Jorge Verdin/Clorofilia of the Nortec Collective and fine artist/illustrator Justin Wood.

While the AIWAWORLD production represents the success of their continuing collaborative creative partnership, Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo and THE_GROOP have produced several other important interactive projects. Successes include the 2003 Nike Presto "Instant Go" DVD and the W+K Tokyo Lab DVD, winner of the prestigious "Best of Show" award for HOW magazine's 2003 interactive annual. W+K continues to partner with THE_GROOP because of their highly regarded design expertise and the consistent demonstration of their unique ability to seamlessly integrate a broad range of creative talents within the global W+K team. "The production methods and production processes of THE_GROOP are purposefully designed to facilitate a new, graduated level of creative collaboration - across our network of contributors and industry partners - it is an honor to continue to work with Wieden + Kennedy," said Jose Caballer of THE_GROOP, "and we are looking forward to future strategic opportunities to deploy our collective of passonate creative professionals."

THE_GROOP, Oceanmonsters, Hello Design and the W+K London and Tokyo teams worked very closely together - the combined teams designed a unique aesthetic for the AIWAWORLD experience. A crucial factor in the success of the project was THE_GROOP's multi-disciplinary agility and project coordination skills.