Nissin turns chick mascot Hiyoko-chan into a demon to launch spicy ramen — ADFEST Grande

Nissin, maker of Japan's original instant ramen, faced a classic ageing-brand problem: its chicken ramen and its mascot, the adorable chick Hiyoko-chan, were loved by families and older consumers while younger Japanese weren't buying. For the chicken ramen 60th anniversary, Nissin wanted a new spicy product — Akuma no Kimura (Demon Kimura) — that could grab young attention.

In the first meeting with Nissin, attended by the president, Dentsu's CDC team proposed something audacious: transform Hiyoko-chan, a good girl for 60 years, into a demonic bird. To keep fans from rejecting the change, the team built a complete backstory first — a resignation letter declaring 'I quit being a good girl,' angry tweets asking how a chick can advertise chicken ramen, graffiti across Nissin product pages, and a special site made with occult magazine Mu that confirmed the lore, even suggesting the demon was Caim of the Lesser Key of Solomon.

The TV spot itself was a heavy-metal ritual: Hiyoko-chan raises a bowl of noodles to the sky to summon the demon, the familiar jingle turns metal, and the chick bursts out of its good-girl shell into a demonic form. The team coined 'summon for three minutes' — the exact time instant noodles take to cook — as a phrase built to spread on social media.

The campaign won the Grande Lotus for Brand Experience & Engagement at ADFEST 2019, among other global awards, and the spot traveled far beyond Japan. A follow-up in October 2018, Akuma no Kimura MADMAX, had the demon return in an even spicier 'final form,' and Dentsu later cited the work as a turning point for corporate mascots.