[CCC Marketing x Loftwork] A hackathon will be held to co-create features that "railway enthusiasts" want on Citizen's IoT platform "Riiiver"

2021.09.21 Press Releases
CCC Marketing Inc./Loftwork Inc.

- Applications now open for the first hackathon to "further enrich the lifestyles of obsessive fans"-

CCC Marketing Inc. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kazuhiko Kitamura; hereinafter "CCC Marketing"), a database marketing company within the Culture Convenience Club (CCC) Group, a planning company proposing new lifestyles, and Loftwork Inc. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Mitsuhiro Suwa; hereinafter "Loftwork"), which operates a platform for co-creation with creator communities around the world and provides a wide range of creative services, have announced that they will collaborate on the IoT platform "Riiiver" (https://riiiver.com/) will be holding a hackathon called "Too Much Love Hackathon - Railway Edition" from Saturday, October 30th to Saturday, November 13th, 2021, to co-create features that "railway enthusiasts" want.
In conjunction with this, Loftwork will launch "AWRD," a platform that brings creative competitions and hackathons to the world, on Tuesday, September 21st. https://awrd.com/award/train-hack) has begun accepting applications for participants for this hackathon. Six groups (planned) will be selected from the applicants and will participate in the hackathon program.

Create your own custom functions with the smartphone app "Riiiver"

"Riiiver" is an IoT platform that allows you to connect various products and services to Riiiver-compatible smartwatches. Any product or service can be brought closer to its users by connecting with a Riiiver-enabled smartwatch. For example, by pressing a button on your smartwatch, you can check live sports news or link it to your smartphone's GPS function to send your current location via email. In addition, these integrations require a "function (iiidea)" that can be used within Riiiver. Anyone can easily create an iiidea using the smartphone app "Riiiver."

Since 2019, CCC Marketing has been working with Citizen on the marketing promotion of "CITIZEN CONNECTED (Riiiver compatible smartwatch)." Utilizing CCC Group assets such as offline customer touchpoints like Tsutaya Bookstore and Tsutaya Electrics, CCC Marketing continues to raise awareness of "CITIZEN CONNECTED," promotes it, and proposes plans for everything from experience to purchase. After various efforts, the number of CITIZEN CONNECTED models has increased from four when pre-sales began in June 2019 to 19 now, and the products are being enjoyed by many customers. This hackathon is part of our ongoing efforts to co-create with creators features tailored to individual lifestyles so that Riiiver-compatible smartwatches can provide even more accessible and enriching experiences in the future. Citizen and CCC Marketing are co-hosting the event, with operational support from Loftwork.

The first release focuses on features that "railway enthusiasts" want in a smartwatch.

Taking advantage of the platform's ability to bring users closer to a variety of products and services, the event will focus on people with strong preferences (i.e. obsessions) for specific things and experiences. The first event will focus on features that will allow "railway enthusiasts" to enjoy a lifestyle that involves "railways" and further deepen their passion.
Neko Publishing, a publishing label of Culture Entertainment Inc., a CCC Group company that publishes railway-related magazines and books, will also be participating in the co-creation process. The magazine editor-in-chief will provide advice on the developed prototypes, utilizing Neko Publishing's knowledge of the lifestyles of "railway enthusiasts," including the railway magazine "Rail Magazine," which has just reached its 450th issue, and the railway model magazine "RM MODELS."

Comment from Yoshinobu Takiguchi, Editor-in-Chief of Neko Publishing's "RM MODELS"
Japanese railways operate on schedules more faithfully than any other railway in the world, and clocks are essential to making this possible. Even in the world of railway enthusiasts, there is a habit of constantly comparing and organizing numbers, from train model numbers to train numbers, vehicle length and speed, and so devices that handle numbers are familiar to people. If people can experience information such as train times, vehicle dimensions, speeds, and more, which until now has been obtained through simple numbers, maps, or even more specialized diagrams, from a different perspective through "Riiiver" and "iiidea," I believe that railway hobbies will become more interesting and can be enjoyed by more people. I'm grateful for this opportunity and look forward to coming up with ideas to make railroading even more fun!

Comment from Masaki Oishi, General Manager of the Open Innovation Department, Sales Headquarters, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
"Riiiver" is an IoT platform that allows you to connect your preferred services to compatible products such as our smartwatches. It is also a platform that will grow as more people participate. We believe that by turning your "this is fun!" ideas into reality (iiideas) with the Riiiver app, you can broaden your "enriched experiences."This time, we will be holding a hackathon with the cooperation of CCC Marketing Co., Ltd. and Loftwork Inc. The theme this time is "railways."We hope to give shape to your love for trains and allow many people to experience a "rich time."We look forward to receiving your fun ideas for the "Too Much Love Hackathon - Railway Edition"!

Starting with the "Too Much Love Hackathon - Railway Edition," CCC Marketing and Loftwork plan to use the "Riiiver" platform to take on hackathons in lifestyle genres other than "railways."

CCC Marketing will combine various group assets, such as lifestyle data collected from consumers, the CCC Group's real-world customer contact points, and the knowledge of publishers, to create projects that cater to the lifestyles of each and every customer who uses a Riiiver-compatible smartwatch. He continued, "Turn unique data into solution power. With this as our key message, we aim to be a company that solves the problems of our client companies.

As a creative company that designs web, content, communication, and spaces through open collaboration, Loftwork will continue to promote co-creation with creators around the world through AWRD and provide a wide range of creative services.

＜Outline of "Too Much Love Hackathon - Railway Edition-"＞

・Application period: September 21, 2021 (Wednesday) 12:00 to October 11, 2021 (Wednesday) 12:00 *Times are Japan time
・Eligibility: Anyone who meets any or all of the following criteria is eligible to apply, regardless of nationality or age.
1. I love trains
2. Ability to develop apps using Web APIs (JavaScript is used)
3. You can create ideas, compile them into documents, and present them online.
・How to apply: AWRD (https://awrd.com/award/train-hackPlease apply via the link below.
Judging criteria: Overall score of "passion for railways," "creativity," "potential for development," and "accuracy of development"
・ Prizes: The first place team will receive a Riiiver-compatible smartwatch and a copy of Rail Magazine.
Or featured in "RM MODELS"
·schedule:
　Application period: September 21, 2021 (Wednesday) 12:00 to October 11, 2021 (Wednesday) 12:00 *Times are Japan time
　Lottery results announcement: Tuesday, October 12, 2021
　Hackathon DAY 1 (Idea creation, coding environment creation): Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10:00-19:00
　Hackathon DAY 2 (presentations, judging results announcement): Saturday, November 13, 2021, 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Co-hosted by: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. and CCC Marketing Co., Ltd.
・Operated by: Loftwork Inc.

Materials related to this matter

[CCC Marketing x Loftwork] A hackathon will be held to co-create features that "railway enthusiasts" want on Citizen's IoT platform "Riiiver"

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