To Prove That Japanese Soil is Safe, Gardening Product Opens Soil Restaurant

Japan has all-garlic restaurants and toilet restaurants, but how about some good old earth to whet your appetitite? When gardening soil company Protoleaf wanted to show that its product was completely free of nuclear radiation -- a serious concern due to Fukushima -- it tapped TBWA/Hakuhodo to do so. The result was "The Soil Restaurant," which served a full meal by a Michelin-starred chef that used Protoleaf as the main ingredient. For the low, low price of $110, the public could eat all the soil their hearts and stomachs desired. Free media exposure amounted to over $8 million, and sales surged 130% versus the previous year.