Activate Japan

I think when a product or a service kindles an emotional dialogue with the consumer the product or service can qualify to be a brand. As advertising becomes more ubiquitous across the country, it's increasingly difficult for companies and products to stand out from the crowd and avoid being ignored by ad-weary consumers. The shift in thinking is from asking how a company can motivate consumers to buy a product to asking instead how the product can touch consumers' lives. My favorite brand is Apple ever since I saw that Super Bowl ad talking about how Macintosh would change the world. I was reminded about why I loved Apple when this copy was used when Apple launched its iMac with their famous "Think Different" ad campaign. I got a real feeling of the mission of the company as well as its vision so I kept it in my files. This also ran and worked well in japan. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Copyright, Apple Computer 2001

activate “There are hundreds of ways to sell cars that don’t require TV commercials. We want an agency that understands that.” Daimler Chrysler “To build my brand I need communication that shows brand leadership but also increases transactions.” Visa Asia Pacific “To strengthen one of Volvo’s core values “Enjoy Life” we must increase lifestyle brand value as we build traffic to our dealers.” Volvo Japan Clients can no longer depend on their traditional advertising agency to communicate to consumers one to one. One to one in the client’s mind is communication anywhere the consumer meets the brand. Experience marketing, branded entertainment and even brand environments are “natural” chances for the consumer to meet the brand. Handled effectively these channels are often considered by the client to be the real “selling machine” for their brands.

Goal.com is an Internet portal site that provides arguably the best content available in soccer. Goal.com’s intention is to launch in the USA with a new USA centric site with eighty percent International content and twenty percent local content created by US sports journalists. . Goal.com also offers the most extensive soccer database and search engine for soccer facts and statistics. Goal.com’s intention is to develop specific products and services for the local market such as forums, blogs, games, exclusive multimedia content, In addition Goal and its sponsors will strive to develop a strong community site to drive traffic. According to Gian Luigi Longinotti-Boutoni CEO of Goal.com, “For the USA: the next big thing is soccer.” This big thing represents .a major opportunity for sponsors and advertisers. The USA has the largest and wealthiest community in sports and few people realize how popular soccer has become within that market. Goal estimates that there are 50 million people following soccer in the USA now with 18.7 million players with the player’s average age hovering around 16 years of age. These players clearly represent the so-called “New Media Generation.” Forty eight percent of the players are teenaged girls who could be considered the most influential and active consumers in the country now. This is also a community largely ignored by traditional media. The entertainment: industry is waking up to the movement however releasing such movies as "Goal," "The Game of Their Lives," "Kicking and Screaming,” and "Green Street Hooligans." by Nick Hornsby. This is obviously becoming a very passionate community so Goal.com’s launch into the US market comes at an opportune time. Sponsors will be able to reach this market with very cost efficient on line media communication when compared with TV, Radio, newspaper and magazine. The advertising on the site will also be more effective due to the interactive qualities of online communication making the space on Goal.com much more valuable yet still more inexpensive that traditional media. With the World Cup approaching in Africa and The USA’s National Team qualifying in the Olympics Goal.com’s launch in 2008 is critical to capture sponsorship dollars intended to promote products prior to the increased interest in soccer before the next World Cup. One strategy that Goal.com will utilize to enhance revenue based upon the ceiling issue is to offer premium, micro-site advertising. This type of advertising can be visitor interactive and create a reason for visitors to return to the Goal.com site and click through to the sponsor’s site. This also keeps visitors on the site longer making their visit more valuable to sponsors Also with the World Cup approaching sponsors are looking for more media exposure and Goal.com offers a highly targeted audience. The limited space available on Goal.com prior to World Cup will be more valuable in the immediate months prior to the event. Goal.com will establish an evaluation process for the above metrics and both consumer and writer feedback, including timing. Timing currently is almost daily as Goal.com is monitoring every facet of the launch carefully during the first three months of operation. In essence the site is in test mode and even sponsors are enticed to sponsor the site as a test for success. Goal.com is confident that once sponsors test the site and evaluate the results that they will become consistent advertisers on the site. No acceptable margin of deviation for each measure has been set to date however Goal.com is flexible enough with its platform and staff writers to adjust within seven working days should additions or alterations to the content be needed. The average growth in the previous markets has been a healthy twenty five percent per month any growth numbers below this benchmark would warrant investigation of Goal.com’s Search Engine Optimization plans and distribution partner’s performances

When I first heard that I was being posted in Japan all of my creative colleagues said, “Wow, how exciting…you get to go where the creativity is so fresh…I wish I was going there!” Well that creative perception of Japan has all but evaporated now. What has happened to creativity in Japan’s advertising? Where has it gone? Over the past several years there has been a lot of finger pointing… Who is to blame? Of course the easiest target is the economy…sales are dropping and the competition is becoming more fierce… ”Our communication must work harder!” is the most bantered about rallying cry. Some creators blame the 15-second format…the sacred reach and frequency must be maintained… I admit I find that challenging too. Where is the excuse for our press advertising’s demise? Some agencies blame the pool of available creative talent. One interesting fact…this is the only country where there is not a creative “Hot Shop” as we call them in the West… I’ll come back to this one later. I like this one and I have some sympathy for this excuse… Japan is different…That is why we can’t win a Cannes… and globally. Then there are those who say our work is so popular in Japan...it works at home…I question that… Tokoro Jogi was used in over 26 different advertisements since I arrived, maybe more…they are all popular… Did he enhance the brands that he endorsed, do you remember the brand, did he set the brand apart from the competition…? I think the only thing he may have accomplished is make the brand “shitashi mi yasui.” Have we just become lazy? I have seen internal creative reviews where everyone begins with, who should we use as the spokesperson? Yikes…imagine losing a pitch because the celebrity that the competitive agency suggested was like better by the client…what was the idea? We don’t have one yet…whoops. That’s enough excuses to tackle in one blog. Let me try to answer some of these criticisms and although many may disagree with my solutions I will offer some… Ok let’s start with the economy… Yes it’s true clients are becoming more timid and less likely to focus on one selling message in a TVC since the media time costs so much. Since one of BBDO’s founders developed the idea of “brainstorming” in the late 1930s business has been trying to wed creativity to commerce. Unfortunately the very nature of business tends to stifle creativity as the very competition it fosters establishes one of the biggest blocks: the fear of making a mistake. But the economy is bad almost everywhere you look and creativity is flourishing in some of the most unexpected places like Brazil, Thailand, Portugal, even Russia is starting to show signs that creativity in advertising is alive and well…somewhere. 15 second discipline. Also reach versus quality of reach…a great idea can certainly live in a 15 second format…I also think fewer 30 second spots with a strong idea is worth more than twice as many 15 second spots with no idea! Lack of creative talent. There are plenty of good creators at production houses but they could not create to a strategy if they had to…in fact they don’t have to. Many production house creators just won’t create to a sound strategy…they believe that it would spoil the opportunity to be creative…it would be too difficult. Anyway they are not responsible ten months down the road when the competition has overtaken a brand’s positioning and precious share points! Japan is different…we can’t win at Cannes This is true everywhere…Brazil and Thailand’s best work could not win at Cannes but it works phenomenally well at home Well at last year’s ACCJ awards I didn’t even see good work worthy of winning awards here at home! I do feel strongly that Japan can win at Cannes…if we go back to where it was in the 80’s. The spots during the 80’s were refreshing and memorable…perhaps Japanese creatives should go Retro.

Although Western agencies have been established here in some cases over thirty years and Western clients like GE even longer, over 100 years! It is these differences that tend to mystify the foreigners who come to Japan to do business. Perhaps these differences are rooted in the Japanese culture. Hopefully I can shed some light on the subject because it is fundamental to our belief that a contact and network here is extremely valuable. In the West advertising goes head to head, toe to toe. Especially in politics. The logic goes a little bit like this, Tell them why you are different Tell them why you are the best Then they will want to buy Then they will become hooked on you because they can justify their purchase. In Japan the “logic” of the approach is quite different…perhaps… Make friends with them Prove you understand their feelings Show that you’re nice Then they’ll want to buy Then they’ll find out what’s good about you This whole approach characterizes how the Japanese approach business. The one element that is most important before business can be transacted is the development of a relationship. Japanese business is an ambiance where feelings are paramount and the most important gauge to measure how clients respond to your communication is the answer to the question often asked in research, “Is your product and company "Shitashi mi yasui" or easy to feel familiar with?”