Interview with Takuma Takasaki "Creativity Never Betrays You" Part 2

Words, Visuals, Sound: Three Technologies at the Core

[Session 2] How Are Things That Move Us Created?

How to Connect with People

Recently, the scope of advertising has expanded significantly. The boundaries between creative, strategy, media, and even sales and clients have become blurred. In this era, wherever you are, if you set your mind to it, you can achieve anything. Conversely, if you decide "I'll only do this part," you'll end up doing only the bare minimum. At the core of why I love this work so deeply is this desire: How far can I go in portraying human beings through a story drawn on an A4 sheet of paper? How deeply can I write words that penetrate the heart on manuscript paper? That's the foundation. I do everything because I want to obtain the environment to do that in its purest form. From top to bottom, left to right, I do it all.

Right now, everyone might be too flustered by the qualitative shift in media. Advertising-related books basically hype our era with sensational titles and cover copy. But that's probably just fleeting; in five years, it'll be stale and meaningless. Every era is in the midst of change. I think what's important is discerning the essence and focusing on that to live by. Since the times never eliminate the essence, what's needed is to hone the skill of communicating at that fundamental level, and to keep striving to understand people better. How close can we get to people? I believe that's the secret to creating something that truly reaches them. The most effective tools for getting closer to people are surely words, visuals, and sound. It doesn't matter if it's digital, print, or live. If you hone those three skills, I feel you'll be able to make it work.

I'm someone captivated by film, which combines these elements, so I believe in its power. I'm genuinely excited to see how far I can go with it. Adapting that power to the times and turning it into expression—I think that's the core of my skill. That's why I keep honing it desperately. It feels endlessly deep, and I still feel like I'm only at the entrance. Lately, I worry that if young people get wrapped up in this industry's illusion that "you can do anything anywhere," they might lose sight of their own core. That seems like a real tragedy. Being able to do anything is almost the same as being able to do nothing. Realizing that ten years later is already too late.

Suntory Beverage & Food International's carbonated drink "Orangina" commercial series "Monsieur's Hard Life" presents its seventh installment, "Monsieur Misses the Boat" (airing from April 15th). Based on the protagonist "Tora-san" from director Yoji Yamada's "It's Tough Being a Man" series, Richard Gere plays the French version of "TORA".

I like being criticized

I've been doing this job for 20 years, but I don't feel like my planning skills themselves have improved. It's almost frustrating how little they've changed. I've just gotten a bit faster. I always plan projects in coffee shops, and every single time, I struggle to shake off the obsessive fear of what if I can't get it done.

But I might be slowly learning to handle that pressure better. When my physical or mental state isn't right, good ideas just don't come. I've developed several ways to get myself into that state. It's like self-hypnosis. If I feel like today's not working, I don't push it; I switch to something completely different. That forces my brain to relax. Once it lets its guard down, I jump right back to work. I have tons of tricks like that – like thinking "Tomorrow will probably be better," even with zero basis for it.

I believe planning should fundamentally be done in small groups. Otherwise, you don't get deep enough. But that fear of possibly failing is actually a crucial element for propelling the plan forward. It's that fear that drives you to keep going until you succeed. Since I'm naturally prone to slacking off, maybe I concentrate better in an environment where it feels like someone scary is glaring at me from behind! When a large group is all chattering away, that vital fear gets diluted. That's how it feels to me.

I can't forgive myself for not being able to do this work I love so much, so I just push myself. That's probably why I seem so stoic to others. I'm completely addicted to planning.

When I have free time, I air-plan things. I think about clients who never asked me anything, wondering, "If I were in charge of that product, what would I do?" It's a sickness. I feel bad for my juniors. Having a senior like me must be awful. I just keep charging ahead on my own, saying something different every time we meet, emailing in the middle of the night wanting to change a finalized plan, making the work balloon out of control. I'm a pain.

But if I'm being honest, I believe the truth should always be spoken, no matter when or to whom. If a project I've protected for so long seems unlikely to reach its intended outcome, I think a major decision must be made. Constantly question yourself. If you don't, the final expression will be overwhelmed by the flood of changes and incidents.

In advertising, you get feedback from all sorts of people at every stage. But I actually quite like it. I came to enjoy it when I saw it as an opportunity to validate things. Back in the day, I'd stubbornly resist for hours like a rebellious teenager. Now, I try to listen as closely as possible to the real voice behind those requests and think about what would truly serve that voice. I think this job became really interesting for me precisely because I learned to do that. Ultimately, I believe hearing "thank you" at the end is what matters most.

〔 Continued in Part 3 〕

Mr. Takasaki always carries a notebook, jotting down ideas and notes. He's already filled dozens of them. Among them was the idea for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic bid campaign video. It became the final presentation video, moving and resonating with many people.