Expanding "Imagination and Creativity" (Part 1)

To commemorate the second book publication ( Dentsu Design Talk Vol. 2, published by Asahi Shimbun Publications) of the talk event series "Dentsu Design Talk" hosted by Dentsu Inc. since 2005, three figures featured in the book—AR trio member Tomu Kawada, Rhizomatiks' Seiichi Saito, and Dentsu Inc.'s Yoshimitsu Sawamoto—gathered at Dentsu Hall on December 17, 2014. Mr. Kawada, who continuously outputs unique ideas as a technology developer; Mr. Saito, who handles various experiential projects by combining space and technology; and Mr. Sawamoto, a top runner in advertising creativity, mutually inspired each other and discussed ways to expand advertising communication. We present the content in two parts.

What We Are Expanding

Sawamoto: Today's keyword is "expansion." Mr. Saito and Mr. Kawada, you're expanding all sorts of things, right?

Saito: Rhizomatiks operates on a business model that loops two axes: art and commercial (client work). While fundamentally focused on entertainment, we've long engaged in joint research with universities and product development with companies. Recently, we realized a project where the R&D process itself became the advertisement. This involved developing JINS' new eyewear, "JINS MEME," in collaboration with Professor Ryuta Kawashima from Tohoku University and a specialized device team. Rhizomatiks was involved from the eyewear's development to its communication strategy, which we see as "expanding our business domain." Additionally, we proposed a B2C venture to seven dreamers, a company primarily focused on B2B with top-tier carbon material technology, and we're jointly creating carbon-fiber golf shafts. We also produced commercials, but since the company doesn't have an advertising budget, we receive our final payment as royalties. This approach means we're in the same boat as the client, growing the business together. This is an "expansion of the business model." The third area is urban development. This is a project to make Sendai an even better city, timed with the opening of the Sendai Subway Tozai Line. We're establishing a local school to train regional producers and developing new media. No matter how much effort or money you pour into advertising, it disappears after a few months. Is creating just that enough? This stems from that question – it's "domain expansion."

Kawada: My title is "Eldest Son of the AR Trio"... though strictly speaking, I'm a developer. I write programs, plans, design documents, and copy, translating technology into entertainment and bringing entertainment into technology. I've always had a blurred line between manga and reality. My copy of Doraemon's "Secret Gadget Encyclopedia" is covered in sticky notes marking gadgets I think might be achievable. I live between illusion and reality (laughs). If Mr. Saito bridges art and commerce, I'm more on the living room side. I'm expanding media, sometimes using AR and sometimes not. Examples include Fuji TV's late-night anime block "Noitamina," the "AKB48 Real-Time General Election" we did for TBS's "Jounetsu Tairiku," and AR-based music promotion projects. (Pulls out smartphone) This was made for a year-end party; it's called "TR" (Handwritten Reality), which sits between AR and VR. For example, let's write "1600" on a piece of paper right here. Hold your smartphone over it, and footage of the Battle of Sekigahara starts playing... Or write a radio station's frequency and hold it over, and that station's broadcast plays... You get the idea? If Edison were here, he'd be laughing his head off.

Sawamoto: I think both of you play a role in bringing technology into advertising. For me, new technology is like going to an expo and seeing something amazing inside a pavilion. It feels like that experience turned into advertising. I believe ads that stick in people's minds aren't necessarily the interesting ones, but the ones that surprise them. Ads are generally annoying, so when you try to make them linger in people's minds, surprise is a crucial element. Both Saito-san and Kawada-san excel at creating that surprise through technology. I'm sure everyone was amazed by Mr. Kawada's demonstration just now. Honestly, I have no idea what any of it was about, but I'm satisfied for now, feeling like I've just visited the "Kawada Expo." I suspect embedding technology into advertising itself isn't that difficult. But it only truly becomes advertising when it drives consumption. We advertising people need to learn how to do that, and I'd very much like to work together on it.

 

Product Development Flowing Backwards from Advertising

Sawamoto: For me, expansion follows the opposite route from yours. TV commercials are a form of production with immense constraints. Budget, talent, deadlines, various client requests... Working within these constraints builds mental muscle—the ability to create within limitations and make it stand out. Copying and pasting that skill into other fields turns out to be surprisingly valuable. That's my idea of expansion. Making the film "Judge!", writing lyrics for TVXQ songs and the 2002 World Cup theme song—I think that's what it comes down to. Then, more recently, when asked to create an ad, I've become able to make "reverse proposals" that change the product itself to generate advertising value. This is "expansion from advertising to the product." Specifically, take the Crown. Rather than saying "It's new!" with the usual black Crown, I proposed painting the Crown pink and saying the same thing – suggesting that would be more successful as an ad.

Saito: From the perspective of someone creating ads like Sawamoto-san, or from my R&D standpoint, we've reached a point where we can say, "If we don't release this kind of product, won't it seem uncharacteristic of the brand as consumers perceive it?" Ultimately, R&D aims to make the product itself the advertisement.

Sawamoto: So even without explicit advertising messaging, simply showing the process becomes advertising.

Saitō: I think that approach works in today's world.

Sawamoto: That's fascinating. We're already creating expressions to make existing products look good, but if we consider other things as advertising too, the scope of advertising expands tremendously.

 

※Part 2 scheduled for publication on Saturday, February 7
You can also read the interview here on AdTae!

Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Event & Space Design Bureau, Aki Kanahara