What was the Adwi seminar like?

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Advertising Week Asia (referred to as Adwi in this series), held for the first time in Asia until June 2nd, has concluded. What events and seminars drew attention at Adwi Asia? Izawa, who covered Adwi intensively from before the event, reports with his own perspective——.

Keynotes covered by the same reporter

Ikegami: Ah, Adwi's over, huh...

Izawa: Ikegami-kun, who was on the PR team. You're completely deflated!

Ikegami: I poured my heart and soul into Adwi these past few months. Of course I'm a bit out of it.

Izawa: Great work! How did the total attendance turn out?

Ikegami: It was 11,013 people. Thanks to everyone, it was a huge success for the first year. Thank you so much, Senpai, for coming every single day. Which seminars did you find interesting?

Izawa: I attended several seminars, starting with " TUGBOAT CREATIVE ACADEMY " on the first day. Among the keynotes, the one that caught my attention was " Real Mad Men: A Conversation with Keith Reinhard."

Ikegami: Oh, Keith Reinhard is the founder of Omnicom, a global advertising agency, and the Global Chairman of DDB. He's the original advertising man, so much so that he could be considered the model for the hit American drama series "Mad Men," set in the New York advertising industry of the 1960s.

Izawa: That's typical. I hear Mad Men also touches on office romances, and Reinhard-san was no exception—apparently he married someone from within the company.

Ikegami: That kind of story popping up really gives it that overseas guest talk session vibe, doesn't it?

Izawa: Exactly. If you could understand it directly in English, you'd get the nuance of those jokes and find it even funnier. In my case, I got it through simultaneous interpretation. But thanks to that, I got the gist. It was a huge help!

Ikegami-kun: That's good to hear. What parts did you find interesting?

Izawa: Key phrases like "Human desires remain constant even as times change," "Don't become a slave to tools and technology," "What story you tell matters most," "Those who handle mass media bear responsibility for shaping society," and "Following your passion shapes who you'll be years from now." Hearing them from such a senior figure was really compelling.

Ikegami: That's coming from the simultaneous interpreter's mouth, right?

Izawa: Hey!! No need for unnecessary comments!

The key speaker session was packed to the rafters.

Ikegami: What other sessions were popular?

Izawa: The ones packed to the point of standing room only were "How to Create Content That Sparks Passion," moderated by Koichiro Shima from Hakuhodo Kettle, and "Kashiwa Sato meets Hiroshi Sasaki," a dialogue between art director Kashiwa Sato (Samurai) and creative director Hiroshi Sasaki (Singata).

Ikegami: That's an industry-shaking pairing.

Izawa: Exactly. According to them, it was their first talk since the 50th anniversary issue of "Brain" five years ago, so I think it drew a lot of attention.

Ikegami: What did you learn from that?

Izawa: It's a cliché, but people active on the front lines have highly sensitive antennas and a strong desire to contribute to society. For example, the Suntory BOSS commercial Mr. Sasaki worked on right after the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake—I think it resonated with the atmosphere and mood of the time while also having the power to encourage viewers. I felt like I glimpsed the core driving force behind that.

Ikegami: Wow, I really wanted to hear that! The guests for Mr. Shima's session were Mr. Yohei Sadojima (CEO of Cork), who created hits like "Dragon Zakura" and "Space Brothers" for Weekly Morning (Kodansha) before going independent, and Mr. Nobuyuki Sakuma (TV Tokyo producer), known for directing popular, unique programs like "SICKS ~Everyone Has Some Kind of Illness~" and "Piramekino".

Izawa: Since this session focused on content creation as its main theme, it was really interesting for me as a writer. One tip for creating good content is apparently not to get too friendly with TV cast members or manga artists in private! Sakuma-san, for instance, apparently never goes drinking with cast members except for the annual program wrap-up party.

Ikegami: What?! I thought this world was all about going out for drinks...

Izawa: Right? But apparently, nothing ever gets decided at drinking parties... He didn't say they're completely pointless, but he said that keeping that tension—knowing you could get cut anytime—is actually the secret to coming up with great ideas.

Ikegami: I've been saying "Let's go drinking" at the drop of a hat lately... I need to work on that.

Izawa: Yeah, you're right. So, no Adwe party either.

Ikegami: What?! The wrap party's separate, right?! Sakuma-san said he'd go to the wrap party!!

Izawa: Ahaha, right. Also, to make something hit, "it's essential to make readers or viewers want to be part of the group," and hints for ideas come from "reading the mood of the times from the titles stacked flat on the new release shelves at bookstores."

Ikegami-kun: I'm learning so much~.

Izawa: It seemed like the two guests were meeting for the first time, and their chemistry was really interesting. Sadojima-san bluntly suggested that the lag between pressing the TV button and the image appearing might be one reason viewers are tuning out. Then there was talk about what would happen if a gag manga artist appeared on Sakuma-san's show. It felt like a planning meeting happening right in front of us, or like new content was being born.

Ikegami: That's the great thing about AdWii—hearing directly from people who are currently in the spotlight.

Key points you can use right away

Izawa: There were also sessions that were a bit more practical, like ones you could use in tomorrow's proposal. Among them, " The Cutting Edge of Mobile Communication Among Japanese Youth," which shared research from Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Media Environment Research Institute and DENTSU SOKEN INC., was really interesting.

Ikegami: Huh, Dentsu Inc. and Hakuhodo did a joint session?

Izawa: That's right. They presented four research studies, and since photography was allowed for the data too, the sound of smartphone shutters was crazy. I guess everyone was really interested.

Ikegami: Wow, both companies are really generous!!

Izawa: Director Masataka Yoshikawa of Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Media Environment Research Institute presented quantitative data on consumers' media exposure, revealing the reality of the "mobile shift." In contrast, Akira Miwa, Head of the Media Innovation Research Department at DENTSU SOKEN INC., reported on actual mobile usage patterns based on log data analysis. According to this, the three major smartphone usage periods are: 8:00 AM (mobile activation rate 61%), which coincides with commuting/school hours; 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (67%), corresponding to lunch breaks; and 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM (over 60%), from returning home until bedtime. I kind of suspected that, but having it backed up by data really adds persuasive power to planning, right? Like how the average mobile session lasts under 2 minutes, and teenage girls activate their phones an average of 65 times a day – showing a very hectic usage pattern.

Ikegami: I see! It's great when things you vaguely suspected get backed up by data.

Izawa: I'm just repeating what I said earlier...

Ikegami: I'm learning so much!!

Izawa: (Regaining composure) So, corporate official accounts tend to post on social media at 10 AM or 2 PM, during so-called "working hours." But that means they won't be seen. The data shows that posting based on the sender's convenience doesn't match the current lifestyle of mobile users.

Ikegami: I sometimes talk to clients about this, but having supporting data makes it easier for them to understand.

Izawa: Also, in a presentation by Mariko Shitara, Associate Researcher (DENTSU SOKEN INC.), she described the information transmission model of young smartphone users who utilize visuals such as photos and videos, which is a trend of the current era, as "simulacrum-type," which I found interesting.

Ikegami: Simulacrum?

Izawa: It originally comes from French and means "false image" or "imitation," but here it refers to copies without originals. It describes a phenomenon on modern social media, where photos and videos have become increasingly important, where "it's unclear who started it, but many people want to imitate certain photo styles and images, creating patterns." The "simulacrum type" is a new style of information transmission and trend propagation in the modern age, where people see photos posted by others and want to have the same experience themselves. Its characteristics include the arousal of admiration, interest, and desire to consume through photos of events and dishes that look good on social media, or "vicarious consumption" where viewers feel as if they have had the experience themselves.

Ikegami: You've been studying, senior.

Izawa: And it's not that traditional mass communication centered on mass media and influencer-based communication originating from influencers will disappear. Rather, these will occur simultaneously and simultaneously, diversifying the ignition points of consumers' desires and needs...

Ikegami: W-Wow, you're so smart, Senpai!!

Izawa: Huh? That stuff? All of it? Just regurgitating what that beautiful researcher, Shitara-san, told me.

Ikegami: What? I got scared for nothing.

Izawa: What do you mean, "What's that"?! (angry) Anyway, Adwi was packed with info you can use right now to make yourself look smart in front of juniors.

Ikegami: Wow, that was super helpful. I'll put it to use in my proposal right away!

Izawa: I'd like to talk about other highlights too...

Ikegami: Huh? But we've been talking for about three hours now, so I'd like to get back to work soon...

Izawa: You're one to talk after dragging your feet with Adwi burnout syndrome!! Seriously! Well, we'll talk later. Go do some work to refresh yourself.

Ikegami-kun: Senior, it feels like our roles have completely reversed...

Izawa: Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. Ciao~.

Next time, the final installment! We'll explore the fun beyond Adwi seminars!