AdWii is the summer festival of the advertising world!

Previous Recap

Our series, running since March, finally reaches its conclusion! Advertising Week Asia (AdWeek Asia, referred to as "AdWeek" in this series), the first of its kind in Asia, closed on June 2nd. Izawa, who conducted hands-on reporting, summarizes AdWeek Asia.

YouTubers are a different breed from celebrities

Ikegami-kun: Somehow, I can't seem to get any work done today...

Izawa: Hehehe... I knew you'd say that.

Ikegami-kun: Ah, Senpai!

Izawa: Ikegami-kun, you are undoubtedly suffering from Adwii Burnout Syndrome!!

Ikegami: Gaaaaaaaah.

Izawa: Well, let's use this as rehab and review Adowi.

Ikegami: Hmm, yeah, that's true.

Izawa: Last time, I introduced Adwi's cool seminars from Izawa's perspective, but Adwi doesn't just have seminars and workshops—they also have events with high entertainment value, right?

Ikegami: Oh, the YouTube events.

Izawa: Exactly. Popular YouTubers kept appearing, doing live performances and fan meetings—it was really lively. YouTubers are amazing at being so close to their fans! Plus, they filmed 360-degree videos and did live streams too. The event setup itself was pretty interesting.

Ikegami: I'm not too familiar with YouTubers, but who was there?

Izawa: I didn't check everyone either, but first up was HIKAKIN.

Ikegami: Oh, I know HIKAKIN!

Izawa:I interviewed HIKAKIN before, and I remember him saying, "I'm not a celebrity." He even makes funny faces sometimes in selfies with fans. That relatable "guy next door" vibe is probably the secret to his popularity.

Ikegami: HIKAKIN is a pioneer of YouTubers in Japan, right?

Izawa: I bet some people aspired to become YouTubers because they admired HIKAKIN.

Ikegami: Who else?

Izawa: Well, there's the hugely popular Hajime Shacho, then Daichi Beatboxer, Tokai Onair, Home Sessions, and so on.

Izawa: Oh, and singer-songwriter MACO was there too—she's basically a YouTuber who got her big break after posting videos on YouTube.

Ikegami: Wow! This is how future hitmakers are born, huh~.

Izawa: YouTube has really widened the gateway to becoming popular. Anyone has a chance. But whether you're popular or not is obvious at a glance from view counts and channel subscribers, so consistently creating hit content must be really tough.

Ikegami-kun: That's true. But I bet they genuinely enjoy doing it. Of course, there's strategic planning involved, but I think a big part of it comes down to that innate talent that lets them just do it instinctively.

Izawa: Nothing beats doing what you love.

The beautiful woman next to me is an important person from overseas.

Ikegami: AdWii had quite a few international participants. Did you get to interact with them?

Izawa: You asked the right question! During a break, there was this beautiful foreign woman next to me, so I just had to strike up a conversation!

Ikegami: You hit on her?!

Izawa: No, no—I just smoothly struck up a conversation like a mature adult. Then, to my surprise, she turned out to be the Vice President of Global Corporate Marketing at AOL.

Ikegami: Wait, but did you even know English, senior...? I thought I heard you listening to the English keynote with simultaneous interpretation...

Izawa: I can at least ask "Where are you from?!" (angry)

Ikegami: Ahahaha, sorry. But that's basically hitting on someone, right?

Izawa: Well, I won't deny it was a bit of a lighthearted approach... The rest of the conversation was interpreted by the Japanese person from AOL who was with you.

Ikegami: So the conversation really got going then?

Izawa:...Well, with an interpreter, there's a communication lag, you know... (sweat). What I understood was that she was a seminar speaker who came to Japan from London for AdWii, and her mission was to convey AOL's Culture & Code—meaning Media and, um, Platform, and Pro, Program...ma...tic, that is, their strategy.

Ikegami: So basically, the actual strategy was too complicated to grasp...

Izawa: Well, well, I did grasp that they're leveraging their expertise in running their own media to enable user-centric ad delivery. But even in Japanese, it was pretty tough. I was listening with such a grim expression that Michelle started looking grim too, and I was freaking out that I'd made the beauty angry...

Ikegami: So, the overseas communication failed?!

Izawa: No, no. I'm not the type to give up that easily! Don't worry, we bounced back by talking about her Instagram. Her French Bulldog, Buckminster Fuller, has over 26,000 followers on his account!

Ikegami: Whoa! That's a bit of an influencer!

Izawa: Exactly. She's a marketing pro, so she's apparently testing out all her knowledge and know-how there. According to her, if you post too much on Instagram, users get annoyed; on Tumblr, the more you post, the better the response; and on Snapchat, followers tend to explode. She says even the same photo or video gets different reactions depending on the platform!

Ikegami: I see. YouTubers are the same—opinions from people with firsthand experience are just more convincing than pure theory.

Izawa: Exactly. It's reassuring that the head of marketing at a company like AOL is so sharp on the latest media trends, and above all, it's great they haven't lost sight of the user perspective.

Ikegami: So, you ended up getting that?

Izawa: That's right. A hand towel with the AOL logo. It's so cute~. I never imagined I'd get a traditional Japanese item from someone overseas (laughs).

Ikegami: Setting aside the pick-up lines, the chance to casually interact with so-called big shots from overseas might be a key point of AdW.

Izawa: Yeah, while most attendees are Japanese, the atmosphere feels closer to Cannes Lions or similar events.

AdWii is the advertising world's summer festival!

Ikegami: I've never been to Cannes, but is it like this?

Izawa: Yeah, at Cannes, sponsors provide snacks and beer in lounges, and pass holders can freely relax there or use it as a networking spot. Adwey isn't an awards show, so it's technically different, though.

Ikegami: Come to think of it, I saw you munching on a sandwich at the Adwe lounge!

Izawa: Oh my, you saw me! (blushing)

Ikegami: You were the first one to go get it, weren't you?

Izawa: Keeping my antenna up, catching information first, quick situational judgment! That's also something I learned at Adwi's seminar.

Ikegami-kun: That's one way to put it...

Izawa: My motto is that every day is a learning opportunity, and I immediately adopt what's good! In that sense, Adwi was a great stimulus. Some things were valuable from the perspective of "thinking" or "mindset," while others I wanted to adopt from the angle of "know-how" or "solutions." Looking back on Adwi, what were your thoughts, Ikegami-kun?

Ikegami: The first thing that comes to mind is "it was tough" (wry smile), but honestly, the seminars and sessions were exciting, right? I managed to catch a few, and everyone was listening intently. Above all, it was such a luxury to have so many top-tier speakers packed into one place! On the flip side, it was tough having to be selective because multiple seminars ran simultaneously, like a summer festival. It was a relief that most are available for playback on the official site (except for a few).

Izawa: Summer festivals are great. Since this was the first time in Asia, the organizers probably have some things to reflect on, but I'm sure attendees gave good feedback too. I hope they keep pushing forward with this "advertising world's summer festival" vibe – it's similar to AdTech or Cannes Lions, yet distinct! I'm looking forward to the second edition next year and beyond.

Ikegami: Thank you. And of course, I'm truly grateful to all the attendees, the sponsors who supported the event, and the speakers. I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks loudly!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Izawa: And don't forget our readers of this series!

Ikegami-kun: That's true. I feel terrible always showing you pictures of me dozing off.

Izawa: To all our readers, thank you so much for sticking with this series over the past four months—mostly silly, sometimes serious.

Ikegami-kun: I'd be happy if we managed to convey even a little bit of Adowi's charm. Thank you!

Izawa: Until we meet again. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

Ikegami-kun: Bye-bye, adios, ciao!