The 5th "Zenkyoren Japan Advertising Awards" Winners Announced

The All Japan Advertising Federation (AJAF) announced the winners of the 5th "AJAF Japan Advertising Awards" on January 10th. The Matsushita Award goes to Katsuhisa Ezaki (President, Ezaki Glico); the Masariki Award to Seiichi Hasumi (President, Takarajimasha); the Yoshida Award to Kiyoshi Morita (Chairman, Japan ABC Association); and the Yamana Award to Taku Sato (Graphic Designer). The winners were decided at the Selection Committee meeting on December 19 last year. The awards will be presented during the ceremony at the 65th "All Japan Advertising Federation Kobe Convention" (Portopia Hall, Kobe City) on May 17. The reasons for each award are as follows.

5th All Japan Advertising Federation Japan Advertising Awards Winners and Reasons for Selection

■ Matsushita Award

Mr. Katsuhisa Ezaki (President, Ezaki Glico)
He embodied the founder's spirit of "creative ingenuity" and established the philosophy that "advertising is an asset." He successfully built new bonds between customers and products, enhancing the value of long-selling brands. He also achieved results in maximizing the value of diverse media, such as the Dotonbori Glico Sign and Glico Wagon. Notably, the Glico Sign contributed not only as an advertising tower but also to enhancing Osaka's tourism value. His approach of advertisers and creators thoroughly discussing and creating advertisements together set a precedent and has become an established culture in Kansai corporate advertising. From 1992 to 2006, he dedicated himself to association activities as Chairman of the Osaka Advertising Association.

■Masariki Award

Mr. Seiichi Hasumi (President, Takarajimasha)
Founded JICC (now Takarajimasha) in 1971. Amid declining magazine circulation, he significantly increased sales of the company's publications through new marketing-focused approaches, including pricing strategies, supplement development, and promotions. He added value to magazines as a medium, continuously enhancing their effectiveness as an advertising platform. Furthermore, driven by the belief that "corporate advertising should convey messages companies wish to share with society that products alone cannot express," he launched corporate advertising in 1998. His impactful messages and visuals have earned numerous advertising awards.

■Yoshida Award

Mr. Kiyoshi Morita (Chairman, Japan Audit Bureau of Circulation)
Served as Chairman of Daiichi Sankyo and Chairman of the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. Received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in 2011. Served as Chairman of the Japan Audit Bureau of Circulations (JABC) since 2010, contributing significantly to promoting fair and transparent advertising transactions as a third-party organization. He has widely advocated for the use of reliable ABC circulation figures in advertising transactions for print media such as newspapers, magazines, and free papers, while also focusing on expanding the association's membership. For many years, he has worked to improve the advertising industry, aiming for the implementation of rational advertising activities by publishers, advertisers, and advertising agencies.

■Yamana Award

Taku Sato (Graphic Designer)
Established Sato Taku Design Office in 1984. His diverse activities center on graphic design, encompassing product development, packaging design, product design, and art direction for television programs. In recent years, as director of "21-21 DESIGN SIGHT," he has received high acclaim for his outstanding activities broadening the scope of design, including the "WATER" exhibition, the "Design Ah!" exhibition, the "Tema Hima" exhibition, and the "Anatomy of Design" exhibition. His major awards include the Mainichi Design Award, the Tokyo Art Directors Club Member Award, the Yusaku Kamekura Award, the Japan Package Design Award Gold Prize, and the G Mark Grand Prize.

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About the Zenkyoren Japan Advertising Awards
Zenkyoren inherited the Japan Advertising Club's "Japan Advertising Awards" commendation program, which had been held since the 1950s, starting in 2013. After necessary reorganization, it aims to nurture and develop this as one of Zenkyoren's public interest projects. Annually, it honors individuals who have contributed to the advancement and development of the advertising industry by promoting the social mission of advertising, from the perspectives of advertisers ("Matsushita Award"), media companies and other media-related firms, event and other content producers ("Masariki Award"), advertising-related companies ("Yoshida Award"), and creators ("Yamana Award"). A "Special Award" is also presented to individuals or organizations recognized for exceptional contributions to advancing the social mission of advertising, in addition to the four main awards.