Promoting Japan! The Hiro Sasaki Special (Part 1)

This edition of Dentsu Inc. Design Talk features Hiroshi Sasaki, a leading creative director representing Japan. Sasaki continues to create outstanding advertising at the forefront of the industry. He and special guest actress Kirin Kiki will reflect on their careers and discuss advertising.

Singata, Hiroshi Sasaki

 

Life has been a series of "actually, it turned out for the best" moments

Sasaki: I'll be 63 in 2017. Three years ago, my colleagues even threw me a 60th birthday celebration.

I lost my father when I was a child and faced hardships, I wanted to work at a TV station but couldn't, and even after joining Dentsu Inc., I experienced various adversities. That's why I consider myself "resilient in the face of adversity." So, if I were to describe my life in one phrase, I think it would be "It turned out for the best." Therefore, today I'll speak under the overall theme of "It turned out for the best."

Sasaki: My starting point was "one day in eighth grade, my dad suddenly died." Hearing that my father had passed away, I felt so anxious about my future—that I might not be able to go to school, that I might end up on the streets—I turned pale and started shaking uncontrollably. I remember looking at my own face in the mirror then and, for some reason, laughing. It was tough, but it made me resilient. I think this was my first experience of "it turned out for the best."

I wasn't particularly smart, but I was resourceful enough to get into Keio University. When it came to jobs, I only wanted to work at a TV station and make programs I loved because I loved television. However, it was a tough job market back then, and the only openings were for announcers. I figured with my looks, I'd never make it as an announcer, so I gave up on that. That's when I thought, "Well, there must be other TV-related jobs," and "This seems fun," so I joined Dentsu Inc.

It might sound boastful, but even now I sometimes think, "I really like advertising, and I'm suited for it." That's why I feel joining Dentsu Inc. was actually a blessing in disguise.

Even after joining Dentsu Inc., I faced various challenges. It's been nearly 25 years since I started handling Suntory's canned coffee "Boss." The initial opportunity came when I was allowed to participate in a presentation as part of a junior team, separate from Dentsu Inc.'s main team.

We wanted to take a different approach from the seasoned pros, so we pitched a concept featuring a famous actor playing the Prime Minister drinking Boss.

But it got scrapped right after we finished rehearsals. Normally, you'd probably want to yell, "Why did this happen?!" But I'd learned from my father's passing that it's better to switch gears when facing adversity.

That's when I immediately came up with a new concept: the "Boss Drinks" series featuring singer Eikichi Yazawa. The boss became a hit, and this commercial also generated a lot of buzz.

That's just how life goes, I suppose. Things often don't go smoothly, but surprisingly, they tend to turn out okay.

For over a decade now, I've been working with Shinichi Fukusato from One Sky on Fujifilm's "Utsurun Desu" and "Let's Capture New Year's" campaigns. We revived the legendary commercial that took the world by storm over thirty years ago, featuring Kirin Kiki and Kayoko Kishimoto.

Then, at the Japan Academy Awards ceremony, Kirin-san publicly revealed she had cancer throughout her entire body. This was more than just a shock. I was close with Kirin-san; she was a very important person to me, so I was filled with the feeling of "Please, hang in there!"

But even in such a difficult time, there was something that made me think, "This is for the best." For Toyota Motor Corporation's "TOYOTOWN" series of commercials, I came up with a concept where, with all due respect, Kirin-san would pass away and be reborn as a tree. When I explained the idea to her, she readily agreed, saying, "That's fine," and it became a reality.

Now, it's about time we bring Ms. Kirin onto the stage. I'm truly sorry to have you come all this way...

Ms. Kishin appeared as a surprise guest! The venue erupted in gasps of astonishment.

 

The "trigger" for Mr. Jumoku appearing in the commercial

Juki: You know, I'm really amazed by this person, Mr. Sasaki, who loves Doraemon and is so incredibly dedicated to it. How can someone be so interested in just one thing?
So I became interested in Mr. Sasaki, and I just say "Yes, yes, sure" to everything he says. Can I keep talking?

Sasaki: Please, go ahead.

Juki: Actually, I've known Mr. Sasaki for a long time, but when I saw another advertising creator, Mr. Fukusato, I also thought he was a very unusual person. In terms of being "obsessive," Mr. Sasaki is in a league of his own, but Mr. Fukusato doesn't seem very attached to asserting or showing himself. He's always in a dark corner, quietly sitting still, watching people make a fuss from afar. Even if you make eye contact, he acts like he doesn't know you. I thought he was quite an unusual person, and it wasn't until much later that I found out what kind of work he did.

There was someone who joined Dentsu Inc. at the same time as Fukusato. No matter how many proposals this person submitted, they could never beat Fukusato. Realizing they couldn't compete, they left Dentsu Inc. and joined a TV station mid-career. Since they were a mid-career hire, they had no peers from their original class and were completely off the promotion track. This turned out to be incredibly good for them.

"I was doomed at Dentsu Inc. At the TV station, since I was hired mid-career, no one compares me to anyone else, so it's very relaxed." When everyone stands on the same starting line, it's "Ready, set, go!" and you compete. But if you hop off that track, you might just find a surprisingly interesting path in life.

Juki: I'm an actor who strayed from the path too. The definition of a "good actor" changes with the times, but when I joined Bungakuza at 18, there was this hierarchy: "1. Stage actors, 2. Film, 3. TV as a side gig, 4. Commercials – proper actors wouldn't touch them."

At Bungakuza, I was an assistant to Haruko Sugimura and did dressing room duty. When I occasionally got on stage, it was as "Passersby A," "Woman 1," or "Voice only." If stage acting was your top priority as an actor, you had to do it, but I just didn't want to. Back then, I got 200 yen per stage performance, but after taxes, it was 180 yen. I kept wondering why I had to struggle so hard to memorize those long lines.

So I moved into television first. It was a show called "Seven Grandchildren," starring Hisaya Morishige, one of the earliest home dramas. Then, because I was on TV, I got a commercial offer. It was for soy sauce. They said, "No one else will do it, so how about you?" I didn't know the content, but I said forcefully, "Let me do it! I'll do it!"

I held the soy sauce bottle and said, "Soy sauce is... ○○ soy sauce. Soy sauce, you know?" Actually, the line "Soy sauce, you know?" wasn't in the script. But my friend at the time, the poet Hiroshi Nagata, suggested it with a slight accent, saying, "Hey, what about 'Soy sauce, you know?'" I thought, "What's that?" but I did it anyway.

Then, you know what? That 15-second local Tokai commercial ended up ranked 3rd on Sunday Mainichi's "Worst 10 Commercials of the Year." The reason? "Bad puns are no good."

I was shocked. I'd thought nobody even saw it. What struck me then was, "Ah, so even a local 15-second spot can have this much impact. Making it to the Worst 3 means I can live a bit more interestingly in this world."

That was the turning point that led me to start appearing in commercials. Since I first understood that fun and influence, commercials have been the work I value most.

*Continued in Part 2

You can also read the interview here on AdTae!
Planning & Production: Dentsu Live Inc. Creative Unit 2nd Creative Room, Aki Kanahara