The Osaka Advertising Association announced the winners of the 60th "Osaka Advertising Association Award" and the 50th "Give It a Try Keizo Saji Award" on March 14. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical was selected for the 60th "Osaka Advertising Association Award," with "Hirakata Park" receiving the Special Award. Mr. Takahiro Yamamoto of Sharp Electronics Marketing's Integrated Promotion Department was chosen for the 50th "Give It a Try Keizo Saji Award."
The Osaka Advertising Association Award honors individuals and organizations that have contributed to improving corporate performance, disseminating information from Osaka, and advancing Osaka's economic and cultural development through outstanding advertising activities. A Special Award is also presented when a recipient has made significant contributions to Osaka's advertising industry. The Yatte Minahare Keizo Saji Award honors creators who have produced works brimming with a pioneering spirit, aiming to cultivate outstanding advertising creators.
Kobayashi Pharmaceutical declared corporate brand management in 2003, strengthening its customer focus. This enabled the anticipation of latent needs and rapid new product development, leading to the launch of numerous hit products. With the slogan "Bringing 'I wish this existed' to life," the company leveraged its strengths in products and advertising that neatly solve problems in customers' lives. It refined its manufacturing technology and global promotion, earning recognition as a company that instills confidence and vitality in the Osaka economy.
Hirakata Park faced a challenging operating environment with declining attendance due to factors like declining birthrates and diversifying leisure options. Rather than frequently introducing attractions requiring significant investment, it focused on generating buzz through ingenuity and uniquely Osaka-style ideas, improving advertising quality and turning around its performance.
Mr. Yamamoto launched SNS in June 2011 and has managed all tweets for Sharp's official accounts to this day. Amid headwinds like restructuring and foreign capital acquisition, he consistently shared "personal words" daily for five years as "just one employee of the company." This effort garnered over 340,000 followers, transforming Twitter into a "platform for visualizing fans" and establishing a unique online presence. His Osaka-born "desire to connect with people" shone through, prompting a reexamination of the core values underlying advertising communication work. This effort was recognized as a noteworthy challenge even on a national level.
