What is "Seed Creativity," which made its global debut at Cannes?

　

　

 

Defining the domain to expand creative possibilities

, Dentsu Inc. Creative Planning Division 4 Kazuhiro Shimura

At this year's seminar, I presented Toyota Motor Corporation's "OPEN ROAD PROJECT," which I've been involved with for several years, as a case study. I discussed a new creative style where agencies engage from the earliest stages of a client's business. Through the "TOYOTA i-ROAD," which combines the characteristics of both cars and motorcycles, this project explores urban mobility. It continues to progress, overcoming challenges like parking and charging issues with the involvement of external experts. This work involves teaming up with the client at the business development stage, moving significantly upstream from the advertising communication domain traditionally handled by ad agencies.

Similar initiatives likely existed before at agencies globally. However, the field remained ambiguous, preventing it from gaining the attention its challenges deserved. Therefore, using this seminar as an opportunity, we defined this area our team has practiced as "Seed Creative" and aimed to communicate the new potential of agency creativity and ideas to the world.

The term "seed" not only implies that outcomes vary based on how it's nurtured, but also draws a parallel to how altering a seed's DNA at the genetic level profoundly impacts its subsequent ecology. If we can be involved from the stage of identifying the seeds of innovation, the tasks required in the later communication phase also change. Rather than just handling advertising expression, we believe it's possible to ultimately enhance the value returned to society.

Our contribution lies in discovering genuine challenges from the consumer's perspective, deriving ideas for solutions, and executing them. The strength we've consistently demonstrated in traditional advertising expression can actually be leveraged in the business creation phase as well.

When I presented this approach at Cannes, incorporating our successes and failures over recent years, it resonated deeply not only with creators globally but also with client companies. I hope this sparks numerous case studies worldwide, and I myself aspire to create new innovations.

Creators' ability to "stir things up" is valuable at every stage of business

Creative Planning Division 4, Dentsu Inc.
Yasuharu Sasaki

Over the past few years, while judging various advertising awards, I've sensed one major trend: the "expansion of the creative domain." Cases where creativity functions from the very early stages of advertising expression, incorporating new elements like digital, have become increasingly prominent. At the same time, I've been concerned about the word "the end of advertising" being heard, the relative shrinkage of work focused on traditional advertising expression, and a sense that creators are becoming timid.

Creators inherently play a role in shaking up an organization's entrenched values, returning to the user perspective, uncovering overlooked issues, and shaping concrete solutions. Therefore, in this seminar, using Mr. Shimura's project as an example, I proposed the concept of "Seed Creative."

For instance, in the "OPEN ROAD PROJECT," we identified the root cause of a service's failure to take root in society wasn't the product itself, but the issue of parking. We walked the streets with an outdoor media company to scout spaces, building a new mobility ecosystem. This, too, is a creative idea.

After the seminar, many attendees expressed their interest. Reactions were particularly positive from overseas agencies, where specialization is typically clear-cut. It seemed copywriters there were ready to dive into Seed Creative immediately. They are proactive about the unknown.

In fact, even among those now considered digital domain experts, half originally came from technical fields, while the other half were people who, without deep technical knowledge, actively and courageously jumped in early because it "seemed interesting." If we're not careful, even seed creative originating from Japan might fall behind overseas.

Every creator who has worked in the realm of expression has the potential to become a business creator. I urge them not to cling to past successes in advertising techniques, but to embrace an open mind and challenge themselves to unleash new creativity. And for corporate leaders, I hope you will reach out to creators not just during the business development phase, but at any stage of your venture. Even without a dedicated creative department, integrating creative power at the business level can open entirely new paths.

On June 19th, the Dentsu Inc. seminar held at the main Cannes Lions venue drew numerous attendees from agencies and advertising clients. They listened intently.

"Seed Creative" Case Study

OPEN ROAD PROJECT

Centered around the personal mobility vehicle "TOYOTA i-ROAD" announced by Toyota Motor Corporation in 2013, this project, led by the company's Future Project Office, pursues the vision of "freeing urban mobility." Through collaborations with external companies and test drives by pilots recruited from the general public, it conducts repeated proof-of-concept experiments to broaden the i-ROAD's utilization.

This process has led to the development of various services, such as converting narrow spaces—often overlooked gaps in the urban landscape—into parking spots, and creating communication-enabled outlets to utilize unused outdoor power sources as charging points. The project has won numerous international advertising awards, including Cannes Lions.