First Time ○○○○

That day, I was doing my usual ego search on Twitter about my work ( see Column #1 ). Then, something unusual happened.

The number of tweets about a certain job had skyrocketed. But the ad running at that time was a repost from months ago. Personally, I thought it would probably be less effective than before... As a copywriter, my true feelings were that since it was a good opportunity, I wanted to write new copy and create something that would outperform the previous results. After all, creative people like us feel lonely and die if we're not creating something.

But here's the thing. Contrary to expectations (though that's putting it mildly), it was trending on Twitter. Even though it was an ad we'd been using for months. Even though the clients had already seen it. What was going on? Puzzled, I called sales.

"The ads running now... those were made quite a while ago, right?"

"Yes, it is."

Turns out, I wasn't secretly fired and replaced by some other talented copywriter.

"Did you increase the ad volume?"

"It's a bit more than usual, but not that much."

I see. So it's not like the economy suddenly recovered and triggered a massive surge in ad placements. Then what is it? I'm even more confused.

"Did anything unusual happen this time?"

"Oh, come to think of it..."

Oh, really? Something comes to mind. So what is it?

"The approach has changed a bit..."

"Route?"

"Like the Yamanote Line, which you don't usually run ads on..."

 

Apparently, they only slightly changed the routes where they placed transit ads. That's where the spread started, beginning with people seeing the ads for the first time. This isn't limited to ads; on social media, old information can resurface and spread when people least expect it. Data stored online doesn't degrade; it remains intact like a time capsule. For viewers, it doesn't matter when it was created. Even if it's years old, to someone seeing it for the first time, it's a shiny new piece. If the expression is truly good, it can spread again and again.

However, in another project, I encountered a case where a brand-new piece received little reaction.

There was a graphic ad that had been well-received in the past, and a year later, we decided to run a new version based on that. But when I searched for it on social media, the reaction wasn't that big. I was thinking, "Oh man..." while observing, and then the original ad from a year ago started spreading again, and it ended up getting more retweets. It was made by the same people, so the quality shouldn't have been that different. Same technique, same release timing, same media. Yet, the reaction was completely different.

Rather than "it's the same," we should think "it's because it's the same" that it failed. No matter how big a hit a movie or drama is, the first one is always the most shocking, thrilling, and exciting. Sequels rarely generate the same level of excitement, right? People's hearts are moved most when they see something they've never seen before. From the second installment onward, the freshness is already diminished before you even see it, and expectations are high, making it even tougher. Even if the format is new, if there's a sense of déjà vu, the impact drops far more than you'd expect. It drops dramatically.

Ultimately, it's not the creator who decides if an ad is new; it's the viewer. And in the SNS era, the results are starkly visible. When I think about expression myself, I don't focus on whether it's superficially new, but whether it can create that "first-time thrill" or "first-time discovery" for the viewer. Such ideas don't come easily, but I want to create that "first time," even if it's small. In that regard, seeing ad campaigns that have become long-running hits out there, I'm truly impressed. Even within the same series, they occasionally introduce a "first" challenge. Staying consistently interesting means they've been evolving all along to match the world's pace.

This column is already its fourth installment. Honestly, you're probably getting a bit bored by now, right? But there are still two more to go... unfortunately. Well, since the next one will be in 2014, I'd be grateful if you could read it with a fresh perspective, while lowering your expectations even further.