Mai Kuraki (Singer) × Takato Fukui (Director, Social Solutions Bureau, Dentsu Inc.) "Connecting and Being Connected: The Power of Social Design" Part 1

"Connecting and Being Connected: The Power of Social Design" Session 1

 

 

Dentsu Inc.'s specialized team "Social Design Engine" responds to corporate social communication needs. Takato Fukui invited Mai Kuraki, with whom he has collaborated on several social initiatives, to share insights deepened through their activities and their New Year's resolutions.

You only realize certain things when you connect with people

 

Fukui: Thank you for allowing me to participate in various activities with you last year , Ms. Kuraki.

Kuraki: The pleasure was all mine . I learned so much through all those social experiences. By the way, is "Social Design Engine" your department name?

Fukui: Yes . We use "social" as our lens, offering end-to-end proposals from client consulting to creative development and communication strategy. We call this holistic approach—from design and planning to execution—our "Social Design."

Kuraki: Hearing you describe it , you really do handle such a wide range of things.

Fukui: We've done projects like sending used clothing to refugee camps , donating to food support programs for children in developing countries, and even tiger conservation efforts.
And last year, the first project we did with Mr. Kuraki was in Matsushima, an area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Kuraki: That was the " Lucerne Festival ARK Nova Matsushima 2013." The day before the festival performance, we visited Matsushima Daini Elementary School for "The Only Music Class in the World." The children's smiles were truly memorable (Photo=below).

Fukui: In front of about 160 children , Mr. Kuraki talked using their familiar "school song" as a theme, sang his own song "chance for you" together with everyone, and it was a fun "mobile classroom." Things got so lively that unexpected high-fives suddenly started happening.

Kuraki: I started it to encourage everyone , but with each touch of hands, I felt hearts connecting. And I truly realized that "ki" (energy) is something to be shared. I was feeling a bit under the weather that day, but I completely perked up.

Fukui: You go to encourage or care for someone, but instead, you get energy from them. I feel that same thing when I visit developing countries facing food crises. Even living on less than a dollar a day, so many people have vibrant, shining faces. We end up coming back energized by them.

Kuraki: There are things you only truly realize when you go to the place itself and interact with the people, right?

[ Continued in Part 2 ]