Interview with Toshihiko Tanabe, 2018 Creator of the Year Award Winner On the Borderless Spirit Rooted Within Himself

"Behind the Scenes of Effective Expression" focuses on "successful promoters of expressive activities" across various fields. This time, we spoke with Mr. Toshihiko Tanabe of Dentsu Inc., winner of the 2018 Creator of the Year award, about his approach to expressive activities and his beliefs.

Mr. Toshihiko Tanabe

For the past three years or so, I've been involved in many global campaigns for companies. I'm often asked about differences in planning approaches or methodologies compared to domestic projects. But for me, there is absolutely no difference. It's surprisingly nonexistent. When you distill what moves people's hearts, there is an unchanging core that remains absolute, regardless of country, culture, or age. This is my strong conviction. I focus solely on relentlessly pursuing that core.

I was born in Japan and attended university here, but I spent my entire childhood abroad except for four years after high school graduation. And not just anywhere—Indonesia, Austria, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Germany, and more. Truly diverse countries. My belief that expression knows no borders likely formed naturally from these real-life experiences.

I believe the skill of creativity lies in how you make that core, universal value leap through expression. Creating a story that everyone can relate to, yet one no one has ever seen before. It's the most challenging part, and also the most rewarding.

Toyota Motor Corporation's first worldwide campaign was grounded in its unwavering corporate philosophy: "Creating a society where people move freely." Every piece of work, crafted with immense time and effort, was unified by the concept of "Toyota celebrating people's freedom of movement."

Toyota Motor Corporation "Start Your Impossible" Global Campaign

For domestic projects, take the NTT Docomo 25th Anniversary Campaign. We synchronized it with Namie Amuro's 25-year career. We meticulously depicted, in a strikingly real way, how her appearance 25 years ago is virtually identical to today—and how she's actually more beautiful and stylish now—set against the backdrop of her sacred ground, Shibuya.

NTT Docomo "Namie Amuro × docomo 25th ANNIVERSARY"

Before entering the workforce, I was a thoroughly "right-brain" person. During high school abroad, I immersed myself in club culture and music; in university, I pursued film. I spent my entire time in the world of pop culture and subculture. When I joined Dentsu Inc., I assumed I'd go into the creative department, but I was assigned to the marketing department at the Chubu branch. I spent seven years there before transferring to the creative department, and those seven years proved incredibly valuable to me. It was the first time in my life I was forced to use my "left brain." I learned marketing and brand theory, and I encountered regional characteristics unique to Nagoya and principles different from those in Tokyo.

It was around this time, when I felt I'd become this slightly odd hybrid, that my career as a creator truly began. After several years of relentlessly honing basic creative skills, I started incorporating my unique strengths—like my knowledge of music, dance, and other cultures, along with my language skills—into my work around my mid-thirties.

While I'm intensely particular about expression, I also have a strong inclination to engage deeply with the underlying strategy. I feel how profound this engagement is directly impacts the strength of the final expression. And I don't believe it's necessarily a one-way street from strategy to expression. The two flow back and forth. If one side is overwhelmingly stronger, I think it's best to tune things to align with that strength. If the goal is ultimately a good result, there's no need to rigidly draw a borderline.

Another boundary I want to eliminate is the one between advertising and other creative activities. For some reason, I feel there's a high wall here. Advertising should be more shared with creators from other fields. It leads to better work, and there are plenty of people eager to do it. I now frequently incorporate creators from other fields into my work teams. Going forward, I want to venture beyond advertising myself, and conversely, I want to see more and more creators from various fields come into the world of advertising.