From Kansai to Cannes

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was held in Cannes, France, from June 20 to 24. How did this world's largest celebration of creativity, held in person for the first time in three years, appear to creators? Creators involved in Cannes from various roles—award winners, presenters, jurors—unravel the "now" of Cannes from their unique perspectives.

First up is Takashi Yano, Creative Director at Dentsu Inc. Kansai, who won Bronze in the Film category. From "Kansai" to "Cannes." We delve into the secret behind this remarkable leap.

Challenging Cannes from Kansai

What comes to mind when you hear "Kansai" creativity? Many probably think of the Kincho team's work. That rebellious yet heartwarming tone, the refreshing honesty that cuts straight to the truth without pretense, the unexpected twists – it's fantastic, isn't it? It embodies the Kansai spirit itself. I'm not part of the Kincho team myself, but I'm deeply drawn to what feels like the very essence of that creativity. Just being in Kansai seems to naturally influence me.

As part of that "Kansai" creative scene, I took on Cannes this time and won a Bronze in the Film category. But honestly, I wasn't consciously aiming for an international ad award from the planning stage. However, when I finished the storyboard, I felt something—a kind of promise. And when I showed it to the client, sales team, producer, and director, their reactions were incredibly positive. That feeling of promise turned into something closer to certainty. That might have been the moment I started thinking about Cannes, just a little.

 

The Milk Soap corporate film "If There Were a Hole" tells the story of a man's rebirth. It begins with the groom's line "I've done it" after forgetting his wedding speech and going completely blank. Suddenly, a hole appears at his feet. Falling into it, he finds a man who accidentally stood up during a remote meeting, revealing his pajama bottoms, and a woman who accidentally sent a message to the wrong group chat at work. These were people who, in the moment they thought "If only there was a hole to crawl into," actually fell into one – the so-called "screw-ups." But they quickly bounce back and look forward. The message embedded here is that while it might be a terrible blunder for them, others surprisingly don't care much, so let's move on. "It's okay. Most failures, you know, will eventually become a funny story." The punchline is a gentle cheer from Milk Soap, right beside those striving every day.

Like Channel 4's Grand Prix winner "Super.Human" and Apple's "Escape From the Office," this year's selections seem to favor ads brimming with humanity. Perhaps it's the lingering effects of the pandemic and war. Milk Soap's positive, warm message might just resonate with the mood of our times.

Creating something that resonates with the person right next to you

Creators in Kansai are inspired by each other's work, yet they constantly explore "what makes me unique" to survive in the creative world. Actually, this isn't limited to Kansai; creators in Tokyo and other areas probably all feel the same way. In my case, I might not be able to create something as amazing as the KINCHOU team, but I'm committed to "creating something that resonates with the person right next to me." It could be my wife or daughter fiddling with their phones, my fishing buddies, or even someone sitting next to me by chance at a bar. The feeling of being involved in something they'll say, "This is really cool," and show off. The bigger the mission—branding, social issues—the easier it is to forget that human touch. But ultimately, we deliver our message to "people." Not some distant someone, but the people right next to us. That's one thing I've never wavered on.

And then there's 'expanding creativity.' My career path has probably influenced this quite a bit. Before transferring to the Creative Design Bureau (Dentsu Inc. Kansai's creative division) this January, I was in the Creative Department of the Integrated Solutions Bureau. That was a real "mishmash" place – mass advertising, of course, but also SNS and digital campaigns, PR and event planning, town development and projects, content and sports, consulting... everything under the sun. For someone like me who'd moved between marketing, creative, and sales, this eclectic vibe wasn't bad at all. I found real fulfillment in thinking ideas through without boundaries (though I often found myself stuck). Ultimately, I ended up dedicating about ten years to "expanding creativity."

The initial text storyboard for the Milk Soap corporate video I mentioned earlier. This went through multiple revisions to become what it is today.

"Creating something that resonates with the person right next to you" and "expanding creativity." At first glance, these themes might seem contradictory, but for me, they aren't fundamentally different. Especially in the CX (Customer Transformation) domain, they overlap completely. Regarding BX (Business Transformation), while it might sometimes focus solely on the business layer, once output is generated, the core remains unchanged.

As an aside, creators who make compelling things are fundamentally interesting as people. You just want to talk to them more. Before even considering the work, I think we have to aim to be that kind of person. That's probably the highest hurdle.

Unleashing Creativity

The speed of digital transformation is incredible. While smart people are already discussing the near future, I won't presume to lecture. Systems built on top-down structures are being fundamentally overturned. The "frames" and "lines" we took for granted vanish in an instant. The potential to launch new businesses or solve social issues through ideas and technology is growing rapidly. This is a huge opportunity for creatives too. From "advertising" to "every field that needs ideas." Defining "every field" depends entirely on the creator's ambition.

Cannes has finally reached 29 categories this year with the addition of "Creative BtoB." The world is actively striving to take creativity into broader realms. And looking at Kansai, a major wave of transformation is arriving. The 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. An unparalleled opportunity to send a message from Japan to the world is approaching. Kansai is unusually restless, which is a bit concerning, but it's also brimming with the expectation that something new will be born. Riding this major wave, the theme of "expanding creativity" feels increasingly significant in Kansai too. For me personally, it's a huge opportunity.

Since my day job involves inward-focused work, I consciously turn outward during my off-time. But even while waiting for a fish to bite, ideas can strike.

Winning at Cannes gave me a little confidence. But it was bronze, and there are still many above me. I need to work harder even for domestic awards. I'm grateful the bar is set high. At the same time, I want to shape something interesting around the theme of "Creative Expansion." Cannes seems to be moving in the direction of expansion and also re-evaluating the power of advertising expression, so I want to pursue both.

From Kansai to Cannes. I want to reach it again soon, and to do so, I'll just keep honing my craft day by day.