Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
There is no denying that the digital age has brought about changes in the way people think and behave. Accordingly, a change is required in creating communication solutions and advertising campaigns by finding a new kind of creativity based on new technologies and digital ideas. This approach can then shift the way advertising agencies work and give them the power to even influence the way clients conduct their business.
Yasuharu Sasaki, the Executive Creative Director of the Dentsu Network in Tokyo, is the creative visionary behind this new approach of combining creative skills with digital technology in advertising. Before presenting his innovative way of thinking in his lecture “Ubiquity of creativity via digital” at this year’s Days of Communication, he shared with us some of the more crucial personal and professional aspects which drive the work he does today, as well as a preview of the approach he will present in Rovinj.
You started out as a copywriter and now your work mostly concerns the mix of the digital and everything creative. How do the different disciplines you came in contact with shape the work you do today?
These different disciplines are both part of me and always in competition with each other, which helps me a lot. My digital skills enable me to come up with higher level ideas which go beyond communication in advertising, such as service or experience design. Copywriting skills sometimes simplify these complicated and technology-dependent digital ideas, as well as sharpen the stories behind them.
What has been the most crucial moment in your professional development?
I worked in New York twice during my career. I think that those experiences were crucial for me to make my digital ideas work beyond cultural differences. Unlike others, Japanese creatives tend to work only in their home country. It sometimes makes our ideas subcultural and small. My third “global” discipline changed my viewpoint and it really works well with digital and non-traditional planning.
You said that we should break away from classic communication solutions with the help of the digital. Can you give us some examples of the ways the advertising industry can shape its new future?
One of the examples is the GLICODE project for GLICO, a Japanese food and confectionary brand. It is a digital educational tool for children made by an advertising agency and tech companies. Children can learn coding skills by lining up snacks and chocolates on a table. This is not a typical advertising or sales promotional campaign, nor is it just a CSR activity, but something that can make tighter connections between people and the brand in the long-term. With the help of digital technologies, advertising creatives can invent new ways of engaging users, and we should do more.
How can an agency adapt to the new demands of the clients and the trends of the industry? Do the necessary changes include professionals with new qualifications?
I believe that all agency professionals can adapt to the new demands and the new digital era if they can discard their experiences in the traditional advertising fields and offer solutions from high-level strategies to executions in various field beyond advertising. In this digital age, people’s way of thinking, and people’s standard of behavior have changed. If we follow these changes, we can come up with great ideas.
Do you believe that there are specific cultural constraints that govern the way the industry develops in a specific country?
I don’t believe that. Now, such constraints will become removable through the digitally connected world. People in different countries can become connected and they can change the industry together. But also, we should have cultural differences which people can respect and enjoy.
Where does your creative spark come from? Is there any activity you do in your free time that feeds your professional creativity?
I love kayak touring. This is a totally non-digital experience, but there were times when I laughed so hard, or was trembling and scared, or felt deeply moved. I think breaking away from our routines and experiencing raw emotions is essential for vitalizing our creativity.