In this presentation I try to unravel one of the marketing industry’s most enduring mysteries: why Japanese ad agencies have succeeded in holding on to such a dominant position in the Japanese market, despite all the efforts of the major global agency networks. I believe the answer lies in a fundamental difference between Japanese and western audiences and the models the agencies use to approach them. The account planning model first emerged from JWT London in the 1960’s and from there became the default paradigm for planning brand communications in the marketing empires that emanated from the UK, US and Europe. It is not designed to remove creativity from advertising, rather to impose structure and authority on an otherwise potentially chaotic and subjective process, and hence give these advertising agencies a process around which to scale up in a way that combines both business rationality and creativity. By defining the creative task through a rational process, and then letting the best creative ideas compete with each other to be executed, the client can feel confident that the idea finally chosen is going to be the right one for her brand, right here, right now. It also gives the creative teams the freedom of a tight brief, as opposed a long rope with which to hang themselves. Rationality & creativity combined The model goes something like this (with the role that takes the lead in each step shown in brackets): Unearth relevant target insight (account planner, possibly working with researchers) Clarify the unique thing about the brand or product that needs to be communicated (account planner) Come up with a concept that ties these two together (account planner) Based on the concept, create multiple communication ideas, pick the best one (creative team) Execute the chosen idea in a contemporary style (creative team & production) It works because the worst that can happen is that the ad says the right thing but fails to get noticed much. When it goes really well, communications get made that jump off the medium and strike the viewers’ consciousness with a thwack and everyone involves gets to go to Cannes to pick up the awards. Based around this model, western advertising agencies have colonised every developed economy and are well placed in developing ones too. Every one except that is for Japan, where they have captured a small sliver of a huge market and if anything are getting weaker at this point. So what happened in Japan? I have heard numerous explanations for this state of affairs, the most common being that local competition is so historically strong and immovable with local media monopolies, particularly DENTSU, that there is not shifting them; the challenge of hiring top talent as a foreign company in Japan (even though foreign companies in other industries manage it); nepotistic relationships between domestic brands and agencies…. There is some truth to all of these, but the argument that the ... (se

1. Growing
Brands
in
Japan
-­‐
DECODED
ACCJ
Event
::
Nov
2014

2. How
did
I
get
here?
JamesHollow.com:

3. My
Japan
Timeline Physics,
Oxford
University
WPP
Marke9ng
Fellowship
-­‐
Ogilvy&Mather
London
-­‐
OgilvyOne
Tokyo
-­‐
Ogilvy
AcGvaGon
Tokyo
Alien-­‐Eye,
Inc
+
Growth
Hacking
Japan
+
GHJ
University
+ 500startups
mentorship
Profero
TYO
Lowe
Profero
2001
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2012
2012
2012
2013
LoweProfero 2014

4. 2005~2014
Insight
Social PR
Events
Strategy
Identity
SEM
Display
SEO Campaigns
Websites Apps
Funnel
optimisation
POS
Video CMS
• Japan’s most successful viral campaign ever
• World’s biggest brand hero character
• Marketing technology licensed globally by Apple
• First twitter-based promotion in Japan
• First iPhone app-based promotion in Japan
• First YouTube channel with in-video navigation
• First care app for epilepsy sufferers in Japan

5. High
context
messages
translate
into
a
culture
that
will
cater
to
a
group
that
has
similar
experiences
and
expecta;ons,
from
which
inferences
are
drawn.
!
In
a
higher-­‐context
culture,
many
things
are
le@
unsaid,
leAng
the
culture
explain.
Words
and
word
choice
become
very
important
in
higher-­‐context
communica;on,
since
a
few
words
can
communicate
a
complex
message
very
effec;vely
to
an
in-­‐group
!
While
in
a
low-­‐context
culture,
the
communicator
needs
to
be
much
more
explicit
and
the
value
of
a
single
word
is
less
important
!
1976
book,
Hall,
“Beyond
Culture”
High
Context
Cultures

6. • TV
• Print
• OOH
• PR
• SEO / SEM
• Display (content match)
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LINE
• Instagram
• (Social) Retargeting
• Native ads
Media
evolution
Gutter
Portal
Webmail
Early
SNS
Micro-­‐blogging Omni-­‐channel Internet-­‐of-­‐things
1.0
Smart
Phones
+
Apps Social
graph Chat
apps
Digital
epochs:

7. Western
Agency’s:
Account
Planning
Model
Stephen King
Stanley Pollitt
Brand
truth
x
Target
insight
=
Communica;on
concept
Adver;sing
crea;ve

8. What
is
a
“communication
concept”
?
What
was
the
communication
concept?

9. What
happened
in
Japan?
Japan
Market
2013:
¥5.9
trillion
/
$52bn

10. CDoEnNtTeSnUt
s::
Monopoly
• Boss
TV
commercial
from
c.
2003
• Spaghetti
Western
set
• Features
HAMASAKI
Ayumi
• AKEBONO
(Sumo
wrestler)
• Kono
Sisters
(famous
escorts?)
• Mifune
lookalike
• “Boss
-­‐
always
by
your
side”
!

11. Goliath!
!
!
What do they have in
common?!
!
!
David?

12. Exceptions
that
prove
the
rule?

13. CLoOnTtOe
7n
t:s:
Hanashi-­‐ga-­‐kawaru

14. • Corporate vs Product brands!
• R&D / new product cycles!
• Trade / channel influence!
• TV culture of escapism!
• Audience is wired differently!
What
is
a
brand?
!
Is
it
the
same
in
Japan?

15. Contents
“An extremely important part of the JWT approach was
insistence that, since all advtg set out to achieve responses,
and since only responses were measured, all
communications objectives should be set not in terms of
input or 'propositions' but in terms of desired response:
specifically from the senses, the reason and the emotions. !
!
This gave (gives) creative people total freedom to devise the
stimuli most likely to elicit those responses.”
Jeremy Bullmore
Design
for
a
desired
response

16. Account
Planning
Model
Adapted
for
Digital
Brand
truth
x
Target
insight
x
Context
opportunity
=
User
experience
concept
Crea;ve
&
technical
development

17. The
social
graph
epoch:
British
Council
Study
Abroad

18. Thank
you!
Any
questions?
JamesHollow.com @jameshollow

19. CHoYnBtReIDn
tTsEAMS
+
PHILOSOPHY
• Hybrid
culture
keeps
team
sharp
• >
Creates
low
context
culture!
• SPECIALISTS
vs
GENERALISTS
• >Umbrella-­‐shaped
talent
• Fit
to
local
context
• >
contribute
to
Japan
society