One of Dentsu Inc.’s top creative visionaries, Yasuharu Sasaki, is leading ADFEST’s Interactive Lotus and Mobile Lotus jury as Jury President next month.
Sasaki is Head of Digital Creative and Executive Creative Director, based in Tokyo.
What is the hardest part of your job at Dentsu Inc.? And the best part? The hardest part of my job is keeping up with the fast pace of change in digital-based creations. The forms of media are changing right before our eyes: IoT and other digital platforms are being incorporated in people’s lives in all kinds of ways, and new technologies like AI are appearing one after another. Therefore, I always have to keep my eye on what is happening. Inventing new creations from all of that is the most challenging and also the most enjoyable part of my job.
You lead Dentsu’s innovation teams who are inventing and developing new services, products and platforms using digital technologies. Can you give us any examples of projects you’re working on? The latest projects I am working on are not only related to advertising, but also to broader communications modes and strategies that involve developing solutions for various issues facing our clients by combining ideas and technologies.
An interesting example that was recently released is an educational mobile app that allows children to learn the basics of programming using snack products, which we jointly developed with the confectionery maker Glico along with Google. Until now, I don’t think such an app has ever been developed based solely on an advertising concept.
I’ve read that you love kayaking and cool t-shirts. Where is the craziest place that you’ve kayaked? Does escaping in a kayak help your creative process? So far, the most amazing place I have ever kayaked in was Mongolia. There, you can kayak down magnificent rivers that flow through vast grassy plains. On the other hand, there is no mobile phone service, there are no accurate maps, and it gets very cold even in the summer, so a single mistake can put your life at risk.
Nonetheless, when I made it safely, the beer I drank tasted like the best in the world. Looking back, there were times when I laughed so hard, or was trembling and scared, or felt deeply moved. I think breaking away from our routines is essential for creativity.
ADFEST has always celebrated local cultures and how different cultures spark different creative ideas. How does living in Japan inspire you? By living in Japan, I can sometimes encounter a fantastic dedication to detail and refined hospitality. Such close attention to detail that people don’t even notice is, in my mind, absolutely essential for creativity in the digital realm. Through digitally based creations, we allow people to directly gain access to all kinds of experiences and continue using digital functions. For those reasons, I believe we should make good use of the dedicated craftsmanship we have in Japan.
What are you most looking forward to about leading the Interactive Lotus & Mobile Lotus jury at ADFEST this year? The interactive and mobile awards tend to draw attention only to technological merits, but together with other members of the jury, I want to look at how the behavior and emotions of users change through interactive and mobile advertising, and how people become inspired by digital works.
The ADFEST Lotus Awards are rooted in Asia, so I am looking forward to observing and finding out how the digital aspects are received by Asian people.
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