As the chief creative officer of the country’s largest advertising agency — Dentsu, he commands an army of 800 creatives at the agency’s Tokyo headquarters and, sitting on the executive board, helps steer the media giant’s future strategy.
So, when Tainaka — in a rare interview with the international media — raises global ambitions and talks of ‘phenomenal’ change taking place in his local market, the rest of the industry naturally looks on with interest.
Tainaka’s comments in this issue point to a significant shift in the mindset of Japanese agencies and brands. Driven by a highly competitive consumer environment and a desire for greater efficiency, he explains that marketers are demanding a rethink of creative strategy. Internally, they are overhauling the domestic and international marketing strategies of their brands.
To appreciate the significance of this, it’s important to note just how different the Japanese advertising business is. Clients here are serviced by sales men, not account management executives. There’s no such thing as client exclusivity. For a multinational agency, a ‘client relationship’ simply means it’s allowed to pitch for projects along with the big local agencies. Observers argue that agencies in Japan are more like big ‘sales promotions companies’, simply making money on media commission.
For Japanese brands that have tasted success overseas, meanwhile, a largely sales-driven approach has been key, one devoid of Western notions of central branding. Local marketers have generally had full autonomy and many, much like Sony’s teams, have chosen to pitch out projects much as they do in their home market.
This lack of brand strategy has resulted in few Japanese brands that are truly networked in terms of communication and agency partners. Even so, since the country’s first wave of global pioneers — led by the likes of Toyota — Japanese contenders have dwarfed potential rivals from Korea and China in terms of global penetration. Now, with this new-found initiative to develop centralised brand communications, we could begin to see Japanese multinationals use agency networks like their Western counterparts. When that happens, the implications for the global advertising business would certainly be worth watching.
The region’s marketers, it appears, are facing a digital dilemma. While digital, according to the 2007 Marketers’ Poll featured in this issue of Media, has become an integral component of the marketing plan, many still don’t get it. For one, the breakneck changes in digital are baffling, making ‘how and when’ to use channels just that much trickier.
While many advertisers fear falling behind, others see an equal risk in moving too aggressively. Indeed, for many companies, the digital debate is likely to be triggering internal jockeying within marketing and agency departments. As Coca-Cola’s Darren Marshall points out, digital shouldn’t be tackled as the new toy in the box. It’s about fundamentally understanding consumer behaviour on digital channels.
And where exactly are marketers spending online? It seems search and viral email are the safe options for now. Mobile, for all its hype, isn’t likely to see any significant increase in spend, not this year at least. Much of that can be blamed on industry regulations. With just one in three marketers claiming to have a mobile marketing strategy in place, the medium’s outlook remains unclear. Neither is online gaming expected to fare that much better.
The challenge, it appears, is to not only educate marketers on digital’s opportunities, but to realistically adapt campaign strategies for the use of new marketing tools in ways that make sense for brands.
