Japan's talented young stars

Takuya Matsuo Creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Japan

Matsuo left Dentsu, where he had been for 10 years, to join Ogilvy & Mather Japan in 2004. Since then, he has served as creative director on many accounts, most notably Nissay, Japan's largest life insurance company. Matsuo's creative idea for Nissay conveyed a single message instead of complicated product claims, without the aid of a celebrity. The ad won one of Japan's most prestigious domestic advertising prizes, the ACC Gold Award, in 2005. "Japanese creatives should not limit themselves to the domestic market, but should take on the world," Matsuo says. "Japanese advertising should take the lead on a global stage, just like Ichiro and Hideki Matsui did for Japanese baseball by joining the US major leagues."

Natsuki Katsumori Account supervisor, ADK

Katsumori jumped into advertising after eight years working with a US securities firm. When working on projects, she always assumes the role of the consumer to take their perspectives into account. Now, clients such as convenience store brand AMPM, trust her as a branding expert. She feels that the consumer purchasing process is becoming more complex in Japan due to accelerated development of high-tech media, like the internet and mobile phones, and agencies have to respond better to this complex, fast-changing environment. Favourite ad: McDonald's 'Babyswing' TVC, "because it made everyone happy without a specific message"

Yasuharu Sasaki Creative director, Dentsu Interactive

As a student, Yasuharu was interested in computer research, but his path changed dramatically when he decided he might enjoy the internet more as a medium rather than a research tool. With dual skills in copywriting and computer programming, the self-styled interactive creative director last year struck gold at One Show Interactive, a silver lion at Cannes, and silver and bronze awards at the Clios. Yasuharu believes interactive can both create new forms of communications planning and rejuvenate existing media. Favourite ad: A TV commercial for the San Francisco Jazz Festival 2000. "Yes, a TVC! TV commercials can really carry a punch when they're skillfully made."

Naoko Katayama Strategist, media marketing division, Dentsu Media Lab

Katayama started her career in Dentsu's marketing division, before transferring to M Project, an earlier incarnation of Media Lab. The crucial change in media habits agencies have to watch is not just a switch to new media but a growing trend towards multi-tasking, which she says renders unilateral marketing messages obsolete. "We need to identify those active consumers who share information proactively and to create advertising that engages them and stimulates them to interact." Favourite ad: J-Wave's 'Singing tower' -- "It was an out-of-the-box idea where message and media converged."

Chie Morimoto Art director, Hakuhodo

Morimoto was the youngest-ever winner of the JAGDA New Designer Awards, having already been recognised internationally at The New York Show, One Show and AdFest. Having worked on clients such as Kirin, Sony Computer Entertainment and Suntory at Hakuhodo, Morimoto has proved to be a spirited designer whose soft smile can mask audacious thinking that challenges the status quo. "Young people sometimes say that advertising is boring," she says. "I think the problem is often the people who produce it are going along with and working within fixed ideas. Being less precious about your work and collaborating with others (will) create ads that convey real human warmth."

Kenjiro Sano Creative director, Hakuhodo

Hakuhodo's youngest creative director, Sano, joined the company in 1996. Since then he has brought his distinctive 'make it easy to understand' brand of art direction to a slew of assignments. "I think there is only weak awareness that advertising is not the property of the individual, but something that belongs to all, and that creative is the process of making something new," he says. "For this reason, we need to make an effort to get closer to the client and consumers." He has won awards from the New York Festivals, New York Art Directors Club, Japan Graphic Designers Association (New Designer Award), Tokyo Art Directors Club, and many more.

Mikito Nunome Art director, McCann Erickson Japan

Nunome has worked with clients such as Mitsubishi, UPS and Hitachi, but his most notable achievement was the launch of Asahi's new energy drink Dodekamin, where he helped create the salary man with a wrestler's mask that has since became a cult character. He has gained a reputation for original thinking that transcends media. "His working style is truly unique and different," says his supervisor, Yoshiyuki Yazaki. Favourite ad: Anything humorous that brings a moment of happiness into people's lives.

Satoko Yamazaki Account executive, PRAP Japan

Yamazaki admits that when she joined the PR business she didn't really understand what she was getting into. Recently, she single-handedly planned, organised and executed PR surrounding Oracle Open-World in Tokyo. Satoko sees her biggest challenge as raising the recognition of PR as a strategic function among C-level executives. "PR firms in Japan haven't aggressively demonstrated their abilities. I believe we need to demonstrate ourselves with our client's voice." Favourite ad: Apple's TVC on its use of Intel -- "It's surprising and simple."

Asuka Mogi Account director, Beacon Communications

Mogi has a diverse background, having resided in the US and Chile, returning to Japan to study political science and international relations, before joining Leo Burnett Kyodo, now Beacon Communications. With 11 years of experience under her belt, she currently works on skincare brand SKII, on both local and global business. "Asuka has an insightful eye to leverage the best global ideas with sound strategy," says her boss at Beacon, Jim Franzen. She believes rapid changes in Japan have made consumers more demanding. "To meet this challenge, ad agencies need to constantly be alert and keep up with rapidly changing trends so that they can constantly provide fresh ideas that touch and 'move' consumers' hearts." Favourite ad: Hermes' print advertising, for its bold use of the brand colours and high level of prestige maintenance.

Shintaro Hashimoto Senior art director/photographer, TBWA

Armed with a degree in English and American literature, Hashimoto joined TBWA\Tokyo in 2000 and in that time has worked on a wide range of accounts, including Kirin, Wella, Nissan, Pedigree and adidas. His work for adidas -- as part of the team that created the headline-making 'Vertical sprint' stunt --has earned him metal at the top shows. He believes the industry's biggest challenge is in only "looking in the rear view mirror, continuing to rely far too heavily on celebrities and well-known individuals". Dismissing this lazy approach, he says agencies need to prove to clients that brilliant ideas can have a huge impact on their brands. Favourite ads: Apple's 'Think Different' -- "It's a message that travels well beyond advertising." Also, VW Polo 'Cops' -- "An entertaining way to get across the notion of 'small but tough'."