Canva makes an unbelievably good presentation...and brand film in Japan

Ad Nut has been a lifelong DIY'er. While more and more humans who can afford it seem to be outsourcing their home repairs, cleaning and even grocery shopping, Ad Nut has worked digilently to build a sweet drey, gather their own acorns and sweep out the leftover shells afterwards.   

Nowadays, there are also far more productivity tools available to help those looking to get business done themselves rather than outsource. While Ad Nut tends to avoid using generative AI to write these reviews, Ad Nut is aware that gen AI tools can create such solid copy that some could start to wonder whether DIY reviewers using Chat GPT might soon rival the work of professionals like this advertising-obsessed squirrel.

It is with this very premise that do-it-yourself graphic tool suite maker Canva has appealed to Japanese audiences with something it is quite familiar with - a work of art. Teaming up with independent creative agency UltraSuperNew, Canva's brand film is funny and entertaining, suspenseful and hangs together well with Canva's brand proposition - namely that one can create unbelievably professional-looking presentations on their own.

The film, which is running on TV, social media and in cinemas, taps iconic Japanese actors Takeshi Kitano and Gekidan Hitori who begin the film in a dark sedan where one business man tells his junior colleague about his new venture, selling swimming pools for dogs, and shows him the self-made presentation that goes along with it.

When his colleague balks at the suggestion that the boss (played by Kitano) made the presentation on his own, Kitano's demeanour changes and he takes on the wry gangster persona he's known for in films. From there, the car and the film make a sharp detour and the plot gets quickly darker as the junior colleague's stubborn skepticism appears to do him in.

Ad Nut won't give away the ending - watch it yourself - but it ends on a perfect note with Canva's 'make it unbelievable' tagline.

In this case, the advertiser and agency indeed have done just that.