Advertisers, media, advertising agencies, creatives, and academia. The Borderless Marketing Community (BMC) aims to create interaction and discussion among professionals with different specialties, and to realize seamless, holistically optimized marketing. The fourth regular event bringing together members of the community was held online on Thursday, September 4, 2022.

The event was divided into two parts: a "seminar" where experts from various fields spoke, and a "lab" where practical knowledge was generated through two-way communication between the speakers and participants. This article reports on some of the content of the seminar.

【Speakers】

Shinji Kawamura
Whatever CCO Creative Director

He has served as creative director at creative agencies around the world, including 180 Amsterdam, BBH New York, and Wieden&Kennedy New York. In 2011, he founded PARTY and served as its representative in New York and Taipei, before launching Whatever in 2018. His diverse activities include campaign planning for numerous global brands, product design, TV program development, and music video direction. He has won over 100 awards around the world, including at the Cannes Lions, and has been selected as one of the "50 Creators in the World" by the American magazine Creativity, "100 Most Creative People in the Business World" by Fast Company, and "100 People Breaking Through Japan" by AERA.

Yuko Hyodo
Benesse Corporation University and Working Company
Group Leader, Marketing Division, Adult Education Department

After graduating from university, he joined Benesse Corporation and worked in the digital marketing department for Shinkenzemi Elementary School Course for four years. He was involved in a wide range of activities, including operational advertising, affiliate advertising, and the design and verification of upstream mass advertising measures such as YouTube. He then transferred to the Udemy team through the company's internal recruitment system. He is responsible for the overall marketing strategy and media design, as well as commercial production and buying.

※Moderator

Mr. Yoshiaki Hirao
President and CEO of XICA Corporation

Close collaboration between creators and marketers produces the most powerful creative content

The theme of this seminar was "creativity." While many people involved in marketing recognize its importance as a factor that determines the success or failure of marketing, this theme also has a strong sense of challenge.

The content is "all-inclusive" and is packed with the things that advertisers want to appeal to, making it difficult to convey what they are trying to say. They only convey the features, appeal, and message of the company, product, or service to a certain extent, and are limited to "creating works" that put the creators' creativity at the forefront.

Unfortunately, this situation is not uncommon. The message of this seminar is that the key to solving this problem lies in eliminating the divide between marketers and creators.

The speakers were Yuko Hyodo of Benesse Corporation, who drives marketing in Japan for Udemy, one of the world's largest online education platforms, and Shinji Kawamura, who has served as creative director at creative agencies around the world and is currently chief creative officer at creative studio Whatever.

How can marketers and creators work together to produce excellent creative content and maximize the results of advertising and other marketing initiatives?

Looking back on the hugely successful Udemy global branding campaign that was carried out in 2021 and 2022 in collaboration between Benesse, Whatever, and Hyodo and Kawamura, the participants discussed the "divide" that exists between marketers and creators and ways to resolve it.

★Case study
https://whatever.co/ja/work/udemy/

★Udemy Global Branding Campaign Video
https://youtu.be/a6nCoJpeUhk

Udemy launched in Japan in 2016, but this is the first time it has launched a full-scale branding campaign including TV commercials. Whatever was selected as the creative partner by Udemy's US headquarters.

The commercial does not simply introduce the service, but shows the hidden potential that lies within the users who study on Udemy, and the future that can be opened up as a result of studying on Udemy.

The project started as a campaign in Japan, but eventually grew into a global campaign that was also rolled out in the United States and South Korea.

Kawamura recalls, "When we proposed the idea to the CMO of Udemy in the US, he praised it, saying it was a strong idea that could be rolled out not only in Japan but also in other regions. We then created versions with optimized cast and copywriting for each country, and even produced online videos with the same creative, and the idea grew into something bigger."

The fact that such strong creative work was produced was the result of a close collaboration between Benesse and Whatever, that is, between marketing and creativity. The key points were explained in line with the advertising project process of "planning," "design, production," and "effectiveness measurement," and specific themes that tend to cause problems in each process, such as "aligning objectives," "communication with the client," and "measuring the effectiveness of advertising creatives," while clarifying practical methods for creators and advertisers to co-create the best creative work.

1) Planning phase
[Key point] Create a "fence" to bring out the best in creators

As for the challenges in the planning stage of advertisements, Hyodo said, "The proposals from the creators who received the briefing (orientation) from the advertiser were not very clear.Ideas come first"There are quite a few cases like this."

While prefaced by saying that this is not necessarily the case with Whatever, Hyodo said, "We're grateful for the many ideas we receive, and it's interesting, but when it comes to whether they've properly considered the purpose of the campaign or the unique merits of that advertiser...there have been many ideas that have left us with doubts."

Hyodo believes that the reason for this "idea-first" approach lies not only with creators but also with advertisers. Looking back at their briefing,POD (Point of Difference: a brand's point of differentiation that is valuable to customers)He says that many advertisers are unable to properly recognize and articulate this.

"Udemy in particular completes everything from sales to purchasing online, so there are almost no opportunities to see customers directly or hear their voices, and the reality is that there is a distance between you and your customers. Unless you are very conscious of it, you won't know what N1 (a single customer) finds valuable in the service, and I think this is the main reason why it is difficult to set up a good POD," says Hyodo.

Hyodo points out that if marketers and creators think together about and coordinate on what the advertiser's POD is, it may be possible to come up with plans that do not fall into the trap of being "idea-first."

In response to this, Kawamura explained the points he keeps in mind when it comes to communication between marketers and creators.

"First, we need to understand the advertiser's objectives, desired results, features of the product or service they want to promote, and the desired tone and manner."The starting point""It is important to conduct thorough interviews at an early stage and accurately grasp the intentions of the orientation. If you get these initial settings right, the proposal content shouldn't deviate too much," says Kawamura.

He also says that it is essential to bridge the gap by building up communication.

"It may seem like an agreement at first glance, but in reality there is a discrepancy -- we are human beings, so such discrepancies are bound to occur.Flat conversation"I think it's important to have an environment where you can check things as they come up, like, 'Is this how it's meant to be here?' We communicate with Hyodo and the Benesse team on Slack, so we get an answer right away when we have a question, and it's really helpful because it makes it easy to get things back on track when there's a discrepancy," said Kawamura.

In the early stages of communication, including the orientation, it is important to clarify the advertising issues, objectives, POD, etc., and share them properly between the advertiser and the creator.Unleash your creativity to the fullestMr. Kawamura compared creators to "wild animals" and said the following:

"Most creators are good at thinking outside the box and coming up with bold expressions, and they also have a strong desire to create interesting things. Because of this, they can easily stray from the direction they should be going in. To tame this wild animal that is the creator, they set up 'fences' that say, 'as long as it stays within these limits, it's okay for it to run wild.' In other words, I think that setting the right goals is one of the keys to producing great creative work." (Kawamura)

Regarding communication in the early stages, moderator Hirao raised the question, "Some creators don't like to be presented with numerical targets such as sales or number of members, while others find it easier to work with such targets.Set a numerical targetIn response to the question, "What do you think about that, Mr. Kawamura?" Mr. Kawamura replied, "It's just a goal, and I don't know if it will be possible to achieve it, but I think it's fine to have such a goal."

"There is no secret recipe for increasing brand awareness or stimulating purchasing behavior. We will incorporate as much know-how as possible, but rather than fine-tuning such things,Bold creative ideas"I think that's more important," says Kawamura.

Advertisements are not something that people can concentrate on looking at, so he emphasized that rather than tricks and tricks, it is important to have a simple, strong idea with a core, and the attractive technical and storytelling skills to deliver that idea.

2) Design and production phase
Creating an environment where advertisers and creators can connect directly

Hyodo also reiterates that the key to the success of Udemy's branding campaign was close communication between advertisers and creators.

"As Kawamura mentioned earlier, most of the communication between Benesse and Whatever is done through Slack. This is the first time we've communicated so frequently and intensively with a creative partner. We're in contact with them on the same level as with internal members," said Hyodo.

In contrast, looking back at past projects that did not go well, Hyodo analyzes that one of the factors may have been that "it was difficult for advertisers to see the work of advertising agencies and creators."

"Until now, communication with advertising agencies has mainly been with salespeople, directors, and other front-line staff. The creative work that happens beyond that is largely invisible to the advertiser, and it often feels like they have no idea what's going on or what process it's in. Because they can't see or understand, questions and frustration arise, like, 'Why are there so many discrepancies?' and 'Why does it take so long?' Maybe they're asking too much, or maybe they're not communicating properly, but they can't find a way to improve. I feel like we could do a better job if this opacity could be eliminated, but there's also this feeling that it's not okay to ask (laughs). It may be that I'm just assuming things, but I've felt for a long time that this situation should be more open." (Hyodo)

Hyodo also feels that there is an issue with the division between creative and media buying. In the Udemy project, Benesse only outsources creative work to Whatever, while media buying is outsourced to a different advertising company. Communication is always between Whatever and Benesse, and between the media buying company and Benesse, and the three parties have never actually met together before.

There is an understanding that production and advertising are intrinsically one and the same, and that they should work together to create a campaign and consider ways to improve it. However, "for some reason, it feels like it's taboo to get together and communicate, and we've come to this point without knowing how to connect as advertisers," said Hyodo.

Mr. Hirao responded to Mr. Hyodo's awareness of this issue by saying,Past BMC EventsHe reflected on the experience as follows:

"This really gets to the heart of the reason for the launch of BMC. At a past event, BMC director Kurosaki Taro of Nippon Television Network Corporation said that he sometimes feels there are 'taboos' in the marketing industry. The media would like to speak more directly with advertisers in order to create media plans that are attractive to them. However, he feels that there is somehow an atmosphere that it is not OK for the media to speak to advertisers without going through an advertising agency...Hearing Hyodo's story made me realise once again how important it is to overcome these divisions and for the players involved in advertising and marketing to communicate directly with each other." (Hirao)

Regarding advertisers communicating directly with the creators who actually think up and create the creative work, rather than just with sales people and directors, Kawamura firmly stated that "I have no objections at all."

Both PARTY and Whatever, which Kawamura helped launch, were founded under the idea that "reducing the number of middlemen between advertisers and creators makes it possible to give shape to creative work while maintaining the strength of the ideas."

"At Whatever, we don't have so-called 'sales representatives,' but instead have producers who also handle account management team up with creators. This makes communication smoother, reduces the need to 'take things back to the office and consider them,' and it feels like projects progress four times faster. I think there are great benefits to creators being able to understand the project, including the finer nuances and the importance of the matter, by talking directly with advertisers." (Mr. Kawamura)

If there are situations in which it is difficult for advertisers and creators to communicate directly, this is likely due in large part to structural issues at advertising agencies, and this problem is unlikely to be resolved overnight.

In addition, due to various reasons, such as the difficulty of individually selecting and ordering creators suited to one's own project, many companies may find it more realistic and efficient to outsource all related work to a comprehensive advertising agency.

Taking this reality into consideration, Kawamura says the ideal situation would be for "advertisers to do their own research, find the creators they want to hire and place an order with them."

He said that if there is an advertisement or campaign that you like or that you would like to implement in your own company, it is recommended that you look at the credits (staff list) and identify the creators you would like to hire.

3) Effect measurement phase
Measuring and verifying effectiveness is the key to collaboration between marketers, creators, and advertising agencies

Regarding the "effectiveness measurement" phase of the advertising project, Hyodo revealed that "we have not been able to conduct either pre-survey or post-verification," expressing a strong sense of challenge.

"In terms of post-mortem evaluations, we look at things like the difference in sales between areas where the commercial was aired and areas where it wasn't, and changes in the number of visitors to the website, but we don't evaluate the creative at all. In reality, we should be examining things like was that the sales growth rate was the best? What aspects of the commercial were well received by customers? What areas need improvement? We know that we need to look at these things and use them to make the next step..." (Hyodo)

The reasons for this include the lack of a culture or habit of measuring and verifying effectiveness within the company, and the lack of time and budget to allocate to it. In addition, there are very few people in the company who recognize it as a problem and speak up, so it seems that it will not be easy to make it a priority and tackle it.

According to Hirao, there are few companies that are able to properly measure the effectiveness of their creative work and use the information to improve their initiatives, and there are still many companies that are unaware that "the effectiveness of creative work can be quantitatively evaluated."

However, it is precisely in this measurement and verification of effectiveness thatBridging the divide between marketers and creatorsHirao believes that this may hold the key to solving the problem.

"When you look at cases where marketers, creators, and advertising agencies are able to work together without borders,Share your KPIsThere are many things we can do." (Hirao)

Specifically, there are various ways of doing things; in some cases, the advertiser, creative agency, and media agency work side by side, sharing goals and their progress in numerical form, while in other cases the advertiser and creative agency work together to come up with plans and strategies, organize the entire project, and then place an order with the media agency.

Marketers and creators share a common language, numerical targets, and communicate frequently and intensively to shape ideas, and together they accept the results and use them to make improvements."One Team"If we can build this system, we can expect the precision of the creative work produced to be further improved, leading to an increase in advertising and communication initiatives that contribute greatly to business performance.

Udemy's branding campaign is sure to become even more powerful with the collaboration of Hyodo and Kawamura.

Lab Group Work

In the second part, "Lab," which took place after the seminar, time was set aside for group work where members could interact with each other, in response to many comments from members in past event surveys that they would like to be able to communicate more actively with each other.

Participants split into several groups to discuss today's theme, including the challenges they face in their work, what they would like to apply to their future creative production, and questions they would like to ask the speakers after listening to the seminar.

Lab Q&A

In the Q&A session following the group work, various questions were asked by members who attended the event, and they exchanged opinions with the speakers. Here we present an excerpt of some of the questions posed by the members.

"The benefits of airing TV commercials include: 1) increasing product awareness, 2) stimulating purchasing desire, and 3) increasing trust in the product (service). As for 3), it seems difficult to measure the effectiveness. What kind of indicators can be used to measure it?"

"After narrowing down the direction of the output through strategy, what should marketers (those who develop strategies) be careful of when asking creators and designers to give it shape?"

"The moment the word 'creativity' is uttered, it tends to be thought of as something right-brained and abstract. Could you please tell us in detail about the approaches and ideas you have taken to help your company's marketing managers and management, in particular, understand the indispensability of 'creativity'?"