Yasu Sasaki is a seasoned, global creative leader. Something of a geek and a guru, he’s a lover of both nature and technology who studied computer sciences before pivoting, extremely successfully, to the commercial world.
Now global chief creative officer at dentsu, where he started as a copywriter in 1995, he has been recognised in all the major international awards and sits on many juries, while having a hands-on role fostering a culture of creativity and innovation. We asked him which ads he thought were the best of the past 40 years, as part of our celebrations to mark 40 years of Lürzer’s Archive.
BMW Films: The Hire
When this campaign started, I was honestly knocked out. In an era before YouTube and smartphones, they stopped advertising on TV and invested all of the $2.5 million budget in creative. This is where it all began. The Internet became an entertainment space, and it was a moment when the methodology of branding changed dramatically. And I don't think there has been any branded entertainment that has surpassed this yet.
Burger King: Subservient Chicken
This is an example that made me keenly aware that digital is not driven by technology, but by people. At the time, there were no Burger King restaurants in Japan, but everyone in Japan discovered Burger King's playful side. This opened up a new era of communication, where people tell other people. Burger King's personality has been consistent from this time until now, and it is wonderful.
Nike: Nike+
When this case was introduced, many people said, “This is not the kind of work that agencies do.” The work of designing products and designing functions. And now, many agencies are entering this area of business transformation. The creativity that allows people to have a long-lasting relationship with a brand began here.
Honda: Sound of Honda
Using data that was preserved in paper form at Honda's research center, Ayrton Senna's driving is recreated using only light and sound. Now that we can generate anything from data, we can really appreciate how valuable this poetic and emotional expression from that time was. This is the beauty of subtraction. This is what it means to move people's hearts with creativity and technology.
