10 Best Japanese Commercials

1 – Sagami Robber Industries – LONG DISTANCE
Publicising the product benefits of Sagami Original, the world’s thinnest condom at just 0.02 mm. By communicating a “love” theme, we were able to build an aimiable brand image that differed from other competitors. We used a real long distance couple from the entries received and asked them to run a 1000 km marathon.
The goal is for the two to embrace. When they do embrace, the distance between them, that began at 1,000,000,000 mm is now 0 mm..”.. and yet love needs distance”, is inserted, and the distance is pushed back to 0.02 mm. Thus the benefit of the world thinnest condom.
Advertising Agency: GT, Tokyo
Executive Creative Director: Takahisa Mitsumori
Copywriter: Naoki Ito
Art Director: Naoki Ito
Production Company: Rock & Roll, Tokyo
Director: Kan Equchi
Year: 2009
Gold Lion

2 – Nissin Cup Noodles – HUNGRY? Campaign

MOA
A tribe of primitive men in search of food chase a Moa bird. It leads them to the edge of a cliff where the Moa jumps into the air and the men fall over the precipice.
SYNTHETOCERAS
A tribe of primitive men in search of food chase a Synthetoceras into a hole. It repeatedly pops its head up in a different hole, thus exhausting its pursuers.
QUETZALCOATLUS
The primitive men pretend to be Quetzalcoatlus babies and beg for food, but once again they fail.
MAMMOTH

UNITATHERIUM
The primitive men are all over the Unitatherium, like bees on a honeycomb. Will they win at last? Not this time.
GIANT WARTDOG

GIANT SQUID

FISHING
In which a well-known prehistoric family go fishing. Father is let down over a cliff’s edge on a baitless hook … Hungry? Try Nissin Seafood Cup Noodles.
HARVEST
In which our prehistoric family try to get some fruit by beating a tree with a club. Fruit falls down. So does a sabre-toothed tiger … Hungry? Try Nissin Cup Noodles.
SNEAKING THIEF
In which the father of our prehistoric family spies some meat by the sleeping sabre-toothed tiger. But as he tries to grab it, the tiger awakes … Hungry? Try Nissin Cup Noodles.
Advertising Agency: Hakuhodo, Japan
Creative Director: Susumu Miyazaki
Copywriter: Tonomi Maeda
Art Director: Kuzohiro Suda
Production Company: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation
Director: Shinya Nakajima
Year: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
Grand Prix/Gold Lion/Silver Lion/Bronze Lion

3 – Morinaga & Co. Carrè de Chocolat - NON-BLINKING WOMAN
We made this commercial to show the appeal of “Carre-de-chocolat”, meltingly velvety authentic chocolate, particularly to married women in their 30s. The concept behind the product is that it can be enjoyed as part of relaxing moments in between their busy household work. The ad was very successful and “Carre-de-chocolat” has become a main brand in the chocolate category, even though it was a generic product.
Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo
Creative Director: Yoshiro Sato
Copywriter: Makoto Shinohara/Tsunao Arita
Production Company: Mothers, Tokyo
Director: Jun Kawanishi
Year: 2008
Bronze Lion

4 - Toyota – HUMANITY
The film takes the form of a simple flowing narrative drive of a Toyota car through an urban/suburban environment. Whilst the film takes an elegant and traditional filmic approach in its portrayal of the car and its surroundings, various details and features of the Toyota range cars are depicted with a more bizarre twist. Instead of seeing the exact technical nature of the design features of the car, each item is depicted in a much more personal way using human “experts” to represent the function on show.
Advertising Agency: Hakuhodo, Tokyo
Creative Director: Hideyuki Tanno/Tetsuya Tokimatsu/Masahiko Ishii
Copywriter: Tetsuya Tokimatsu
Art Director: Hideyuki Tanno
Production Company: Stink, London
Director: Ne-o
Year: 2006
Silver Lion

5 – Champagne Nicolas Feullatte – TOAST MEN
In this commercial for Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte, scientists search for stronger glasses with which to give toasts. On behalf of Nihon Shurui Hanbai, we wanted to say to everyone, “many cheers!”
Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo
Creative Director: Yoshimitsu Sawamoto
Copywriter: Mayu Taguchi/Sohei Okano/Yuriko Taki
Art Director: Hideyuki Tanno
Production Company: Dentsu Creative X, Tokyo
Director: Jun Kawanishi
Year: 2011
Bronze Lion

6 – Nike – NIKE MUSIC SHOE
Nike launched NIKE FREE RUN+, the new addition to the NIKE FREE footwear line in late March 2010. The main communications campaign conveyed the new model’s incredible flexibility with the tagline “Free like feet want to be”. Nike Japan further wanted to develop an idea that creates buzz about the shoe’s flexibility and NIKE+ compatibility. The idea was the NIKE MUSIC SHOE. Why not make a real musical instrument utilising the shoe’s unique bending features and create a soundtrack with it? The music performance was commissioned to breakbeats unit HIFANA, who collaborated in the creation of the instruments and also wrote the song.
Advertising Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Tokyo
Creative Director: Frank Hahn/Naoki Ito
Copywriter: Hiroshi Kuyama/Takayuki Rokutan
Art Director: Shingo Ohno/Naoki Ga
Production Company: Taiyo Kikaku, Tokyo
Director: Kosai Sekine
Year: 2010
Bronze Lion

7 – Secam Home Security – THE BIG TEST
SECOM Home Security Service offers various individualised services, and closely watches over the safety and security of their customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In this commercial, we showed the importance of having a security system by highlighting the fact that not everyone can resist the temptations right in front of them.
Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo
Creative Director: Hiroshi Sasaki
Copywriter: Yoshimitsu Sawamoto
Art Director: Naoki Ito
Production Company: Geek Picture, Tokyo
Director: Akira Nagai
Year: 2008
Silver Lion

8 – Panasonic Oxyride Battery – MANNED FLIGHT
Powering a plain with household batteries.
Advertising Agency: Hakuhodo, Tokyo
Creative Director: Katsunori Tsuyama/Satoru Yokoyama/Toshikazu Ieda
Copywriter: Toshiya Inoue/Kan Ishii/Kosuke Masuda
Production Company: Hat, Tokyo
Director: Kaoru Yamaguchi
Year: 2007
Bronze Lion

9 – Ajinomoto Stadium – HUSKY GIRLS
A young man has moved to a new town. He finds all the women there very beautiful, but their voices are hideously hoarse from cheering.
Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo
Creative Director: Yuya Furukama
Copywriter: Hiroyo Kanehako
Art Director: Hiroyo Kanehako
Production Company: Dentsu TEC, Tokyo
Director: Jun Kawanishi
Year: 2005
Silver Lion

10 – Esthe Wam Hair Removal – BEAUTY BOWLING
For women, being beautiful is about keeping challenging themselves. This ad shows the tragedy of a woman at a beauty championship who failed to take care of herself. It expresses how one single hair can divide the winner and the loser by using the game of bowling by communicating that their body would be perfect with Esthe WAM because they offer professional care during and after the treatment.
Advertising Agency: Dentsu, Tokyo
Creative Director: Yuya Furukawa
Copywriter: Moto Takagi
Art Director: Masahide Yoshimi
Production Company: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Tokyo
Director: Masahiro Takata
Year: 2005
Bronze Lion