Dentsu Inc. Tokyo’s My Japan Railway must be this year’s #1 success story. It wowed both its target audience in Japan and the juries at all the major awards worldwide. Its biggest triumph was at MAD STARS, where it was Grand Prix of the Year in Product & Service as well as winning Grands Prix in Integrated, Brand Experience & Activation, and Direct. Among its hugely impressive haul of awards are D&AD’s top award, the Black Pencil; and Grands Prix at Cannes Lions, Gerety Awards, the Clios, The One Show, Spikes Asia (3 Grands Prix) and ADFEST (3 Grandes), plus the Grand LIA.
The campaign created for the 150th anniversary of Japan Railway aimed both to create greater interest in domestic travel – while Japan is a small island, only 6% of Japanese have visited all 47 prefectures – and to inject fun into rail travel with its interactivity. Exquisitely designed and beautifully produced, it is also built on well-researched traditions – playing into Japan’s love for stamp collecting and the historic significance of stamps in Japanese culture. Lastly, and no doubt an important element in its success, it combines the warmth of nostalgia with the emotive power of human connection.
Dentsu creative director, Mariko Fukuoka, contributed to this remarkable campaign. Unexpectedly, Fukuoka is a copywriter-based creative, but her passion for design and her creative ingenuity are apparent in the campaign.
She took MAD STARS inside the creation of its Grand Prix of the Year in this interview:
Where did the idea for My Japan Railway come from? What client brief did it answer?
Mariko Fukuoka: It started as a competition, with a brief to create a logo for Japan Railways’ 150th anniversary. We created a logo, and didn’t stop there. We created a new campaign to revive the romance and joy of rail travel from 150 years ago. During the pandemic, there was a growing interest in domestic travel, and we aimed to maximise that momentum. This is how the idea for My Japan Railway was born.
The campaign has won at a great many awards. A very local campaign resonated with judges from every corner of the planet. What do you think are the secrets of its success?
Mariko Fukuoka: As you said, we’re grateful to have received so many awards. Recently, I feel the line between “global” and “local” has almost disappeared. I understand that while each country has its own unique and beautiful culture, I believe we all share the same human emotions. In that sense, if this campaign resonated with people around the world, I’m truly grateful. My vision is to always create something that embodies a brand’s core values as well as humanity’s true essence.
My Japan Railway is aesthetically beautiful. How much do you feel this contributed to its success? How important are a campaign’s design, aesthetics and/or production quality?
Mariko Fukuoka: Thank you very much. In this project, I wanted to develop an emotional connection with the passengers. To achieve this goal, I used the power of design. I wanted people to keep each “station” on their smartphones, making it part of their own collection. By doing so, I hoped that each passenger would make their station their own. This purpose inspired the creation of the campaign’s visuals.
Additionally, I believe that quality is always important. However, if beautiful design or fine details become the main focus, the campaign’s underlying essence can be lost, resulting in a design that lacks real meaning.
How important do you feel it is to win awards? What do you think are the importance to the industry of awards? Effective vs. creative awards – should one matter more than the other?
Mariko Fukuoka: Winning awards is valuable for the recognition it brings to our local campaign on a global stage.
From my experience as a judge, I realised that awards serve as a place for exceptional work from around the world to be brought together. This has a positive impact on the industry by encouraging it to evolve in a better direction.
When it comes to effective vs. creative awards, I believe that, in today’s world, there is no creativity without effectiveness, and no effectiveness without creativity. For this reason, I don’t think one type of award is more important than the other.
You are presenting to a room of young creative hopefuls. What five essential things will you tell them/must they know or understand about advertising to be successful?
Mariko Fukuoka:
- The secret is in the foundation.
No matter how the media evolves, a strong foundation of words and design remains at the core. - Inefficiency is truly efficient.
In an era where efficiency is often celebrated, there are many instances in life where “more haste, less speed” rings true. - Trust your instincts. Trust your emotions.
Cultivate your “good” sensor. Trust your feelings and move forward with confidence. - Remember every emotion in life.
Hold on to all your experiences including heartbreak, conflict, and sadness. Channel them into your creative work. There is no waste in life. - Creativity begins without involving “creative” work.
Scheduling and project management are actually of utmost importance. It’s all about clever strategies to secure creative time.
Mariko, as one of the world’s foremost creatives, if you could choose the top five campaigns of 2024, what would they be and why?
Sammakorn Not Sanpakorn
Despite being centered on the Thai language, this campaign had people around the world (including myself, who doesn’t understand Thai) laughing out loud. It’s humor that transcends language—a brilliant piece capturing universal emotions within a local context.
THE MOVING CANVAS
From the first time I saw this campaign, I was hooked on its music and visuals. It’s endlessly entertaining. When I watched these ads, I tried to see them as I would have before joining the industry, and I know that back then, I would have loved this campaign without overthinking it—just pure enjoyment.
Coco Crush
Beautiful and playful, this video perfectly embodies the brand’s identity. It redefined what luxury communication can be.
Play it safe
As you all know, this is not just a musical composition; it’s something more. The more I understood it, the more I grew to love it. With its paradoxical lyrics, it encourages creators to be brave.
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This campaign truly embraced the idea that people don’t care about ads or promotions from brands unrelated to the World Cup. By focusing on flight tracking technology and visualising it in a charming way, they created something remarkable. It’s a great example of staying true to one’s curiosity and what feels intriguing.
