Hakuhodo and TBWA╲HAKUHODO Team Representing Japan Wins

Hakuhodo & TBWA╲HAKUHODO Team Representing Japan Wins
Young Lotus at Asia Pacific Advertising Festival

Tokyo—March 26, 2007—Team Tokyo, comprising Takayuki Niizawa from Hakuhodo Inc. and Masaya Asai of TBWA╲HAKUHODO Inc., has become the first pair representing Japan to win the Young Lotus competition for creators at Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (AdFest) 2007.
The Young Lotus competition pits against each other teams of two selected in qualifying rounds by the advertising associations of each country. The teams, each a young art director and copywriter duo under 30, have 24 hours to produce a 60” TV commercial based on a brief they first receive at the festival. This year, the participating national teams were set the challenge of creating a commercial promoting Pattaya, Thailand as a tourist destination. The Japanese team’s commercial was rated the best of the entries from 14 national teams (Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Korea, Singapore, Taipei and Japan).
Masaya Asai of TBWA╲HAKUHODO characterized the experience as follows: “Creating a 60-second film within 24 hours was physically and mentally challenging. Especially, I was constantly under pressure to make decisions without hesitation. I literally had no time to waste. The moment I received the award was unforgettable. I will always remember it and keep my creativity hungry for fresh ideas.”
Masaya Asai of TBWA╲HAKUHODO characterized the experience as follows: “Creating a 60-second film within 24 hours was physically and mentally challenging. Especially, we were constantly under pressure to make decisions without hesitation.
Takayuki Niizawa of Hakuhodo agreed, “We literally had no time to waste. But the moment we received the award was unforgettable. I will always remember it and keep my creativity hungry for fresh ideas.”
“We would both like to thank all the Young Lotus members from the various countries. I am sure we will continue to be good friends and rivals from now on,” Asai added.