A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On August 10, Mr. Toshihiko Tanabe, creative director, was introduced by Ms. Yurisa Ueno of ULTRA STUDIO, a first-class architect office. We asked Mr. Tanabe, who has won various advertising awards in Japan and abroad, about what made him decide to work in advertising, the three things that made him creative, and his favorite “play.
INDEX
The interesting thing about advertising is that it’s like an empty lunchbox.
Celeina (MC): First of all, let me introduce my profile. She grew up in Tokyo, Munich, Bonn, Vienna, London, and Jakarta, and joined Dentsu in 2002. Tanabe-san has been involved in many projects from business concepts to creative expressions both in Japan and overseas. 2021 is the year he left Dentsu, and in January 2022, he established the creative director collective “(continued)”.
Takano (MC): He is a great senior. Truly, thank you very much for coming.
Tanabe: Thank you very much. I came here unarmed (laughs).
Takano: It is an interesting project that I never expected to be connected to Mr. Tanabe. First of all, Mr. Tanabe, you have won various advertising awards in Japan and abroad, and I can’t introduce you enough (laughs). (Laughs) So, as this is a GRAND MARQUEE, I would like to introduce some of his work related to music, including the planning and creative direction of the music video for Hikari Mitsushima’s new song produced by MONDO GROSSO, which was released yesterday. Mr. Tanabe also worked on “Kaguya by Gucci,” a modern version of Taketori Monogatari starring Hikari Mitsushima, Aoyamada, and Eita Nagayama, which was released last year and became a hot topic. You also worked on the opening program “62 Minutes Yamanote Loop” for “RED BULL MUSIC FESTIVAL TOKYO 2018,” in which Licaxxx and Chansan performed inside a Yamanote Line train.
Tanabe: Thank you very much for your research.
Celeina: There are so many advertisements that we see every day.
Takano: And from a program standpoint, the photographer Yumemuko-san of “Kaguya by Gucci” appeared on FIST BUMP once, and it was very interesting.
Tanabe: Another dangerous person. It was a broadcast accident (laughs).
Takano: (laughs). We heard many exciting stories about the Amazon and other exciting topics, and I thought it was interesting that they were connected. Mr. Tanabe, do you like music a lot?
Tanabe: Yes, I do. I am afraid of silence. I like the sound of nature, but if there is nothing, I feel like playing whatever I want, so I listen to music all the time.
Celeina: What kind of sounds do you like?
Tanabe: I listen to anything. I’m not Yumemuko, but I listen to Amazonian tribal music, techno, emo-rock, and anything else.
Takano: How do you dig?
Tanabe: When I was younger, I used to be a DJ, like going into Udagawa-cho, but now, I exclusively listen to radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and various other places.
Celeina: You mentioned that you were a DJ, but what made you decide to work in advertising?
Tanabe: I have been doing advertising for about 20 years, starting from a very loose idea that it looked somehow interesting. Sometimes, you put whatever you like into the ingredients, and as a result, the advertisement becomes stronger and stronger. Of course, I also have to meet the customers who want to eat it, but I think that’s what makes me a little happy.
Takano: You are a creator and have experience as a DJ, but you also have an artist’s mindset.
Tanabe: No, it’s like a part-time job (laughs).
Takano: That’s absurd (laughs).
Celeina: I have learned a great deal from your attitude, Tanabe-san.
