Line up Conference featuring Nestlé Japan’s CEO Kozoh Takaoka and Yuhei Mizuno from YouTube Japan discussing 21st Century Advertising and Globalization

TOKYO, JAPAN – June 9th, 2016 – A qualifying film festival for the annual Academy Awards® and
one of Asia’s largest International Short Film Festivals, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), held a conference discussing “The Utilization of Moving Images in Global Marketing powered by NESTLÉ Japan”.
The conference detailed how the creation of branded movies has become a popular marketing method amongst companies and the government. Recognizing its popularity, SSFF & ASIA decided to launch this project, “Branded Shorts”, to become a mecca for Branded movies in Asia.
An award was granted to the winner of “Branded Shorts of the Year” and a talk session was held where leading companies with the most effective digital short marketing in Japan, discussed the future of branded shorts.
http://brandedshorts.jp/

To open the event, SSFF & ASIA’s President Tetsuya Bessho took the stage. He shared his experience as an actor and as a founder of a film festival, and he emphasized that the “21st century will be all about Branded Shorts”. He continued by saying that “It will become the new “cinema” and digital short marketing will be taken over by the Branded Shorts”.

◆Branded Shorts Special Recognition Award: Nestlé Japan Ltd.
As a leader of digital short marketing in Japan, Nestlé Japan was awarded the “Branded Shorts Special Recognition Award” from SSFF & ASIA.
Mr. Takaoka from Nestlé Japan exclaimed, “As a pioneer of this method, I am grateful for the fact that everyone has noticed and appreciated our marketing efforts”.
Looking back at the Nestlé Japan’s countless digital shorts, he mentions KitKat’s 30th anniversary short, which he created with Shunji Iwai, titled “Flower and Alice (Hana to Alice)”.
“That was an unforgettable job for me. I thank KitKat and can confidently say that KitKat built my career”.
Later in the session, Nestlé Japan’s new branded movie, “Life is…” aired, and Mr. Takaoka joined Leslie Kee back on stage to share his experiences during filming.
He emphasized that today, it is difficult to share a brand message to people in 15-30 seconds. Nestlé Japan was one of the pioneering companies that utilized the internet in order to spread their message strategically.

◆1st Branded Shorts of the Year National / International Category
WINNER
National Category Winner: Waseda Academy’s “STRANGE CREATURES”
International Category Winner: Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s “The Gentleman’s Wager II”

Waseda Academy’s PR Manager Atsushi Murase shared that he “would appreciate if watching this movie makes you understand and cheer for the children”.
MHD’ Sr. Brand Manager Miyoshi Mogi said, “I hope the opportunity of winning this award introduces the BLUE LABEL brand to many more around the world”.

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◆The Utilization of Moving Images in Global Marketing powered by NESTLÉ Japan

Many of the industry’s most successful advertisers and executives including Kozoh Takaoka, Miyoshi Mogi, Yuhei Mizuno, Tetsuya Bessho, Lo Sheung Yan (Mayan) from the largest Ad festival in Asia, Adfest, held a talk session and shared their opinions on branded movies.

（YouTube Japan – Yuhei Mizuno）
“In order to grow a branded movie, the key is to “just try” and release as many as you can without thinking too hard about it. From there, you will start to see what you are aiming for and what you are targeting. For example, at YouTube, we can analyze and measure the number of viewers, comments and the number of times it was shared. Since I can obtain this data per country, I can order just the right amount”.

（Nestlé Japan - Kozoh Takaoka）
“Being part of the movie as an investor and airing the commercial in the movie theatre is not enough to gain revenue in the 21st century. The number of movie investors are declining as well and in order to solve this problem, I believe everyone will start investing and using promotion through the internet. The cost for companies to create a short film is way lower than to create a TV commercial. For the filming studios, if they could receive many branded shorts orders, they could make enough money as well”.
He continued, “It is said that after the 20th century, people have started to lose interest in “things” and have stopped purchasing things. That is certainly because the solutions were no longer a thing but it was either a service or something you cannot see. Everything was solvable through the internet (Uber, Airbnb, Apple, Facebook, Google…etc.). Like so, I believe that Branded Shorts is solving a marketing problem with movies on the internet, and it is very innovative.”

（Adfest - Mayan）
“In order for branded movies to be successful, the movie needs to be something that viewers want to watch until the end”.
（SSFF & ASIA - Testuya Bessho）
Relating to the topic of “How to have more viewers for branded movies” Bessho brought in the idea of using VR and drones as an example, and explained how the shorts need to be “unexpected” and “unpredictable”. He also noted the importance of not violating the manner and privacy of others.

（MHD – Miyoshi Mogi）
“It has been understood that in order for companies to create branded movies, the movie needs to lead the consumer to an actual purchase. If we cannot accomplish this, there is no second movie. However, time has changed and I feel that we could gain something more than just a simple purchase if we could connect the consumer and the shorts, and the platform becomes the place for communication that brings value to the shorts.”

As a message to the companies who are considering in creating branded movies;
“Branded movies allow you to share and provide brand messages that cannot be shared through commercials. A smart marketing strategy involves being able to concentrate on the target, goal and message, and be concise. But let’s think of this as a tool where you can go all out!”

“The origin of branded shorts is to think to whom this message is for and how you want to deliver this message” said Tetsuya Bessho, Founder/President of SSFF & ASIA. “I wish for this conference to grow in the near future and to make Japan a mecca for digital shorts marketing”.
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About 『Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia』
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA) is an Academy Awards® accredited international short film festival operated by Pacific Voice Inc. Founded in 1999 by Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho in Tokyo, Japan, it is one of the largest festivals of its kind held annually in Asia. Over the last 18 years we have welcomed more that 320,000 audience members, and for this year’s edition have received more that 6,000 submissions from over 100 countries and regions around the world. SSFF & ASIA 2016, the 18th edition of the festival, was held at venues throughout Tokyo and Yokohama from June 2 (Thu) – June 26 (Sun), 2016. Official festival website: http://shortshorts.org/2016/en/

Guest List
Kohzoh Takaoka Nestlé Japan Ltd. Representative Director, President and CEO
Takaoka graduated from Kobe University School of Business Administration in 1983 and began working for Nestlé Japan Ltd. After working in a variety of brand management roles, he found success as the head of the Nestlé Confectionary Ltd. Marketing Department, where he led a notable student campaign for KITKAT. In 2005 he was appointed as the Representative Director of Nestlé Confectionary Ltd., and in 2010 went on to establish a business model for the new “Nescafe” line as the Representative Director and Vice President of the Beverages Business Unit of Nestlé Japan Ltd.. In October of the same year, he was appointed as the Representative Director, President and CEO of Nestlé Japan Ltd.. Focusing on building a mature business model that is globally competitive, Takaoka has delivered high profit margins through the establishment of new business models such as "Nescafe Ambassador", and has adopted “marketing” in all sectors, including administaive areas such as human resources and sales.

Yuhei Mizuno Google Japan Inc. Director of YouTube Content Partnerships, Japan
Mizuno completed his studies at Hitobashi University Graduate School. Since joining Google Japan Inc. and launching the Japanese edition of YouTube in 2007, he has built partnerships with Japanese television stations, record companies, political parties, central government, local government bodies, performers’ organizations and copyright collectives. In his twenties he worked as a songwriter, providing music for artists such as Yoko Nagayama and Tomomi Nishimura, and he is currently a member of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC). Meanwhile, he has also worked as a planner for television commercials, and as a music director of other commercials, some of his signature works being the Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company commercial “Anata wo aete yokatta” (sung by Kazumasa Oda), and the Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Solmac commercial “Oboetenai n desu hen”. In 1995 he established his own business, and, following this, began working for Yahoo Japan Corporation in 2001. There he built partnerships with copyright management organizations and performers’ organizations, whilst also overseeing entertainment system services. Since joining Google Japan Inc. in 2007, he has been in charge of services such as YouTube, Google Maps and Book Search.

Lo Sheung Yan (Mayan) Adfest Collective / Chairman, APAC Creative Council, J. Walter Thompson
Mayan has come a long way, joining China’s advertising industry in 1996 with JWT, eventually becoming its Chairman of Asia Pacific Creative Council in 2013. Along the way he helped JWT garner many prestigious regional and global advertising awards. JWT Asia Pacific was named “Network Agency of the Year” by AdFest in 2008. JWT Asia Pacific repeated this feat when it was named “Network Agency of the Year” by both Media Spikes and AdFest in 2009. JWT Shanghai, meanwhile, was named “Agency of the Year” in 2009 by Adfest, and “Agency of the Year” by Campaign Asia in 2011. Mayan made history time and again, producing many firsts in China’s advertising industry, from winning China’s first gold Clio, to helping lead China to its very first Grand Prix at Cannes in 2011.
In 2012, he made history once again, becoming the first Chinese jury head of Cannes’ Outdoor Advertising Awards 2012. And in Adfest 2016, Mayan was named as “Lotus Legend”. Mayan continues to support the industry by serving as a juror at regional awards like Longxi Chinese Advertising Awards, Spikes Asia and Adfest, and international shows like Clio, Cannes and ADC.