キャンペーン・ジャパンへようこそ (Welcome to Campaign Japan)

Now live, the dedicated, Japanese-language site, www.campaignjapan.com, will provide a mix of news, analysis and opinions, case studies and work—including content created in Japan and content translated from Campaign's global network. 

David Blecken, executive editor, Campaign Asia-Pacific–Japan, will lead Japan coverage from Tokyo and curate the Japanese-language site. 

In addition, he will provide enhanced coverage of Japan in English, for Campaign Asia-Pacific and the rest of the Campaign global network.

Editor's note by David Blecken, executive editor, Campaign Asia-Pacific–Japan:

Japan remains the world’s second-largest advertising market and third-largest economy. Not only that, but its culture fascinates and inspires millions. It seems wrong, then, that international coverage and understanding of the country’s marketing industry is so scant.

Japanese advertising is unique and often highly imaginative. At the same time, there is lots of room for the marketing industry to grow. Many Japanese marketers are keen to develop their careers not just domestically, but on a global scale. They want to measure their work against that in similarly advanced countries. It’s not easy to do, given the shortage of access to Japanese-language information on the global business of marketing.

With the launch of Campaign Japan, we hope to help change that. As the only international marketing industry publication to produce original, bilingual content from Tokyo, we aim to support the industry by looking at it in a new light and presenting it to the world.

We are not going to emulate Japan’s existing industry coverage. Our goal is to look at Japan not in isolation, but in a global context. We will bring our own perspective to some of the most interesting aspects of Japanese marketing, while presenting professionals in Japan with the most relevant information and insights from the rest of Asia and the US. We hope to inform, but also inspire new thinking.

As we launch, we find a country in transition. Like many mature economies, Japan still faces its challenges and uncertainties. But the outlook is more positive than it has been for years. Not only are Japanese brands approaching the world with new energy—international brands and service providers are also seeing renewed potential for business in Japan.

The business of marketing is changing too. New channels mean more transparency and measurability. Online video and programmatic technology are going to be major growth areas for some time to come. PR is increasingly able to compete with advertising for the same budgets. Independent agencies and young people have a stronger voice. As big advertising networks diversify their services to include things like product and UX design, so do management consultancies. Marketers can draw on more sources of creative thinking than ever before.

Over the next few weeks, we will explore what it takes to be global; we will hear from industry legends and new players in the creative space; we will examine the rise of data-driven marketing; and we will present contrasting opinions from thought leaders. We hope that whether you read in English or Japanese, you will enjoy what we offer, and look forward to advancing Japan's marketing industry with you.

Illustration credit: Ogilvy & Mather Japan