MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Masaya Asai, Chief Creative Officer of Droga5 Tokyo, graced the inaugural ONE Asia x adobo Magazine Masterclass stage on October 14, 2024. Organized by The One Club for Creativity and adobo Magazine, the event was an invaluable opportunity for young creatives in the Philippines to learn from some of the industry’s best in the region, and beyond.
Masaya is a multi-awarded creative leader who has led teams in both Japan and the US. In 2021, he went back to his roots to establish Droga5 Tokyo under the Accenture Song group. In his Masterclass session, entitled “The age of AI… I mean the other AI,” he zoomed in on the integration of technology and creativity in Droga5, and how creatives can navigate it without losing their integrity, authenticity, and sanity amidst increasing industry pressures.
“Part of the DNA in Droga5 is to think about ideas that change people’s lives, and not just a temporary campaign that sells a product,” Masaya started. “Droga5 Tokyo, I’d say, is the most integrated to the Accenture group. And what that means is that [we] have access to the world’s largest tech-powered creative group with all types of technologies: AI, CGI, Digital Twin, etc.”
Use of technology is a vital part of Droga5’s culture, as he shared that it is crucial to cater to their clients’ evolved demands that often revolve around “We must,” “Make more,” “Faster,” and “NOW!” In stressing this point, he shared that 95% of executives say they believe the customers are changing faster than they can change their businesses. Industry demands are simply changing too rapidly for mere human intelligence and capacity to keep up.
To navigate this, Masaya underlined a key reality that creatives must embrace: “Our creativity will never be replaced.” He stressed this by presenting case studies for award-winning campaigns such as “The first digital nation,” and “Adoptable,” both of which utilized technology in different creative ways to amplify their causes.
“This is a great example in the use of technology. But before technology, there has to be an insight and an issue that we’re trying to solve. It’s always idea that comes first, and then you use technology to support your idea,” he said.
“AI creates content, humans create context,” he declared, emphasizing his point that human creativity still reigns supreme amidst all the technological advancements.
And so, Masaya revealed what “the other AI” truly means: Authentic Ideas. “Don’t worry about AI taking your job — your ideas are the real heroes. You unlock the ideas. Technology fuels them.”
Wrapping up, the creative leader shared Droga5’s top principles to inspire the room, as well as the “enemies” to avoid as the industry undergoes transformation.
Principles:
- To make new things, you first have to remake yourself.
- Solve before you sell.
- Be best in class, and create the next in class.
- Creativity needs technology, but technology also needs creativity.
Enemies and how to counter them:
- The “Stowaways” — Do the work, help the work
- The “Zombies” — Blind compliance kills quality
- The “Lemmings” — Consensus does not mean it’s a good idea
- The “Roosters” — The loudest voice isn’t always the expert
Ultimately, while the industry calls for more advanced executions powered by technology, the human touch is still absolutely essential to make any advertising piece work.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of ONE Asia and The One Club for Creativity.
The ONE Asia x adobo magazine Masterclass was made possible by the generous support of sponsors Yellow Brick Road Productions, Soundesign Manila – Audio Production House, and Meta.
Special thanks to our organization partner, Ayala Foundation, Inc., for providing the venue for this event.The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE) awards, ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.
