by Rea Gierran
SUBIC – The creative duo from Hakuhodo Kettle and TBWA\Hakuhodo, Takahiro Hosoda and Kazuaki Hashida, didn’t just leave their audience inspired with their “No Way is the New Way” talk. They also sent them into fits of laughter as they explained what a “No Way” idea is and how to present them.
The young creatives from Japan said that there exist two types of ideas: “the Like idea” and “the No Way idea.” Coming up with the Like idea starts with questioning yourself for what is possible for the brand, while the No Way idea begins with questioning what is impossible.
“Like ideas are easy, you’ll just have to find out what’s possible for the brand and what the clients want, while No Way ideas are challenging because you’ll have to turn something a person hates, into something they love,” Hosoda said. They mentioned FOVE’s Eye Play the Piano as an example. The project supports physically-challenged kids to play the piano without having to use their arms. Hakuhodo Kettle was able to turn the young boy’s resentment from playing the piano, into something he now loves and can be proud of.
Hosoda and Hashida acknowledged that getting a yes from clients is difficult using No Way ideas because the latter stems from all the impossible things a brand can do, therefore the duo advsied that when it’s impossible to explain something in a paper, explain it via demonstration.
Hashida shared how he presented his idea behind the Trend Coaster, the world’s first virtual roller coaster simulator based on internet browsing trends. He did a mock up of the project by making Hosoda sit while he fanned and sprayed him with water, much to the audience’s amusement.
When asked what’s Hosoda’s favorite part in coming up with a No Way idea, he said that it’s the crazy stuff he hears from his team. “It takes guts to create and execute a No Way idea, but it also takes that kind of idea to make a difference,” he concluded.
