旭化成ホームズ | 考えよう。答はある。 | 2011
Quiet, Yet Unwavering Resolve / Asahi Kasei Homes "Let's Think. There's an Answer."
This copy opens with a quiet, measured voice: "I know that if I go further out, I could have a bit more land. But still, I think I'll live in the city." I find myself stopping on these words again and again.
The problem
This is copy written by Takuya Isojima in 2011 for Hebel Haus, which, as a custom home builder, is clearly positioned toward urban living. You can glimpse modern urban issues here—land prices, lot sizes, the shape of the family. It's true that if you go out to the suburbs, you can get more land. But there are reasons to live in the city. The brand's stance comes through clearly in this attitude of trying to find richness within those constraints.
The insight
I think it says "let's think" precisely because "there is a problem." It's a posture that doesn't deny the constraints of city living, but instead tries to find an answer within them. Sometimes this kind of angle gets through to people more than declaring head-on that "the city is the best!" I suspect the mechanism here is that viewers end up reading this not just as a message from one company, but as a kind of cheer for Japan as a nation—and that reading makes it land even harder.
The idea
"Even without spaciousness, there is richness. Even without greenery, the wind still blows. Surely this country has the wisdom, ingenuity, and technology for that." The structure of this body copy is beautiful. It keeps stacking contrasts, yet never gives up hope. And then it closes with "Let's think. There's an answer." Not a command, not a declaration—an invitation. One blogger made a sharp observation: that "Let's think. There's an answer." isn't a voice through a megaphone, but more like words spoken in a whisper, a way of disciplining themselves.
What happened
The TCC Grand Prix that year (2013) went to Mr. Takasaki's "Movies are lies that tell the truth," but even so, I think "Let's think. There's an answer." is an amazing piece of copy. It was also featured in Sendenkaigi magazine and is included in the Tokyo Copywriters Club collection. It's held in high regard within the industry.
Afterthought
It really is "language spoken with a quiet, yet unwavering resolve." Sometimes this way of speaking, this angle, is exactly what gets through. Copy is a promise. I think you can't leave things vague with words like "properly" or "carefully"—you have to make a promise with detailed, precise language. This copy feels like it carries that kind of resolve.
