ソフトバンク | プロポーズ | 2016
The Beauty of Contrast / SoftBank "Proposal"
How do you capture a marriage proposal, one of life's big climactic moments? The chemistry between two distinctive actors, Mikako Ichikawa and Ryo Kase, creates an atmosphere that sticks with you in an odd way.
The problem
This commercial aired as part of the "White Plan" series. Ryo Kase opens with "Will you marry me?" over the phone. A surprised Mikako Ichikawa replies, "Is that really something you say over the phone?" So he comes to her door and says the same words again in person — a two-step setup.
The insight
A proposal is the kind of subject that can easily come across as lovely no matter how you shoot it. But by building in a gap or contrast, you can push it toward something that feels "a little different, and a little more lovely."
The idea
Just film a distinctive, good-looking man and a distinctive, beautiful woman beautifully. It seems that alone had enough strength to carry the whole thing.
What happened
This pairing sparked reports that the two were dating in real life. With the on-screen proposal overlapping with real-world rumors, the ad has long been talked about for its "perfectly in-sync acting."
Afterthought
There isn't much information out there, but I still clearly remember the brilliance of this casting and the mood it created. Maybe that's what it means for an ad to stick in your memory.
