大日本除虫菊 | ゴキブリと少年 その1／その2／その3 | 2021
How a father teaches his son to tell friends apart / Dainihon Jochugiku "The Cockroach and the Boy"
The son believes the cockroach he's named Charlie is his friend. One day, his father asks him a question amid a swarm of cockroaches: "Can you tell which one is Charlie?" The answer is no, he can't.
The problem
Kincho's radio ads have long been handled by a creative team at Dentsu's Kansai branch, known for their distinctive one-man-show style dramatic scripts.
The insight
The boy's illusion that the cockroach he's named is his "friend" falls apart the moment he realizes he can't tell it apart from the others. This piece portrays that collapse as a rite of passage from father to son. The structure that makes him realize it's not something to feel attached to, but "just a cockroach," becomes the very reason the product needs to exist.
The idea
A three-part radio ad series: Part One, Two, and Three. The son, Elliot, believes the cockroach Charlie is his friend. In Part Three, the father releases a swarm of cockroaches into the room and asks his son if he can tell which one is Charlie. Unable to tell them apart, the boy realizes, "He's not my friend—he's just a cockroach." The ad ends with his family watching him grow up a little.
What happened
Produced in 2021 by Dentsu's Kansai branch and Hits Corporation, the work won an ACC Gold Award in the Radio CM Series category at the 61st ACC CM Festival.
Afterthought
It's an ad for a product that kills cockroaches, yet what it actually portrays is the universal story of growing up by letting go of something precious. While you're still deciding whether to laugh or feel a little sad, it's already made sure you remember the product name. Kincho's radio ads pull this off every single year.
Awards
- ACC Gold 2021
