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Nikka Whisky | No Labels | 2025
When Every Label Was Stripped Away, What Remained / Nikka Whisky "No Labels"
They peeled the labels off the bottles. And they peeled the assumptions off people, too. That's the moment whisky became a way of living.
Country
Japan
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PlayStation | Project: MEMORY CARD | 2025
26,000 Memories Became a Song, With YOASOBI / PlayStation "Project: MEMORY CARD"
For PlayStation's 30th anniversary, the star wasn't the brand—it was players' memories. 26,000 submissions became a single song, thanks to YOASOBI.
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Apple | Shot on iPhone | 2025
The Bear That Changed the World in 10 Years / Apple "Shot on iPhone"
"Shot on iPhone" started out as a camera ad for the iPhone 6s and has now run for 10 years, winning the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in 2025. It's a textbook example of a long-running brand campaign.
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HERALBONY | HERALBONY Art Prize | 2025
The world recognized "brilliant disorder" / HERALBONY "HERALBONY Art Prize"
A venture company from Iwate won Gold at Cannes Lions, in the "Glass: The Lion for Change" category. This is the story of HERALBONY, a company that has treated art by artists with intellectual disabilities not as charity, but as business.
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大塚製薬 | THE DAY #C105 | 2025
There Are People Who Get Their Health in Order for Their Fandom / Otsuka Pharmaceutical "THE DAY #C105"
Just hearing the phrase "load-in day" at Comiket makes my heart beat a little faster. This ad captures that day through the lens of health management.
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カネボウ化粧品 | I HOPE.希望の美容液／I HOPE.希望 | 2025
It's a Cosmetics Ad, But It's Not Selling Cosmetics / Kanebo "I HOPE. Hope"
It's a commercial for a serum, but it barely talks about skin at all. This is the 2025 chapter of the "hope" story that KANEBO has been telling for years.
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サントリーホールディングス | 天然水「大自然を味方に」篇 | 2025
It's a water commercial, but you barely see the water / Suntory Natural Water "Making Great Nature Your Ally"
There's a scene where someone opens a bottle cap, but the product packaging stays blurry the whole time. And somehow, nobody minds. All eyes are glued to a small figure running down a mountain trail.
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カップヌードル | ラクサ食べてよ | 2024
Calculating How Far the Original Song Would Reach / Cup Noodle "Try the Laksa"
That buzz cut really caught me off guard. This commercial turns MAISONdes' song "Show Me Your Phone" into a parody, with an illustrated girl getting so hooked on laksa that she turns into a Cup Noodle-shaped buzz-cut man. The gap between that cute art style and what happens is intense!
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カロリーメイト | 光も影も | 2024
Creating Light with an Eraser / CALORIEMATE "Light and Shadow"
The tenth installment in the series, and the first time an art school exam candidate took the lead role. Boys had taken the lead four years running, from '19 to '22, so longtime fans who'd been thinking "maybe it's a girl's turn soon" couldn't help but grin.
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カロリーメイト | 狭い広い世界で | 2024
Watching from the other side of the phone screen, all along / CALORIEMATE "In a World Both Narrow and Wide"
Through the screen of a smartphone, someone had been watching a whole year in the life of a student preparing for exams. The 2019 song "Boku no Koto" gets a new orchestral arrangement, and all three members of Mrs. GREEN APPLE even make cameo appearances.
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earth music&ecology | いいことある服。 | 2024
The Brand That Turned Plain Fabric Into Philosophy Has Become Just Clothes / earth music&ecology "Clothes That Bring Good Things."
To mark its 25th anniversary, earth music&ecology has gone all in on the word "purpose." After spending about a year with everyone involved rethinking what makes the brand "itself," they landed on this film: a woman wakes to her morning alarm, touches her clothes, and finds herself surrounded by flowers and butterflies. Honestly, I have no idea where I'm supposed to feel excited.
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今西数英教室 | 一生忘れない塾。 | 2024
The Strength to Say, Flatly, "The Day It Ends Will Come" / Imanishi Suei Juku "Song Edition"
Every year's ad from this brand is good. But this "Song Edition" is on another level.
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花王 メリット | 家族と愛とメリット | 2024
Flipping a Switch of Kindness / Kao "Family, Love, and Merit"
The concept and art direction here are just incredible. You can really feel a great team meeting a great client. I ended up buying Merit shampoo, hook, line, and sinker.
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富士フイルム | あしたに続く写真 | 2024
The Value of Photos From When It Wasn't So Easy Is Skyrocketing Right Now / Fujifilm "Photos That Carry On to Tomorrow"
Kazu, Furuta, and Tulio each look back at their past while gazing at old photos. Not every meaningful photo needs a dramatic story behind it, but a single picture that captures a true turning point in someone's life carries a weight that words just can't match.
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アクエリアス | NEW YOU キャンペーン 泳げるようになりたい | 2024
What really gets you swimming is everyone cheering you on / Aquarius "NEW YOU Campaign: I Want to Be Able to Swim"
This is a video following a 75-year-old grandmother over 30 days, starting from when she could barely even put her face in the water, as she works toward swimming 25 meters freestyle. It's lovely to see swimmer Kosuke Kitajima coaching her wholeheartedly, showing that age doesn't matter when you want to swim. But what really makes this commercial so moving isn't that part.
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LOEWE | LOEWE x Suna Fujita | 2024
A Kyoto Pottery Studio Rewrote the Definition of Luxury / LOEWE "LOEWE x Suna Fujita"
A husband-and-wife pottery studio in a small town in Kyoto, and LOEWE, the Spanish luxury brand. This pairing won the first-ever Grand Prix in the Luxury & Lifestyle category in Cannes Lions history.
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高橋酒造 | 生きてくだけで冒険だ。 | 2024
Will the Level-Up Music Play in the RPG of Life? / Takahashi Shuzo "Just Living Is an Adventure"
"Just live freely," they say—but nothing is scarier than freedom. A sake maker in Kumamoto addresses this line to young people, and it's an opening that doesn't feel like a typical liquor commercial at all. The idea of comparing life to an RPG never feels cheap—instead, it comes through as hope.
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日本マクドナルド | スマイルあげない | 2024
The Courage to Break the "0 Yen Smile" / McDonald's Japan "I Won't Give You a Smile"
McDonald's broke its own 50-year-old promise of a "0 Yen Smile," all by itself. "I Won't Give You a Smile," sung by ano, was a recruitment campaign on the surface, but underneath it was a declaration of resolve.
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ソニー・ミュージックレーベルズ | 何色でもない花 | 2024
Shivering on the Ice, Believing in Something / Utada Hikaru "A Flower of No Color"
Utada Hikaru dancing in a pure white world was so beautiful it had me within the first 30 seconds.
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朝日放送テレビ | M-1グランプリ2023×日食なつこ「ログマロープ」 | 2024
I Don't Want to Stay Who I Am for One More Second / The Asahi Broadcasting Corporation "M-1 Grand Prix 2023 × Natsuko Nisshoku 'Logma Rope'"
There are manzai comedians who stake their whole lives on four minutes. Playing over the promotional video for M-1 Grand Prix 2023 is Natsuko Nisshoku's "Logma Rope." She couldn't write a song for six months, and this track was born at the end of what felt like hell.
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日本マクドナルド | 特別じゃない、しあわせな時間。 | 2024
No Dialogue, Just 20 Seconds. Here's Why It Won the Grand Prix / McDonald's Japan "Not Special, Just Happy Moments"
No dialogue, 20 seconds long, and just the folk song "Akatonbo" playing. That's all there is to this video—and it's been watched over 100 million times worldwide. Nothing really happens, yet something about it hits you. That's the kind of ad this is.
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日清食品 | カップヌードル 担担 ザクザクコリコリ | 2023
Tantan and Dadan Sound Pretty Close, Right? / Cup Noodle "Tantan Zakuzaku Korikori"
Kinnikun comes bursting out of a swamp shouting "Tantaaan!" In his hands, a giant "Cup Noodle Tantan" — and as he charges forward he thrusts his hips while yelling "Zakuzaku! Korikori!" It's a spot-on parody of a legendary commercial from the 1990s, and people in their forties reacted to it all at once.
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クラシエホームプロダクツ | 日本の四季 | 2023
For 80 Days, a Camera Kept Watching One Cherry Tree / Kracie "Ichikami" "Four Seasons of Japan"
A camera slowly circles a cherry tree as the seasons pass by. There's a commercial that took over 80 days to shoot, all for this one tree. The moment I heard about the plan, I thought, "This is going to be tough" — and I found myself admiring the trust it took to actually pull it off.
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マクドナルド | 家族といっしょに。「約束のハッピーセット」篇 | 2023
The Dad Watching His Son Train Would Probably Buy It Even If He Can't Put His Face in the Water / McDonald's "The Promised Happy Meal"
All I cared about was "what's in the Happy Meal right now," but the opening shot already had me hooked. A 60-second ad where the setting, the cast, and the direction all click together perfectly.
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富士フイルム アスタリフト | 列車のふたり ナノテクノロジー | 2023
The Moment a Story Takes Hold, Aboard a Train / Fujifilm "ASTALIFT"
What happens when you bring a story into a cosmetics commercial? This ad feels like an experiment in just that. Aoi Miyazaki, disguised in a trench coat, sunglasses, and a blonde wig, jumps onto a train. Masaki Okada, claiming he's "come from the future," launches into an endless explanation of nanotechnology. Seiko Matsuda's "Red Sweet Pea" plays in the background, and in an atmosphere that can't quite decide if it's serious or comic, the two set off on a strange journey together.
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東京ガス | 母の推し活 | 2023
A Mom Shines Through Her Fandom, and Gas Barely Gets a Mention / TOKYO GAS "Mom's Fan Life"
There are a few ad series I look forward to every year, wondering "what will they do this time" — and Tokyo Gas's brand ads are one of them. Their "Family Bonds" series, running since 2008, has delivered one gut-punch after another straight to the Japanese heart, starting with the famous "Lunchbox Email" spot. I admire their work. The 2023 entry, "Mom's Fan Life," tells in 90 seconds the story of a mother who falls for a K-pop idol thirty years younger than her and watches her life open up as a result. It became a huge hit, racking up over 5 million views on Twitter within three days. This time, though, I found myself thinking "it's good, but..."
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大塚製薬 | 入学から、この世界だった僕たちへ。 | 2023
No One Was Watching, Behind the Mask / Otsuka Pharmaceutical CALORIEMATE "To Us, For Whom This Has Been the World Since We Entered School."
A track athlete running in a mask, a canoe club member paddling at dusk, a kendo student swinging a sword at home. You can only see half their face, but their eyes alone carry all the intensity.
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ＡCジャパン | 寛容ラップ | 2023
The Invention of a Rap Battle With No Disses / AC Japan "Tolerance Rap"
At a convenience store checkout, an old woman fumbles through her coins. A tough-looking rapper starts stomping his foot. Uh oh, you think, bracing for trouble—then he grabs an ice cream bar like a microphone and starts rapping: "Nobody's mad at you. Take all the time you need." A rap battle with no disses—now that's an invention.
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SOTETSU | A TRAIN OF MEMORIES | 2023
The Craft of Packing 12 Years into a Breathtaking Two Minutes / SOTETSU "A TRAIN OF MEMORIES"
Two minutes, one continuous shot. A story that unfolds entirely inside a train. A father and daughter drift apart and grow close again across 12 years, all while the train car sways around them. That's all it takes to bring you to tears.
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大塚製薬 | スカフィンのうた | 2023
One Second a Day for Four and a Half Months: Carving "the Life of a Bottle" / Otsuka Pharmaceutical "Scuffin's Song"
A returnable bottle's journey, told in paper-cut animation and song. Kaho Nakamura's voice is gentle, Moji Tsuchiya's paper cuts, pieced together one second a day, are so lovable that by the end you kind of want to return a bottle yourself.
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MIXI | 生徒指導篇／闇の神殿篇／保冷剤篇／公園篇／友達の兄篇／起床篇／父篇／年越し篇 | 2023
Eight fragments, each one a child's single moment / MIXI "Mitene" Omnibus Commercial
Just lining up the titles already makes you curious about what this ad could be. What on earth is the "Temple of Darkness" episode? And the "Ice Pack" episode has me curious too.
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大塚製薬 | Midnight Train | 2022
Through the Night, Morning Comes / Calorie Mate "Midnight Train"
A whole year of a student's life flows past the window of a night train. Carrying both the things they gave their all to and the things left unfinished, the train still keeps running toward morning.
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JR東海 | 会うって、特別だったんだ。 | 2022
Thirty-three years later, waving on the same platform again / JR Central "Meeting Someone Turned Out to Be Special."
In 1988, Eri Fukatsu waited on a station platform for her boyfriend. In 2022, she had become a businesswoman taking the bullet train to Osaka on a work trip. JR Central quietly captured these 33 years of change in just 60 seconds.
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キングソフト | WPS Cloud「働き方を自由にする」篇 | 2022
A Cool Detachment Only Hidetoshi Nishijima Can Pull Off / Kingsoft WPS Cloud "Freeing Up the Way We Work"
A man with two faces: special agent and office worker. While carrying out a mission to rescue a hostage from a burning, collapsing building, he gets a call from a coworker at his IT company, and right there on the spot he finishes editing a document using WPS Cloud. The sheer amount packed into 30 seconds is incredible.
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一般社団法人ABJ | STOP! 海賊版「ありがとう、君の漫画愛。」 | 2022
From director Kodama to Vaundy: how skipping the ad agency opened a door / ABJ "Thank You for Loving Manga"
I cried so hard it hurt. That was my first reaction, and it still is.
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森ビル | DESIGNING TOKYO | 2022
Traveling 58 years in two minutes, from 1956 to 2014 / Mori Building "DESIGNING TOKYO"
In two minutes and five seconds, it travels back through 58 years. From Nishi-Shimbashi in 1956 to Toranomon Hills in 2014, six Mori Building projects are stitched together as if in a single continuous shot. Sayoko Yamaguchi, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takashi Murakami all drift onto the screen looking just as they did at the time. At some point you stop caring whether it's CG or real footage.
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奇譚クラブ | カプセルトイの歴史 | 2022
It's All Lies / Kitan Club "The History of Capsule Toys"
A caption reading "Provided by the National Broadcasting Network" opens the video. Ancient times when capsule toys were sacred rituals, modern times when they were weapons, and a future where they rule humanity with a will of their own. A three-part series running over 15 minutes, and every bit of it is a lie.
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エフエム群馬 | 思い出話キヌヨさん | 2022
Kinuyo's Voice Came Back to the Radio / FM Gunma "Reminiscing with Kinuyo"
The moment I saw the title "Reminiscing with Kinuyo," I felt something nostalgic and warm. How did a local radio station turn "reminiscing" into an ad? Winning the GRAND PRIX means something must have really clicked.
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サントリーホールディングス | BOSS|ゴジラ『青き日の衝撃』篇 | 2022
To knock down Godzilla with real hands, they set up 2,500 dominoes / BOSS "Godzilla: The Shock of a Blue Day"
Using about 2,500 dominoes, this ad tells the whole story behind the birth of the monster movie "Godzilla." Before any explanation, just watch the dominoes fall.
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パナソニック | Make New | 2022
Flip It Upside Down, and See the World Anew / Panasonic "Make New"
When a girl touches a piece of fabric, a cold, lifeless blue world instantly transforms into one overflowing with green. This reversal was actually filmed by flipping the entire set and everyone in it completely upside down.
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眞露 | 恋スル！チャミスル シーズン1／恋するチャミスル シーズン2 | 2022
Six and a Half Minutes of Nonstop "So Relatable!" Moments / Jinro "Falling for Chamisul"
A forbidden romance across class lines, amnesia, a rich young heir, the fiancée of a company president's daughter—this ad packs in every K-drama plot twist you've ever seen, and I couldn't stop watching all six and a half minutes of it.
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マクドナルド | 家族といっしょに。「僕がここにいる理由」 | 2021
Nothing beats a memory / McDonald's "The Reason I'm Here"
7/20/1971. The day Japan's first McDonald's opened in Ginza. In 2021, it turned 50. This commercial wraps up those 50 years into a single story. Miyako Miyazaki plays two roles: "a junior high school girl on a date at McDonald's 50 years ago" and "the same woman today, eating a Big Mac with her grandchild." A 62-year-old playing a junior high schooler. Just that alone is enough to make you tear up.
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ポカリスエット | でも君が見えた | 2021
CG? Not CG? Who cares either way / POCARI SWEAT "But I Saw You"
A clever debate over "Is it CG or not?" matters a hundred million times less than that first "whoa" the moment you watch it.
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大塚製薬 | カロリーメイト 見えないもの篇 | 2021
A year spent fighting something invisible was also a year held up by something invisible / Otsuka Pharmaceutical CALORIEMATE "Invisible Things"
2020 was a year when everyone fought an invisible virus. And CALORIEMATE still delivered its usual commercial to that year's students taking entrance exams. But things didn't go as usual. Remote classes, disinfectant, acrylic partitions, cancelled competitions. The moment Naotaro Moriyama's "Sakura" started playing, the tears wouldn't stop.
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HARIBO | キッズボイス 相撲 | 2021
Sumo Wrestlers Saying "Squishy-Squishy" Are Almost Too Cute for Their Own Good / HARIBO "Kids' Voices: Sumo"
A hulking sumo wrestler in a yukata says things like "Squishy-squishy~" and "It's so juicy." But the voice is a child's. For three seconds you're confused, and the next second you're already grinning.
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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.
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東京ガス | がんばれ私たち | 2020
Why Did They Turn It Into a Song? / Tokyo Gas "Ganbare Watashitachi"
In November 2020 (11/2020), right in the middle of the pandemic, Tokyo Gas aired this commercial. A 25-year-old woman chasing her dream of becoming an actress lives through days that don't go the way she wants, all set to a song sung by actress Shizuka Ishibashi herself. Her father shows up in his little truck, her grandmother cheers her on through a smartphone screen, and that's when I gave up fighting the tears.
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東京ガス | 家族の絆 おばあちゃんの料理 | 2020
The Small Thorn Everyone Carries in Their Heart / Tokyo Gas "Family Bonds: Grandma's Cooking"
Everyone has some small regret. A word you blurted out back then. A line you can never take back. Sometimes that kind of thorn stays stuck in your heart for years without you ever pulling it out. This commercial carefully draws out that exact kind of pain over 90 seconds. By the end, you'll want to cry, and you'll want to go see someone.