Method

storytelling

179 articles

Advertising Is for People / L'ORÉAL PARIS "THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT"
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L’OREAL | THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT | 2025

Advertising Is for People / L'ORÉAL PARIS "THE FINAL COPY OF ILON SPECHT"

A 17-minute documentary that changes a life. Or, to be precise, it's an experience of watching a life that already *was* changed, forever. In 1971, a 23-year-old copywriter wrote four words that are still used around the world more than 50 years later. A film recording the words she spoke at the very end of her life just won the Grand Prix in the Film category at Cannes Lions 2025. This is a story about advertising. And it isn't. It's a story about a human being.

What really gets you swimming is everyone cheering you on / Aquarius "NEW YOU Campaign: I Want to Be Able to Swim"
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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.

The Moment a Story Takes Hold, Aboard a Train / Fujifilm "ASTALIFT"
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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.

A Mom Shines Through Her Fandom, and Gas Barely Gets a Mention / TOKYO GAS "Mom's Fan Life"
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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..."

Traveling 58 years in two minutes, from 1956 to 2014 / Mori Building "DESIGNING TOKYO"
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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.

Nothing beats a memory / McDonald's "The Reason I'm Here"
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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.