Dentsu creative director Toshihiko Tanabe named Creator of the Year for 2018 by the Japan AAA

Dentsu Tokyo’s Toshihiro Tanabe, a Dentsu creative director and television commercial planner, has been named the 2018 Creator of the Year by the Japan Advertising Agencies Association.

The purpose of this annual award, which was established in 1989, is to publicly recognize the most outstanding work produced by a creative professional from any of the Association’s member companies. This was the 30th time that the Creator of the Year award has been presented, and the 28th time that a Dentsu creative has won this award.

Tanabe’s work for Toyota Motor Corporation’s first ever global campaign was judged a success at two of the world’s biggest events, the 2018 Pyeonchang Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games and Super Bowl LII, as was his groundbreaking effort for NTT Docomo, featuring Namie Amuro time-travelling back 25 years to the Shibuya Crossing, captivating the public through a campaign that transcends time and space. These works and others positioned Tanabe as the clear favorite for this year’s Creator of the Year.

In addition to the Creator of the Year Award, Creator of the Year medalist was presented to Koha Tohata, Executive Creative Director, CDC, Dentsu Inc.

Tanabe (pictured above) said, “It is both an honor and a humbling experience to be listed among the great winners of this incredible award. I would like to pay tribute to every single person on my team and to all my incredibly courageous clients who never hesitated to push the boundaries of advertising, no matter how difficult the challenge. I am very lucky to sail on the same boat as you all.”

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