Kentaro Kimura joins AdFest 2014 as jury president of direct lotus and promo lotus

One of Japan’s most acclaimed advertising executives, Kentaro Kimura, will head up next year’s AdFest Direct Lotus & Promo Lotus category as its Jury President.

Kimura is Co-CEO & Executive Creative Director at Hakuhodo Kettle Inc. in Tokyo, the agency he founded in 2006 after joining Hakuhodo in 1992. Kimura believes AdFest’s Direct Lotus and Promo Lotus categories are the most dynamic for ideas that move people in a short time, regardless of media.

“The more ways we have to communicate, the more important human nature becomes. What moves people? Why do people take action? It may be an activity for social good, moving content, or a platform for experiences. There are a lot of possibilities for activating people. It is these inventions to move people that make the Direct Lotus and Promo Lotus categories so exciting,” he says.

Kimura says the theme of AdFest 2014, “Co-Create the Future”, gives him a positive, hopeful feeling.

“In the next 10 years, we will face more change than we did in the last 10 years. Our industry will also change a great deal. We communication professionals will be able to do more than ever before. Today, a truly brilliant campaign can cross borders and influence millions of people. We cannot only adapt ourselves to a given future, but also create our own future,” says Kimura.

Hakuhodo Kettle Inc. differentiates from other agencies by creating campaigns that go beyond the bounds of traditional advertising methods. Some of its most famous campaigns include “Memories for the Future” for Google, “Bravia Color Tokyo” and “Recycle Project JEANS” for Sony, “Peace Mirror” for Shiseido, and “Dear Japan, from Phuket”.

Kimura is one of Japan’s most awarded creatives with no less than 100 trophies from the world’s top awards shows, including 2 Grande Lotuses from AdFest.

“Many of the campaigns created by Hakuhodo Kettle Inc. have changed the way people think about advertising. Kimura is a visionary when it comes to using technology to forge new ways of communicating with consumers, making him the perfect choice to lead the Direct Lotus and Promo Lotus jury next year,” says Jimmy Lam, President of AdFest.

AdFest 2014 takes place on 6th – 8th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.

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