AFAA

by In Sup Shin

There were two key players: Mr. Toyonobu Domen and Mr. Hideo Yoshida. Mr. Domen was president of Ajinomoto and, concurrently, president of the Japan IAA, and Mr. Yoshida was president of Dentsu and also IAA’s vice president for the Far East.

It was 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 22, 1958, when an opening announcement was made that began a three-day event in International House of Japan in Tokyo. The sponsoring organization was the Japan International Advertising Association, JIAA. And thus the 1st Asian Advertising Conference was launched. The conference was attended by only eight foreign delegates from five countries: Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, and Thailand. In addition, there were some 100 Japanese delegates.

This was 50 years ago. That modest conference became a congress in 1960 and was nicknamed AdAsia in 1984. The 100 or so participants from six countries at the first conference now mushroomed to over 1,000 delegates from some two dozen countries, including participants from other parts of the world. The biennial event became the most significant advertising congress held in the Asia-Pacific region. It also produced a sibling of sorts, AdFest, held annually in Thailand since 1998, which has now become an unmistakable Asian pinnacle of creativity attracting over 4,000 entries each year.

The three-day conference included speeches by Mr. Domen and Mr. Yoshida, along with congratulatory addresses by the Foreign Minister, the Minister of International Trade and Industry, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The European IAA president and vice president also sent their congratulatory messages. In the business session, the five country representatives introduced the current advertising situation in their respective countries. Days two and three included tours of a leading newspaper, a TV station, the Japan Advertising Federation (JAF), and the Dentsu Advertising Awards ceremony, in addition to taking in a traditional Japanese play at Kabukiza.

The address by Mr. Domen, the JIAA president could be called profound in that he foresaw the days when Asia would become an important economic bloc. The following is an excerpt from his opening address:

“In reality the world economy is such that it is divided into different regional blocs in one form or another, each bloc having problems of its own. Consequently, it is necessary to start advertising also on a regional level. In fact, by promoting regional economic developments, we can expect the programs of the entire world...”

As the president of Ajinomoto, the largest food company in Japan and a brand known all over Asia from pre-World War II days, Mr. Domen had the foresight to see what was coming.

As if to echo Mr. Domen’s vision, Mr. Yoshida delivered his epochal speech. To quote:

“Someday in the not-too-distant future, Asia will also confront the day when it must establish a scheme similar to that of Europe. In this event, the role which the Asian advertising industry must fulfill in the healthy and smooth development of an ‘Asian Common Market’ plan will be great and significant. That is why the Japan International Advertising Association is sponsoring this Asian Advertising Conference.”

In the minutes of the business session held on the second day, Mr. Jaini of India moved that a committee be organized for future conferences with the goal of establishing an Asian Advertising Association. The motion was carried. The idea took 20 years to materialize, and the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations, AFAA, was born in 1978.

Subsequently, Dentsu of Japan was given the task of coming up with an appropriate plan. Mr. Yoshida of Dentsu duly reported in his letter of March 25, 1959, that “by careful deliberation on the part of the five-member committee, the conclusion was reached that an advertising congress would be the preferable format to adopt.” In the one-page Draft Bylaw for the Asian Advertising Congress attached to the letter, we find what was foreseen 50 years ago.

More than anybody else, Mr. Yoshida contributed to bringing the Asian Advertising Congress to reality. His contribution extends not only to Dentsu but also to the entire advertising and mass media industry in Japan. Moreover, it was he who pushed for the advancement of Asian advertising. It is not surprising that Mr. Yoshida was given the IAA Man of the Year Award in 1961. While he has published no autobiography, there are seven books that have been written about him!

A quote from the Report of Proceedings best describes the future hopes the organizers of the 1st Asian Advertising Conference had for this event.

It is hoped that April 22, 1958, will someday be a date commemorated throughout Asia, particularly among those people associated with the world of advertising, for it was on this day that the First Asian Advertising Conference was officially opened at 10 a.m.

The Asian Advertising Conference changed its title to Asian Advertising Congress at its next gathering in 1960, which drew 35 overseas delegates from five countries. The number of delegates more than quadrupled, and 17 of them took a trip to Osaka, Japan’s second-largest city, where they took a break to appreciate the ancient cultures of the neighboring cities of Kyoto and Nara. The rest of the Asian Advertising Congress is history.

Mr. Yoshida, the de facto founder of AdAsia, died at the young age of 59 in 1963, but he left an indelible mark on the development of Asian advertising.