People :
The Waseda Advertising Study Society produced a TV commercial that will be shown at the Cannes International Advertising Festival
Mr Naoto Mito

Naoto Mito, born in 1983 in Hyogo Prefecture. Graduated from Shudo High School. A junior in the School of Political Science and Economics. Studying at Professor Taketoshi Yamamoto’s seminar. The Secretary-General of the club for the study of advertisement. He has also produced a number of promotional films of athletic clubs. The Cannes International Advertising Festival will be held from June 19th to June 25th. You will be able to see the commercial films at the club’s web site URL http://www.waseda-ad.com

"Let's win a prize at Cannes!" In the winter of his freshman year, he was put in charge of the image section and appealed in this way to the 200 members of the club. In the 93 year history of the club, they had never made a commercial that was actually shown on TV. But Mr. Mito said, ”Even if the target seems impossible, we should aim at the Cannes festival rather than something like a national student contest. I thought that the higher the goal we establish, the better work we can do." Many members agreed with the idea and came together for the Cannes. They said, "A down-to-earth dream will spoil our potential."

To apply for the Cannes festival , they had to air the commercial on ground-based broadcasting. After negotiating with over one hundred municipalities all over Japan, they were finally able to secure the cooperation of Kawasaki city. "Regarding what we had to do in order to go to Cannes, the city staff, while sometimes quite strict, treated us very kindly, and I'm really grateful to them”, Mr. Mito said. Setting as their theme the enhancement of the city's image, they moved into action. Aiming at washing away the image of pollution associated with the city and introducing viewers to the city's environmental improvement efforts, the club made four versions of the commercial. One of them features a Tama River so clean that 100 Tamachan (seals) appeared in it.

Mr. Mito was originally interested in making films and creating designs. But his motivation changed from a simple desire for expression to the excitement of dealing with an existing problem. "Now I want to put my skill to work creating advertisements rather than making moving pictures without restriction. The frame of the advertisement makes it so challenging. Within those limits, you can experience the pleasure of solving problems and meeting people's needs." His interests are not limited to advertising, but include product development, consulting, etc. His horizons are still broadening.

"There are still lots of things I want to do. I'd like to influence society by doing things that only a student can do. For example, solving problems such as deterioration of manners in the student lounge and the failure of students to pay attention to the athletic teams are things that we as students can do, and they're really interesting. His abundant ideas and strong powers of persuasion are important factor of his charisma. Many people rally to him. "In the end, what I really want is to enjoy a ‘job well done’ party with my coworkers, he laughs. I guess the reason I keep at it is the desire to feel sense of accomplishment which I haven't yet experienced." I'm sure that the force of his personality will be a source of stimulation and excitement for Waseda again this year.