I’ve been a “digital guy” for pretty much the entirety of my career, and have had a unique opportunity to live, work and grow along with the industry and it’s numerous communication “revolutions” – search engines, emarketing, ecommerce, personalisation, web 2.0, social media and mobile platforms – both here in Japan, and abroad. There was a time when a lot of what was happening in the digital space was confined to a few specialists, often working in silos, speaking in a language that confounded marketers and traditional media specialists. How times have changed.

Digital media itself has gone from a medium that was standalone and specialist to the core of integrated marketing campaigns; digital also sits at the heart of expressing the true brand essence through it’s unique ability to enrich through experience. It has allowed brands to do things they never have before – whether it be reaching out to groups they’ve never had a chance to interact with, or by deepening the conversation with their loyal users to the point where they can build brands together with them.

The reason I joined, and the big advantage that Euro RSCG has in this market is precisely this thinking: digital has never ever been a different silo nor an afterthought – it’s at the core of what we do. And though my mandate personally is to help oversee and channel all of this, working with an agency that has people who can dream and strategize across the board in all media certainly makes my life easier, and our clients happier.