Produced By - Global Virality: How TikTok's Creative Makes Brands Go Viral Around the World | #43: Ronnie Honda

Starting point is 00:00:01 Hello and welcome to Produced Buy. Just quickly before we begin, if we enjoy the show, please consider supporting it by joining our Patreon. You can choose from a list of memberships and we'll receive some exciting rewards. Thank you and back to the episode. Hello Ronnie, thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show.

Starting point is 00:00:23 Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to talk to you. So Ronnie, can you please introduce yourself? Sure, so I'm from Japan. and erased in Khoi to Japan. I moved to New Zealand for a few years during my high school years. And I moved to the UK, lived there for almost eight years. And now I am back in Japan living in Tokyo, working as a creative consultant at TikTok.

Starting point is 00:00:54 That sounds exciting. As I said, never spoken with anyone from there. So let's dive into it. So can we maybe start with your background? How was it growing up in Japan or something about your childhood? Yes, of course. So growing up, I was a very playful and crafty kid. I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends, drawing, crafting something with Play-Doh or papers.

Starting point is 00:01:26 My uncle kind of told me how to draw because he used to be a graphic designer. and in school I was also in the band playing rock music with my bass guitar so both my parents were very supportive of whatever I wanted to do so you were surrounded by art from very young age yeah I was interested in so many so many different things and luckily I had very supportive family and friends so yeah I was wearing so many hats so how how or why did you decide what kind of art specifically to pursue?

Starting point is 00:02:07 My career? Yeah, because as you said, you are a graphic designer, but you played in a band, so why did you decide for this career instead of being a musician or something? Yeah, so up until I was in high school, I literally didn't know what I wanted to do for living, although I was interested in music, drawing, crafting, I was definitely not on the professional level. So I was aware that those jobs won't pay well unless you're exceptionally good.

Starting point is 00:02:41 So I thought to myself, what would be the job that I get to be creative, but also pays well. Yeah, it needs to be smart. Yeah, so many of my friends were kind of going to uni to study business, but I was not sure if that's something I wanted to do. So I was looking into different courses, universities in the UK, and advertising and branding really stood out to me. So that is how I chose my major. And I remember in one of the classes, this lady came to our seminar as a guest speaker. And she was a creative executive from an advertising agency and talked about what she does.

Starting point is 00:03:30 and I was so impressed and that I was like, oh, that's exactly what I want to do. So that's how I ended up being in the out-of-diving industry. But tell us in the first place, why did you go to UK? Why haven't you stayed in Japan? Yeah, so in my high school years, I decided to move to New Zealand. And originally my plan was to study in New Zealand. but then like I said, I was like, oh, you know, maybe I'm interested in doing advertisement and advertising. So I thought to myself that maybe studying advertising in New Zealand is not the best option.

Starting point is 00:04:14 So I was like, I want to put myself in the environment that can offer the best surroundings and opportunities out there. I was like, okay, maybe I can go to the UK, and that's how I ended up being in the UK. And also, how does that happen that you go to study to New Zealand? Is that something that is regular for people from where we come from? Or, you know, I guess it's not usual, so tell us more. Yeah, it's not regular at all. So a lot of Japanese people don't speak English, but, like, I was in a place where, you know, I was lucky enough to have had those English classes since when I was really, really young.

Starting point is 00:05:09 So I kind of picked up English really early on. And I guess my parents were kind of hoping me to kind of go to a Japanese university and etc. I was like, that's a bit normal. That's something that everyone does. But since I was fluent in English already, I was like, oh, maybe I can expand my opportunities. So I decided to look into different places. And back then, going to New Zealand was like really fascinating. It's still a really fascinating place to be in.

Starting point is 00:05:44 But I was really attracted to how vast it is and how nature it is. So I decided to go to New Zealand. And did you go to Auckland or Wellington or? what about in New Zealand? So yeah, I stayed in Queenstown in New Zealand, which is one of the most beautiful places. And yeah, I made so many friends there. I learned so many different things from different cultures, backgrounds. So yeah. I have to ask you, because I'm really curious, Can you compare some things about cultures or the places when it comes to Japan, New Zealand, as well as UK? Because the majority of the people I spoke with or, you know, probably the listeners of the podcast,

Starting point is 00:06:40 they don't have this knowledge or they don't have access to people from there. So it would be great if you could introduce us a bit to the world of either Japan or New Zealand. Yeah, so what I love about the people who, you know, people live in New Zealand is that they're so friendly. If you go to a shop, they touch you with really friendly manner. And also, I was in Queensland and I was in a shared house with people from all over the world as well. But to go to school that I used to go, it was such a long way and it was like kind of really steepy. road as well. So what we used to do is that we used to hitchhike quite a lot to go to school because it was the best way to do it. It was the cheapest way to do it. So yeah, I used to hitchhike a lot.

Starting point is 00:07:35 And when every time I hitchhiked, someone always picks me up and they ask me like where I come from, why I came to New Zealand and stuff like that. And I guess in Japan, if you do the same thing, like you wouldn't get the same response. They wouldn't ask your background or they probably not going to pick you up even. Japanese people are very polite and friendly as well but not as much as people in New Zealand.

Starting point is 00:08:03 In that sense, I guess kind of like how indirect the British people can be is quite similar to what Japanese people are but there are a lot of differences in both cultures. I can go on and on and on. But yeah, so I find those cultural differences

Starting point is 00:08:29 are very fascinating and interesting, and that's something differently that, you know, I'm always intrigued to find out and to talk more. And maybe you mentioned it, but what was the particular reason for choosing New Zealand? Yeah, so New Zealand, I was looking into so many different places and options when I was in Japan. And I'm from a city called Koto, Japan. And Koto is kind of like really, really historical and traditional, but it's kind of like modern at the same time.

Starting point is 00:09:11 There's a lot of like parks and rivers and nature that you can go to. And I was looking into somewhere similar, I guess. I didn't want to go to somewhere that is really, really big and massive because I knew that I was going to be so overwhelmed by it. So I chose New Zealand because it looked really beautiful. and I was so attracted to how beautiful it was. Or it is still. That makes complete sense to me.

Starting point is 00:09:47 From the picture I've got from New Zealand, I've never been there, but what I know, it's just a beautiful place and I'm not surprised. Yeah, it's so beautiful. If you haven't been there yet, you've got to check it out. It's quite stunning. Yeah, and I would regret not asking you. So have you visited the place where the Hobbit and the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings was filmed.

Starting point is 00:10:12 You know what? That's something I really regret not doing it. Really human being, but not far away from where I lived. So I didn't really have a chance to go, but if I had a chance to go back to New Zealand, I would definitely do that. Yeah. Yeah, that's cool. And you said that you met people from other places of the world as well, but whether also people are from Japan or it was literally I don't know Europeans or Americans there were a few people from Japan

Starting point is 00:10:45 but it was mostly Brazilian for some reasons I really don't know why there was Brazilians in New Zealand but I met so many Brazilian people when I was living in New Zealand and they know how to party we don't really have a party house so I heard I guess that's more. Yeah, but I didn't expect Brazilians, but probably a fair point. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:11:14 And for how long did you stay there again? Like a few years, two years. And then you decided to move to London, right? Yeah, decided to move to London after. And what was the reason for London specifically? Yeah, so I was kind of like start to London. to think that what I really want to study at universities. And I, so many of my friends were going to study business, but I was not sure if that's something I wanted to do. So I was looking into different courses, universities in the UK,

Starting point is 00:11:54 not specifically in the UK, but all over different places. But then kind of like media, entertainment, opportunities, I was like, maybe I can go to London. So I started looking into different universities in the UK, specifically, and advertising and branding really stood out to me. So that's how I chose my measure. And how did you actually feel like when you were moving, either for the first time to New Zealand or second time to London?

Starting point is 00:12:29 Because for you, maybe not New Zealand, but London, it's literally across the whole world. So were you excited, were you scared, or what were your feelings like? Yeah, so when I was in high school, I had an opportunity to go to London for like a month, just to experience the culture and the people and the food and everything. So I knew what was London's going to be like. And so, yeah, in that sense, I didn't really have any hesitation in choosing, you know, I want to live in London because I was really familiar with it. So it left a good impression on you? Yeah, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely.

Starting point is 00:13:19 I thought it was really beautiful and I thought it was quite different from Japan. In New Zealand, it's quite different as well. but then you can see kind of like, because it's really nature-oriented place, you can tell that it's different from Japan, but there's not much of a significant difference in terms of how it looks. But when you go to Europe, that's a whole different thing. That's a whole different world. So, yeah, when I went to the UK for the first time, I was like, wow, this is so big and beautiful.

Starting point is 00:13:57 Even I was like, I remember like going to this really dodgy street in like East London. And I was like taking pictures everywhere. Oh, this is so beautiful. But now I think about it. It's not like the place to take photo. Yeah. And did you find, was London as, or can you compare how multicultural is London compared to both New Zealand? in Japan because London is very multicultural, you meet people literally from everywhere.

Starting point is 00:14:33 So what is it when compared to those other places? Yeah, so where I come from and from Japan is relatively small, if you compare it with Tokyo. I never lived in Tokyo before, before started working at TikTok. So I only knew what it was like to live in Kyoto. Kyoto is quite international in the sense that we have those tourists from all over the world coming in every year, every season. But then there's not many people who live there as foreigners. Whereas I guess New Zealand was a little bit more diverse than Kyoto. Kyoto. So I met so many people from different parts of the world. But then coming to London was

Starting point is 00:15:32 like a whole different level, I would say. I was so surprised. I remember someone told me that like about 50 or about 40% of people for living in London come from somewhere else, not from the UK. That would never happen in Japan. I mean, that would be great if that was. the case in Tokyo but yeah yeah so I was really amazed with how diversity it was it is yeah I even remember from my studies that in my course I would say the majority of people were outside of UK and yeah especially outside of London yeah exactly so tell us more about the studies in in London how was it did meet your expectations Yeah, definitely. Although I was really overwhelmed for the last few years, I started living in this student hall with people from the UK, with people from different parts of the world. And I remember that, because I'm a bit of like an introverted person.

Starting point is 00:16:49 So I like to stay at home And then doing so many, you know, doing my hobbies at home and stuff like that But I remember I was really pushing myself to go to different parties, especially when it's a fresher year, you know, people go to parties like every day So I was forcing myself to be one of those like, you know, like people who go out for parties and stuff like but it wasn't really me so he was exhausting i remember but then because i was pushing myself really hard i got to meet so many different people um get to know more about the culture more and stuff like that so it was definitely a cool experience but it was exhausting at the same time

Starting point is 00:17:38 yeah and did you meet any japanese people as well because from my experience i i think as far as i remember i haven't met any maybe Maybe it was just a specific course, so how was it for you? There were two exchange students from Japan, but I think they were there for temporality, plan to go back to Japan after they finish one year of studying in the UK. But as a local student, I don't think I've met any other than me. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:18:14 At least it helped you to kind of fit in better because you couldn't. stay with, you know, with the people from the same background. So I think it helps to socialize more. Yeah, definitely. So when it comes to the course, you studied. Can you introduce the course a bit more? Maybe what projects you were working on, how did you enjoy it? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:18:42 So my measure was advertising, branding and PR. So all different, it's like three different aspects all into one course. Yeah, we learned so many different aspects of digital industry, I would say. For advertising, we learned, you know, coming up with concepts, but also kind of measuring the performance of advertisements and stuff like that, as well as learning about more kind of graphic aspects for branding, from branding classes. We learned how to use Photoshop.

Starting point is 00:19:27 We learned how to kind of like create brand guidelines, set up tone and a manner for a brand, the importance of how, you know, how strong branding can be for many companies. We did a bit of a PR as well. We learned traditional PR and a digital PR. And on the third year of my course, I remember I took one class which was,

Starting point is 00:20:02 I forgot the name of the class, but then it was kind of like a class where he asks you to, encourages you to kind of go for internships so that you can get some experiences before you graduate. Yeah, like a placement. Placement year, yeah. It was like a placement year. But it was kind of like a class.

Starting point is 00:20:27 So it was not the whole year, but it was just one of the classes that we had. And yeah, so to kind of like pass the class, you've got to apply for different internships and get experiences from that. So I remember I, got my internship at this advertising agency based in London, but it's kind of like a Japanese advertising agency,

Starting point is 00:20:57 but they've got like a branch based in London as well. So that's how I got into. No, I was kind of going for it. Yeah. Because I knew that I wouldn't be able to compete with other British students because they were also, you know, trying to apply for different internships at different companies.

Starting point is 00:21:21 So I was like, oh, what's unique about me? Maybe I can speak Japanese. So that's the right approach. I hope to stand out and use your skills against others. Yeah, especially when you don't have any experiences being a university student. You've got to kind of find out what's so unique about you, what you make what you make you different from others so i was like maybe because i'm fluent in

Starting point is 00:21:49 japanese maybe that's something cool so i looked into different japanese advertising agencies based in the uk and then i found one i got an internship there so that's how i got to work in the advertising industry while i was still you know at university and did you enjoy working there was it did you actually get to uh you know work properly or was it more like observing or what was it like? Yeah, so it was kind of like the company is big. It's really famous in Japan, but the office, the London office is quite small. So they only had two people running the whole place.

Starting point is 00:22:32 But it was, yeah, it was amazing to me because if you go to smaller places like that, you get to experience with so many different things. Like they always ask you, they always ask you. they always need some help from someone. So I got to, yeah, be part of so many different things, events, or planning some outdoor advertisement or coming up with the social media content for a brand and stuff like that. So, yeah, it was definitely, definitely a good experience that I had.

Starting point is 00:23:07 And I guess if there are so few people, it helps you to learn more because there are just a few people, they need to do and oversee more things at the same time so you don't specialize which probably helps you to learn more of different things so i would say it's a good benefit definitely yes so then what was the like a final project of your studies um so my dissertation i what did i do i so i created my own brand. I created my own website where I sold sportswear. I did this business. I used this business model called drops shipping, which is I don't, I'm not going to go into too much details, but basically you don't have to have physical products, but you can still sell products. So I spoke with some of some vendors. In China, and they agreed on shipping the products from China to the UK.

Starting point is 00:24:22 So I opened my website with their products. But my intention was not to make money from it, but more to do with me gaining more experiences on how to create a shop from branding perspectives. So I designed the website, I also created brand guidelines. brand guidelines, you know, setting up a logo, setting up tone and voice, setting up with visual, mood boards, kind of like all the essential things that you need to create a brand. So I've created this brand guidelines as well as creating my own website and I put it all together and I submit it as my

Starting point is 00:25:07 dissertation. Yeah, that sounds like exciting project. How was the result? Did they like it? Do you know what? It was amazing because not only this kind of project can showcase the designing skills that I've got, but it can also show the people that, you know, I can create my own business. And I have some business strategies as well as an eye on creatives. So that's one of the things that I think really helped me to get a job after graduating from university. because people kind of saw it and then thought maybe, you know, this guy maybe can make some strategies as well as designing. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:25:55 It sounds to me like a great mix of both that you can share creativity and at the same time learn these business skills. So that in the end, you know, you've got a mix of both and not just one. And when you actually start your career, you can utilize it quite well. So it sounds like a good course. And then what were your plans once you graduate? What did you want to do? Yeah, so I really wanted to stay in the UK because I studied in the UK.

Starting point is 00:26:30 So I kind of wanted to see how far I can go in the UK in terms of my career. So I was trying to look for jobs in the UK. But then it was quite similar to what I've said earlier, but to compete against with local people, you've got to have something that, you know, differentiates from the others. You've got to be special. We've got to have something that British people don't normally have.

Starting point is 00:26:59 That's why I was looking into jobs that specifically require Japanese as well as English. But yet I want it to be something, you know, that's related to kind of what I wanted to do. As I said, one of the classes from university, this lady from an advertising agency came in, and she did a seminar for us. And she's a creative executive at an advertising agency.

Starting point is 00:27:28 And that's exactly what I wanted to do. So not only I was looking for Japanese-speaking roles, but I was also kind of carefully selecting, kind of like to get into that kind of a direction of where I want to be. Yeah, it's really interesting. When you said that this lady made such impression on you, it's interesting how basically one person can influence you.

Starting point is 00:27:56 If, I mean, positively, if they are excited about something, they show you something and it can basically change the direction of your whole career. So it's really interesting. Yeah, definitely it was like a life-changing moment for sure. I wish there were more people like that, you know, because when I compare it to, for example, some tutors at university, when they are a bit, I don't want to say boring, but quite the opposite of what you said, it really makes a difference. And when you meet someone like this, it makes you excited and just a different level, I would say. Do you know what? I completely agree with you on that, because, I mean, the tutors that we had in our classes were amazing. but I was not kind of as impressed as was the lady

Starting point is 00:28:47 but this lady was kind of like a special guest it was like a part of a part of a class where they bring a professional into a class so that students can ask a bunch of questions about what it feels like to be a professional in the creative industry so that's that I remember I was like oh this is the real voice

Starting point is 00:29:10 this is the real opinion this is actually actually what she does, this is what she gets paid for. And I was like, that's what I want to do. I absolutely agree, yeah. If you want to boost your online presents, check out our digital marketing agency called Trailblazed. You can also enroll in a Skillshare course, called the 10 Tips on How to Success in Your Creative Career,

Starting point is 00:29:33 which was inspired by the podcast. Lastly, make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter called Creative Spotlight to stay up to date with the show and more. Links are in the show notes. Thanks. So what were your next steps? Did you then want to move back to Japan or did you start researching jobs? Yeah, so I, you know, I was looking into different job opportunities in the UK and I got to job at a brand called My Protein, if you've ever heard of it. Yeah, of course.

Starting point is 00:30:12 it's oh my god it's awesome because I'm customer I would I think it's a great brand I wouldn't mind working for them so well done it sounds like a good one yeah yeah so I got a job as a brand marketing executive at

Starting point is 00:30:28 my protein and yeah taking care of kind of like marketing campaigns coming up with the social media content as well as executing some events so for specifically for Japanese market because I was looking into some jobs that requires Japanese.

Starting point is 00:30:46 So I found a perfect job for me. This is just a side note and I'm not going to lie, but behind me I've got a protein powder and it's actually my protein. I don't want to show it because there is a mess, but I promise there is one. So it's great coincidence. Yeah, if I was still in a company, maybe I could have given you discount. but unfortunately longer part of the company. And I wonder how did you actually find such opportunity?

Starting point is 00:31:20 Because I would assume that once you finish, it's quite hard to find something without previous experience, not, I don't mean university experience, but experience from other jobs, but you landed a job in such a company. So how did you manage to do that? Definitely. So as soon as I graduated from university, I remember, having a job interview with my routine and applying for social media executive role. They asked me to do some assignments and stuff like that.

Starting point is 00:31:52 I think I believe I was at the final stage of the interview, but I didn't get it back then. I was quite disappointed in that, but I still continue to look into different jobs out there. but then I had limitation in how much time I had left because after graduating from university, if you come from overseas, you only get to stay for like how many months was it? I think it was like a year, but correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not sure anymore.

Starting point is 00:32:30 But so yeah, I had really had to find a job in the UK. Otherwise, I was sent back to, you know, I would have been sent back to Japan. So, yeah, I, I had this job interview. I didn't get it. And then I was still looking into different jobs. And then I think four or five months later, this person, I believe he was a recruiter when my routine came back to me. And he was like, oh, actually, we want you to come back and to do another interview. So I was like, okay, well, that's, that's, that's cool with me. And I went for the interview and they opened this another job role that's

Starting point is 00:33:19 specifically related to marketing for sportswear. And do you remember I was telling you earlier that I, for my dissertation from university, I did this project of creating my. own shop and did the brand guidelines like that and he was a sportswear shop so this guy that I had interviewed with he rejected me once but then he remembered that oh I saw I saw his uni project in the interview and I remember him creating his own shop but specifically for sportswear yeah so that's how he he remembered me and he went as soon as this um job position as a brand marketing executive for

Starting point is 00:34:12 sportswear came up he was like oh he's the one so he called me back in and i had another interview and then finally i got the job yeah it's great it shows not to underestimate the projects you work on during uni because you never know how it can help you in the future definitely And can you introduce perhaps if there was like a specific project or specific campaign that you did in My Protein and say basically take us through the process from, you know, how to you, I don't know how you design it until the final product? Yeah, of course. So MyProtin is a British company, British nutrition company. They sell sportswear as well as protein as it. says on the brand name and we have a global team who are centralized in the UK. So anytime that they come up with a new product launch or etc., it always comes from the UK first. So they wanted to launch this sports new collection of sportswear in Japan as well as the UK.

Starting point is 00:35:30 So we had to come up with this campaign or promotion. And I, because my protein is very kind of like heavily depend. I don't want to say depend, but they actually use a lot of influencers to promote their products. So I wanted to create this opportunity where we invite all these Japanese influencers to the event so that they get to kind of know the product. as well as we get to shoot with content so that we can use later on for paid social or on YouTube or Twitter or any social media platforms that we had for Japan market. So we planned this offline event and where we invited all these Japanese fitness influences to the event. We did a yoga, like yoga class.

Starting point is 00:36:28 We invited a yoga instructor for that event as well. Not only the Japanese influencers got to experience with the new collection of the sports where they wanted to push, but we also managed to kind of acquire content and videos so that we can use for advertisement when we actually push the product or launch the products. That was one of the coolest experiences that I've had because I got to go to Japan for a few weeks and I got to work with so many different influences there at the event as well as local event company and also a creative agency. Well, yeah, it sounds like awesome experience and you get to know these probably famous people,

Starting point is 00:37:20 influencers and work on something to enjoy, so that sounds great. So what after working in My Protein, what were your next steps? So after working at My Protein, I wanted to have experiences with different brands. So I ended up going to a marketing agency, kind of like eCommerce marketing agency based in Manchester. So I started working there and we kind of took care of different brands, different clients, the different projects, and I stayed there for a while. So yeah, that was my second company that I worked for, excluding the internship. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:38:16 So then is there another one or then there is a TikTok? Yeah, so that's TikTok. So MyProtene, Marketing Agency and TikTok. That's my third job. And before we discuss more, your current job, are there any projects that maybe you are proud of or were cool for some reason or you would like to mention and tell us more about? From TikTok?

Starting point is 00:38:43 No, before the TikTok, like from the agency or from the My Protein? Yeah. we did kind of we did kind of like a similar thing as I did for my routine was that we became so one of the one of the clients that we used to work for

Starting point is 00:39:04 they became they were like selling like a CBD oil I'm not sure if you've ever had of it I have I haven't tried what I know what is you haven't tried it Yeah, it's kind of becoming really popular in Japan as well. But we obviously needed more brand awareness or product awareness

Starting point is 00:39:30 because a lot of Japanese people still don't know what CBD oil is. And then I think the client was kind of developing this specifically CBD oil for pets, like for dogs and cats. I didn't think spaghetti. Yeah, interesting. Yeah, a lot of people think it's dangerous, but it's actually not dangerous. It actually makes them quite relaxed. I love like dogs and cats when they're stressed or when they feel sad,

Starting point is 00:40:02 they need kind of like proper treatment to kind of make them relaxed. And CBD oil definitely helps them to kind of feel more relaxed. So we did, so we kind of asked them to. become a sponsor of this kind of like a social event for pets in Japan. And then by becoming a sponsor, you can have a booth at the event where you can sell the products. So we planned this kind of sponsorship and also having a booth at the event so you can physically sell the product at the event was another cool experiences that I had, not as well as well as as you know get to be part of the event management side of a thing but also kind of you know

Starting point is 00:40:56 handling with the sponsorship and also coming up with the marketing executions and etc so yeah it was another exciting project that i got to be part of yeah i'm glad i asked this question because it's sounds really cool and i didn't know this so it's interesting so then uh you started working for TikTok? Was it, you know, again, such a big, well-known and popular brand? Was it something, I don't know, you wanted, or was it coincidence, or how did you end up in such a company? So, yeah, there's this girl that I used to work with at My Brutein. She left the UK. She's also from Japan. She's Japanese. And she left the UK from two years before me. And she started working at TikTok in Japan. She went back to Japan from the UK. And, you know, after my period, I started working at

Starting point is 00:41:56 this marketing agency. But then while I was still working at the marketing agency, this friend works at TikTok, she told me that, okay, there's this exciting opportunity for you, Ronnie, like it would be really perfect for you. So she actually gave me a referral to TikTok Tokyo. and that's how I ended up going to back to Japan and working at TikTok. So you didn't mind moving back or did you have to move back or you wanted? Yeah, good question, interesting question because I had been living in the UK for seven years by then, almost eight years. And I guess I wanted to, because I never really lived. lived in Japan as an adult because I left Japan quite early.

Starting point is 00:42:55 So I wanted to have experiences in Japan. I wanted to experience how it feels like to live as a professional in Tokyo because I've never lived in Tokyo either. So yeah, I thought the opportunity itself was really, really fascinating. That job was specifically what I wanted to do. But at the same time, I wanted to live in Japan and experience a little bit. Yeah. And now from living in Tokyo, what is it like compared to living in Kyoto? Oh, it's different. It's different. The size of it is completely different.

Starting point is 00:43:33 I lived in several places in the UK, Manchester, Birmingham, London. But it's like the differences between Manchester and London. It's the size of it. It's different. Fives of it's different. Can you say at least six? roughly the populations of Tokyo and Kyoto? I honestly I don't know

Starting point is 00:44:00 I would say I got Yeah I agree I would say because I'm sure If I say the number I will check afterwards And I will be like why did you say this? It doesn't make sense But it seems to me like it must be Several times population of London And I feel like London population is crazy

Starting point is 00:44:19 So I cannot imagine what is it like like in Tokyo. Yeah, in Tokyo is insane. On the weekends, you don't want to, you don't want to even think about it. And is it very multicultural and multinational city? I was quite surprised with that, actually. Coming to Japan, because I only lived in Kyoto when I was younger, before I left Japan.

Starting point is 00:44:46 And coming to Japan, I was not expecting to be disinternational. People are from all over the world. Not only within TikTok, but also everywhere else. Like once you go outside, you see foreigners walking by. And there are so many people who live there as well. He lives as well. So, yeah, it's much more international than I thought. And how far is it from there to Kyoto?

Starting point is 00:45:16 It's like two hours and a half on a bullet train. I don't know if you know what a bullet train is. I know it's, I know that it's super modern, fast train that I've never used to in like Europe or UK, such a good one. Yeah, it's like, it's like a train, but when you are in it, like you don't feel like it's moving. Because it's so fast and it's so simple. Yeah, like from the future, isn't it? Like a spaceship. No, it's, I mean, the inside, it's like, it's like, it's like, it.

Starting point is 00:45:53 it's okay it looks like a normal train but yeah like i like the idea every day i like how fast it is and i like how quiet it is yeah so um can you introduce us to the to your role in tictock what is it that you do that yeah so i yeah so my role um so i work as a creative consultant at tictock tokyo and i have two major responsibilities first to get Together with sales team, I provide advertisers, creative consultancy on how they can promote their brands or products on TikTok. So creative direction on their ads on TikTok and what kind of TikTok creators they should be collaborating with through consultation and visualization.

Starting point is 00:46:45 My other responsibility is to hold creative workshops for advertisers. It's kind of like a seminar to educate them on what but TikTok trends are how they can create creative suitable for TikTok. We also try to make it as interactive as possible by bringing TikTok creators for the workshop so that clients can ask them questions and etc. So yeah, that's what I do. Yeah, that sounds cool. And as we discussed before, with the example from university,

Starting point is 00:47:18 that the project was or the course was both business-related and creative. creative related how much is it with your current job when it comes to actually being creative and when it comes to more like administrative and business side it's I would say my job at TikTok is very creative orientated now I'm like to put it simply I'm like an idea generator so I love advertisers come to you and then be like oh, we want to promote this product, but we don't know what to do on TEDxor. Can you give me some examples of videos that we should be creating?

Starting point is 00:48:02 And you've got to be quick. You've got to make it visualization of what kind of storyboards. They should use what kind of creators that they should be collaborating with and stuff like that. I try to come up with as many ideas as possible and present it to the client. If the client likes the idea, they take it. they actually put money on it and run down of a advertisement and that's how my work is. So I would say it's very creative centered.

Starting point is 00:48:33 Yeah, that sounds awesome. So I can imagine one cannot be creative all the time. So what do you do when you don't have any ideas or, you know, when you don't have any creativity? Yeah, really good. Yeah, really good. question. When I feel like I'm, you know, creatively tired if I'm lacking of any inspirations, I try to go for walks and I try to read books and I try to take some time to talk to people.

Starting point is 00:49:13 when you are stuck with coming up with something it's really important to have chats with people or even try to do something that is completely different from what you've been doing, what you've been up to. I think that's where creativity, true creativity comes in is that all the best things come when it's unexpected. So yeah, try to do something different try to talk to people who have different values and opinions.

Starting point is 00:49:47 Collaboration needs everything and that's where their inspirations come from. I think it's great advice because I believe that's something everyone sometimes struggles with and especially I try this podcast to be with people from creative industries. I'm pretty sure that there should be people who will find such advice helpful. Definitely. And again, a similar question to what we had before. Are there any projects worth mentioning? Yeah, really, really cool projects, but I don't know how much details that I'm allowed to share.

Starting point is 00:50:30 Yeah, no, it's understandable, something that you can maybe just give us a kind of a brief overview and don't go into much of details. Yeah, so in my whole career, I've never worked with such. big clients that are global and well known when everyone hears. So there's definitely a lot of pressure but it's also such an amazing experience to be part of it because when the client asks you to come up with ideas for their campaign or for their, you know, videos and you give them, you pitch them and when they take it, when it actually comes out as a campaign and a run, the run runs it as a global campaign it's so amazing to see your idea actually came true and and you know so you can literally see on TikTok when you're scrolling that like people are reacting to

Starting point is 00:51:31 it people think people are commenting on it so yeah it's definitely cool to be um i'm lucky enough to have this job yeah it must be a great feeling i agree and are there Again, maybe you cannot mention, but are there any big names or brands that you worked with? Yeah, so I work with three different categories of industries. I look after car brands, so Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, and etc. and I work with luxury and the beauty clients which are Chanel,

Starting point is 00:52:19 Diorle, Ives and Loren and and yeah and for beauty I work with Lorelle and

Starting point is 00:52:32 Chiseido SK2 and etc and the third exciting brands yeah Yes, it is. It's a low pressure. I'm not going to know. And the last category that I work with are consumer goods and food and beverage.

Starting point is 00:52:54 So McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kicat, Kitt Cat, PNG, and KOW and KFC. So those are the main class. that I look after. Yeah, that sounds awesome, not gonna lie. And how big user of TikTok are you? Because as we know, the app is quite addictive. You start scrolling and you end up being there for hours. So you as someone who's working there, how much do you use it?

Starting point is 00:53:33 Do you know what? It's my job now, so I actually speak too much time on it. good excuse. Yeah, but another source of great inspiration, really, because TikTok is all about, you know, creativity. People post so much, so many different things, so many, sometimes, you know,

Starting point is 00:54:00 something that's so silly can become so big. That's really fascinating. That's so, that's one of the best things about TikTok. So when you're like scrolling it, like you see all this different content and anything can absolutely be the next campaign for my own clients. Or, you know, inspiration for my own client. So I spend too much time on it. And I think it would be a shame not to ask you. So can you share some advice for people who want to start or go viral on TikTok?

Starting point is 00:54:39 Just to give you an idea, I post reels from this podcast on TikTok as well. So maybe what should I do better or focus on to spread the word more? Yeah, so that's what, you know, all the clients want to know usually is that how can we go viral? How can we make popular TikTok videos and etc? That's what clients want to know always. But why I would say is that there's a. data there's a tendency for successful content but you cannot expect what viral videos would be because as I said something so silly can become so big and best things

Starting point is 00:55:29 always come from an unexpected place so you cannot predict what's going to going to go viral next. But then at the same time, what I would say for those people who want to create their own content on TikTok and start something new, is that just don't be afraid of doing something so stupid and just to be yourself because, you know, if nobody says it, then that's it. You just keep it to yourself. If everyone says it, then that's a win. So be yourself and be creative and do something silly, do something stupid.

Starting point is 00:56:12 That's my advice. Yeah, I think it's a good advice. So we have 10 minutes left. What are your plans for the future or, you know, your next goals, ambitions or where do you see yourself in a few years? Yeah, so I am in the really, I'm, I'm. I'm quite lucky to work as a creative consultant as such a big tech company. And to be able to collaborate and work with so many huge brands at this age is really blessing. So for now, I want to build my portfolio as much as possible, get all these experiences,

Starting point is 00:57:00 and launch these big campaigns with the big clients. And maybe, maybe in the future. Maybe I want to I want to maybe build my own creative agency maybe because yeah I'm

Starting point is 00:57:18 you know I'm trying to build my portfolio working with big clients but I'm also fluent in Japanese and English so maybe something that helps kind of like connect between Japan and in Japan and

Starting point is 00:57:35 and English-speaking countries through my creativity. That would be, yeah, that would be my future plan. Yeah, absolutely with what you told us with your experience, credits, clients you worked with. It sounds like you've got all you need to start something like that. No, I don't have money. And speaking of building your portfolio, You've got a website, right?

Starting point is 00:58:08 But tell us where people can follow you or check your work. You know what? I do have my portfolio website, but because I can't really put my client's work on it. Oh, okay. Yeah, there's nothing that is striking that you can say that. But if you can follow my LinkedIn, maybe I post something. stuff there sometimes or if you follow me on my Instagram I post some inspirations that I get from by going for walks or by hanging out with my friends drawing playing the

Starting point is 00:58:51 bass guitar whatever so yeah yep I'll make sure to edit to show notes I was gonna say if they want to check your work maybe follow those companies on TikTok and there is a chance that you worked on on their campaigns definitely different take out all these brands that I mentioned and yeah I went to the idea that I came up with. Also before we finish, what are some pieces of advice that you would share, whether university-related, work-related or anything that is worth sharing? Yeah, I mean, for the longest time, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew I was a creative person, but I think everyone's creative in some sense. But I never believed in myself that, you know, I'm better than someone or I'm exceptionally good at something.

Starting point is 00:59:49 But if you feel like you want to do something creative, just don't be afraid and try to connect with people and try to stick with what you were good at. and try to explore what kind of jobs there are out there because, you know, I did, I was into drawing, I was playing the bass guitar in the band and I was, you know, crafting papers in Play-Doh. I was not, none of it was like, you know, I was on the professional level, but then I ended up doing something that I'm truly passionate now.

Starting point is 01:00:26 And if you have a bit of a creativity in your brain, I'm pretty sure that there are jobs out there that you can be so passionate and interested in. So yeah, try to connect with people, try to get inspirations and try to seek for opportunities out there. Yeah, that sounds great. And to finish it up, is there something that I should have asked you and did not, or something that you would like to share to finish with? Not really, but you know, when I was in the UK

Starting point is 01:01:03 everyone asks me, do you eat sushi every day? But, you know, as a Japanese person, I say no. Okay. And perhaps can I have one more annoying question or to ask you to say something Japanese, something short,

Starting point is 01:01:24 we will not understand, but I just wanted to ask you for that. Sure. Anything? Yeah. I mean, I will not understand. I just want to hear it. Eh, uh,

Starting point is 01:01:42 yeah, I'm so, mecha, I'm gonna get rid so, I'm gonna make, like, I'm gonna make sure.

Starting point is 01:01:49 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Cool. I agree. You know what? Now, I found out that

Starting point is 01:01:59 it will not be fun with subtitles. I shouldn't have out. No, I'm just joking. Thank you for that. Do you want to play a lot? No, yes, yes, please.

Starting point is 01:02:13 What was it? I have no idea. I said I was so starving. Maybe my organ's going to come out from my mouth. But I was at the same time, I was so excited to be here. So I'm really great opportunity that you give with me. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

Starting point is 01:02:34 So we can then wrap it up. Thank you so much, Ronnie. It was a pleasure, not just to speak with someone from, as I said, literally across the whole world, your experience. Really cool to bring over someone from a different area, different industry. And, yeah, just a really cool job working for TikTok. So fingers crossed for our career. And thank you for joining.

Starting point is 01:03:00 Thank you so much for having me. I was having a such a blast here. Thank you so much. Thank you. It was a pleasure and wish you good luck. Thank you for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast app, get in touch to provide your feedback or share any ideas for future guests.

Starting point is 01:03:21 Thank you and see you soon.

Produced By - Global Virality: How TikTok's Creative Makes Brands Go Viral Around the World | #43: Ronnie Honda

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.