Meet K&L's president, Shinichi Okazaki, as he looks back on his journey with the company, just in time for its 60th anniversary.
In a candid and insightful conversation, we had the privilege of sitting down with our company president, Shinichi Okazaki, just as K&L celebrates its 60th anniversary. President Okazaki’s time at the company has led him to work and play a leading role in the field of advertising across the globe. His constant enthusiasm for exploring the unfamiliar has steered the company toward remarkable growth and innovation. Here's what he shared with us:
Heading One: Introducing President Okazaki
Could you tell us about your background and journey toward becoming the president of K&L?
Absolutely. My journey at K&L has mainly been focused outside of Japan. I started off in international print media, where English content was translated and dispatched to countries such as France, Italy, and Germany. At the age of 35, placing first in a Southeast Asian marketing campaign contest motivated me to open K&L’s Singapore office — which eventually led to establishing branches in Hong Kong and Shanghai. It was through these valuable experiences that I learned how to find success on a global scale, which ultimately paved the way to becoming the company president.
Heading Two: The Journey to Trust and Innovation
K&L is celebrating its 60th anniversary. What are your thoughts?
60 years is quite remarkable, isn’t it? I believe that K&L has been able to come this far because of its go-getter approach to business and its ability to find importance in each step taken. K&L truly values its growth as a communications agency and the relationships it has fostered. I’m very confident in saying that this attitude will sustain the company for many years to come.
How do you think K&L has maintained its corporate philosophy and relationships?
K&L’s philosophy has always revolved around fostering diversity and inclusion. Whether it's our employees or clients, one way we’ve maintained this is through communicating and connecting without prejudices. Meeting each other eye-to-eye also nurtures creativity and leads to an environment where ideas can flourish.
How has K&L navigated the challenges of the ever-changing advertising industry?
As a company, I think we’ve been able to strike an excellent balance between the business side of advertising and cultivating innovation and creativity. Our dedication to going beyond just selling products has led to gaining and keeping the trust of our clients.
Could you share with us your most memorable project at K&L?
That’s actually a very difficult question, as there have been so many, but the one that stands out in my mind is the ad competition we entered in Southeast Asia which kick-started the opening of our Singapore office. We worked all summer on a promotional campaign for an audio company.
After our presentation, we headed back to Tokyo to wait for the results. This was when fax machines were still around, and I’ll never forget as the machine clicked and printed out an A4-sized sheet of paper announcing that our idea had gone through. Three days later, we were in Singapore, and I ended up being based there for seven years.
Why do you think K&L has been so successful in the global market?
I think that each person at K&L, myself included, has always been curious about connecting and learning more about things outside of their environment. This quality has been a huge contributor to building strong and enduring relationships with our global clientele. We prioritize open communication, adaptability, and cultural sensitivity, enabling us to understand and meet the unique needs of various markets. We try to connect as people first, and this has fostered trust and loyalty with diverse audiences.
Heading Three: K&L’s Vision
What's your vision or the future of K&L?
Our vision is rooted in exploring the unknown. This vision drives our decisions and investments as we move forward. We're fully committed to embracing the trend of global interconnectedness, as it opens doors to innovation, cultural exchange, and meaningful collaborations that will undoubtedly shape our future success. I personally always approach things with a student mentality and am constantly looking for better ways to connect and express. I hope that we can welcome even more people to K&L that hold this same vision.
Creating solutions that inspire and connect
In the advertising industry, digital technology has led to the emergence of innovative services, creatives, and technologies. There is great potential for collaboration with these developments, and I would like to incorporate them into my work.
As value continues to diversify, our agency will need to adapt accordingly as well. I look forward to continuing creating compelling solutions, that break free from stereotypes, that are exciting and inspire and connect to people, while of course also delivering tangible business results.