TBWA\HAKUHODO Appoints Kyoko Yonezawa as Head of Innovation

TBWA\HAKUHODO announced today Kyoko Yonezawa joins the agency as head of innovation, a newly created role designed to deepen the innovative brand experience offering across the agency. Kyoko will be responsible for building on the agency’s existing foundation, fast tracking and scaling current capabilities, while developing and executing the agency’s plans to build new offerings with the objective of driving growth for both agency and clients. Kyoko joins from Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo where she was Creative Tech Director.

Said Takahiro Hosoda, chief creative officer, TBWA\HAKUHODO: “Technology has become our world. We work, live and play in an era where we’re constantly connected to our devices, elevating the possibilities for brands to create and engage on a deeper personal level with their audiences.

“While these devices, such as our smartphones and smartwatches, and the increasingly prevalent smart infrastructure of cars, homes, and cities, challenge us as creatives to push into new spaces, they also allow us to create a more engaging, dynamic and purposeful experience for customers. We’re thrilled Kyoko is joining us on this journey to continue creating ongoing value for our clients.”

As an agency, TBWA\HAKUHODO has a history of delivering innovative, purposeful campaigns through creative versatility, storytelling, innovative design and by challenging themselves to deliver category disruptive communications across the entire customer journey, the recent partnership with Koushi Chemical Industries to develop the Shellmet, and AIG’s Pride Jersey are just two examples of disrupting the category conventions through innovative brand solutions.

Said Chris Iki, chief operating officer, TBWA\HAKUHODO: “Innovative brand experiences have become a priority within the marketing strategy, and as creative marketers, it’s vitally important we provide a cohesive lens with which to affect disruptive growth. As such Koyko will work across the entire agency, to achieve greater creative synergy.” 

After graduating from the University of Tokyo with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science, Kyoko joined Dentsu, later joining space startup ispace as a secondee from Dentsu. In 2020, she joined Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo as a Creative Tech Director. 

Kyoko has been awarded at Cannes Lions Grand Prix, D&AD Black Pencil, and other world's prestigious awards, and has served as a judge for Japan and international advertising awards, attracting attention as an innovation leader in the advertising industry in Japan.

Commenting on this appointment Kyoko said: “In this age of unpredictable events, innovative solutions that are loved by people, add value, and take root in society are the keys to creating a bond between brands and the audience. In this exciting time, I am thrilled  to create new value that the world has never seen together with the team at TBWA\HAKUHODO based on the method of Disruption®︎.”