Welcome to a different particular episode of the Advertising and marketing Vanguard podcast. At the moment, our visitor is Rei Inamoto, founding associate at I&CO, a world innovation agency that helps manufacturers navigate change.
Inamoto has been named amongst Creativity Journal’s annual Creativity 50, in addition to one of many High 25 Most Artistic Folks in Promoting by Forbes. He shares his expertise rising up as an similar twin and the way it formed his inventive profession. He talks about his roles at R/GA and the start of the digital period within the late ‘90s.
He also discusses the role of brand-side marketers in pushing agencies to embrace new technologies and the rise of the creator economy.
Inamoto emphasizes the importance of experimentation and caution when it comes to using artificial intelligence in marketing. He also highlights how brands like Nike and Apple face challenges in maintaining their inspirational creativity.
“Brand-side marketers play a crucial role in driving innovation within agencies,” he says on the podcast. “They are the ones who have a deep understanding of their brand’s aims and may push businesses to suppose exterior the field. By continually difficult businesses to embrace new applied sciences and keep forward of the curve, brand-side entrepreneurs be certain that creativity and innovation stay on the forefront of the trade.”
At I&CO, Inamoto helps purchasers simplify and break new floor. Because the founding associate and head of design, he’s a designer by commerce and a minimalist at coronary heart. Previous to founding his personal firm, Inamoto spent over 11 years at AKQA, a design and advertising company the place he was liable for delivering inventive options for the company’s prime purchasers, together with Audi, Google, Nike, Xbox, and Verizon.
Key takeaways:
07:48 Creativity Meets Expertise: The Epiphany — Inamoto displays on the pivotal moments that formed his inventive profession, starting along with his fascination with the web in faculty throughout the late ‘90s. The instant connection he experienced while live chatting with a friend in Singapore inspired him to explore the intersection of technology and creativity. Frustrated by the limitations of early digital tools, he pursued a double major in fine art and computer science, eventually laying the foundation for his professional journey as a digital designer at R/GA.
14:10 How Nike Pushes Agencies to Adopt New Technologies — Inamoto shares how Nike played a pivotal role in transforming the marketing landscape by pioneering the concept of a digital agency of record, challenging traditional advertising methods. Through collaborations with agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Nike pushed creative boundaries, leading to a new generation of innovative marketing. Their initiatives, such as Nike+FuelBand, Nike+, and Nike ID exemplified their influence in driving the industry forward. Nike’s affect prolonged past their very own model, as they helped redefine what was potential in advertising, making brand-side entrepreneurs key gamers in shaping the way forward for the trade.
