MullenLowe Group Japan launches Tokyo 20XX to help brands develop culture in Tokyo

It builds upon the agency’s existing insight-driven approach, but goes beyond typical agency boundaries in its aim to shed light on the specific concerns, sensitivities and nuances of the city’s various cultural ecosystems and the creators operating within them.

Tokyo 20XX will have three short video documentaries about iconic neighbourhood of Shibuya featuring music artists, a street-level examination of urban sports like skateboarding and a summary of LGBTQ-relevant policy shifts in Shibuya.

“With a number of iconic, marquee events on the near horizon, the coming years are set to provide a catalyst for renewed globalisation efforts and the supercharging of consumer culture in Japan,” said James Hollow, chief executive officer, MullenLowe Group Japan.

“As a city, Tokyo represents a centralised hub from which any cultural paradigm shift will likely originate, and by working together with brands who have a stake in relevant scenes, Tokyo 20XX stands for an approach to culture that puts actual creators and communities front and centre, both within the city and beyond.”

Mike Sunda, who will lead the Tokyo 20XX project, explained that Shibuya was an obvious choice to start the project with because of the significant role that it continues to play in shaping the development of youth and urban culture in Tokyo.

“It’s well known as a hyper-consumerist playground within the wider city, but it’s also an example of an area that — because of its cultural vitality in the local context — also plays a major role in influencing pop culture trends across the world,” said Sunda.

“Brands operating within this space have the opportunity to really impact and catalyse culture at scale.”