Domo Arigato

Last week, Japan commemorated the official end of the Heisei Era, a thirty year period that means Emperor Akhito must step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Do I know what any of that means?

No, I do not.

But I do know the Suntory Beverage Company, makers of Suntory Whiskey (Intensity!!!) as well as Boss Canned Coffee, took the opportunity to do something special. And by special I mean, they created a new commercial, a 2 minute long beauty, featuring Boss Coffee spokesman Tommy Lee Jones.

For the uninitiated, in the long running Boss Coffee series Tommy Lee Jones is a space alien sent to Earth to observe and report back on human behaviors. He's also been given superpowers and intercedes in Japanese life in ways, big and small.

Here for example is Tommy Lee Jones as you've never seen him before:



France, you can keep Jerry Lewis.
If you're looking for comic genius delivered in unexpected and brain-searing ways, I'll take Tommy Lee Jones.

The 15 second spot above is but a small sample of the multi-year campaign that's been running in Japan. And a great example of the kind of work we ought to be doing over here, entertaining, iconic and not just memorable, but unforgettable.

Here's the two minute piece they're talking about at water coolers throughout the Land of the Rising Sun...



What I love most about this wildly popular advertising campaign is what most planners and strategists hate most: It makes no sense. It's patently absurd. It's out there for the sake of being out there.

And so when these pre-presentation questions were asked and you know they were...

Why does he cry?
Why does he catch fish with his mouth?
Why does he have lasers popping out of his eyes?

The creatives can legitimately and forcefully answer:

"Because I fucking said so."

As it should always be.

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Addendum: You don't have to go to Cannes to get inspired. Spend your morning going through the voluminous library of Tommy Lee Jones Boss Coffee spots on Youtube. And when you're done check out the Soft Bank spots as well.