40 Under 40 2024: Ryota Haraguchi, TBWA Hakuhodo

Ryota Haraguchi

Creative director
TBWA Hakuhodo
Japan 

It was a single campaign that catapulted Ryota Haraguchi to fame. While he was already an accomplished creative prior, the McDonald’s ‘No Smiles’ recruitment campaign that he led was his Espresso. The campaign won a Gold Lion at Cannes, the only Japanese and McDonald’s campaign that picked up a Gold this year. It also snagged a Grand Prix at the New York Festivals.

Not only did TBWA Hakuhodo gain recognition for the Lion, McDonald’s recorded the most successful recruitment in its history. Through a catchy song in collaboration with Japanese musician Ano, the campaign gained over 36 million views on TikTok and led to a whopping 100,000 hires, particularly among the Gen Z group. 

Haraguchi cut his teeth in account servicing and media planning before transitioning to creative; this allowed him to cultivate a 360-degree mindset. This unique thinking even led to a Silver Lion in 2017 for Adidas’ Japan’s ‘Green Light Run’. The campaign used traffic signal cycle data to allow Tokyo’s runners to run a full marathon without having to stop for red lights. 

Haraguchi’s dynamism was also demonstrated through his work for the Finnish food-delivery service Wolt, which had just entered the Japanese market. Through a warm, human-led campaign, the brand secured top market share in major urban areas and achieved a recognition score of over 80%.

As a single parent to a five-year-old daughter, Haraguchi understands the demands of straddling between childcare and a career. Using his personal challenges as a motivator, he developed an efficient workflow system to allow for flexible work and more time with his family—even during chaotic periods of last-minute editing and shooting. And while Japan’s national ratio of women to men in creative roles is alarmingly low, Haraguchi ensures that his teams are consistently 50/50 across all projects. 

In 2023, Haraguchi was among 12 elite creators across Japan who were selected as medallists for the JAAA Creator of the Year, enabling him to travel across the country to nurture young talent. Because of his stellar work with McDonald’s, he’s also been appointed as a lecturer for internal seminars attended by marketing personnel at the fast-food giant. Ultimately, he’s a creative who believes that corporate profit and social benefits are not mutually exclusive.