最近，亞洲知名廣告營銷行業媒體Little Black Book（小黑書） 和麥肯中國雪佛蘭團隊的執行創意總監葉耀鴻（Yaho Yeh）做了一場快問快答。

小黑書的「5 Minutes With」是一個專門圍繞創意人做的訪談欄目，了解他們的成長之路，興趣所在，行業視角……匯聚了各種有趣的答案，給人以啟發。在中國汽車行業發展在全球都舉足輕重的今天，Yaho作為雪佛蘭團隊的ECD，也同時分享了一些他對這個行業的觀察。

以下是原文，作者Laura Swinton

- 引言 -

來自麥肯上海雪佛蘭團隊的執行創意總監聊到了中國的電動汽車革命，上海充滿活力的文化，以及一部日本電視節目如何激勵他進入廣告行業。

The ECD from McCann Shanghai’s Chevrolet Team talks China’s EV revolution, keeping on top of Shanghai’s dynamic culture and how a Japanese TV show inspired him to get into advertising

對于Yaho 來說，創意是一件隨時會發生的事情。小時候，因為父親的不贊同，他會在父親面前隱藏他的天賦，偷偷參加繪畫比賽。幸運的是，他很快就找到了一個將創意天賦轉換為職業的方式—— 一部以廣告公司為背景的日本電視劇迷住了他。

Creativity was always on the cards for Yaho Yeh. As a young child, he would secretly take part in painting competitions. hiding his flair from his disapproving father. But, as luck would have it, he soon came across a way to turn his creative talents into a real career - a Japanese TV series set in an ad agency hooked him in.

如今，他作為麥肯上海的一員，負責雪佛蘭中國的創意業務。他參與了一系列將這個汽車巨頭帶到社交媒體最前沿的創新活動，譬如說一支講述雪佛蘭黑標的文藝科幻大片，和Discovery探索頻道及德爺(Ed Stafford)合作，為中國消費者帶來了一場有趣的雪佛蘭冒險……以及一系列有別于傳統嚴肅汽車廣告的幽默作品。

These days, he drives creative for Chevrolet in China as part of the McCann Shanghai team. He’s been involved in bringing the automotive giant to the forefront of social media as well as a host of inventive campaigns. There’s the artsy sci-fi blockbuster that celebrated Chevrolet’s iconic black ‘bowtie’ emblem, working with Discovery and Ed Stafford to bring a cheeky Chevrolet adventure to Chinese consumers, and ads that brought a sense of humour to the normally straight-faced and serious auto sector.

LBB的Laura Swinton采訪了Yaho，探尋了他的廣告行業經歷，以及正在影響中國廣告業的文化和技術趨勢。

LBB’s Laura Swinton caught up with Yaho Yeh to find out about his journey in adland and cultural and technological trends shaking up China’s advertising industry.

- 正文 -

LBB——回想一下，「創意」在你的童年時代扮演了什么樣的角色？

Looking back, what role did creativity play in your childhood?

雖然我是copy base的創意，但我小時候稍有點繪畫天份，經常代表學校參加各種美術繪畫比賽。小時候父親并不支持我往美術方向發展，所以我常常是自己一個人偷偷地去參加，當時美術比賽總是畫風景、建筑物，反而讓我后來對建筑產生興趣，甚至我曾一度想往建筑去發展。

I am a copy-based creative director. But when I was young, I had a little bit of talent for painting, and I often represented my school in various art painting competitions. My father was not happy to see me put effort in art or painting, so I often went to participate secretly by myself. The theme was always architecture, which even led me to think about having an architecture career.

LBB——最初，是什么契機讓你選擇以廣告為職業？

What was it that first drew you to advertising as a career? 

我進入廣告行業是因為一部日本電視劇。它描寫的是日本百貨商場的廣告宣傳部門職員與電梯服務女郎發生的愛情故事，劇中出現的廣告工作、商品拍攝場景讓我有非常大的興趣。我本科念的是與廣告無關的國際貿易，所以我做了非常多積極的準備，意外的進入日商百貨商場的廣告宣傳部門工作，百貨商場中的廣告工作非常有趣，但日劇中的愛情故事并沒有發生在我身上。

I entered the advertising industry because of a Japanese TV drama, which portrayed the love story between someone working in the advertising division of a Japanese department store, and an elevator service girl. His daily job looked very interesting, and I was fascinated by the product-shooting scenes in the drama.

So, I started to prepare myself to land an advertising job, because my college major was in international trade, which really has very little to do with advertising. Luckily enough, I got the chance to join  the advertising department of a Japanese mall. The job was fun, just like in the TV drama, although the love story didn't happen!

LBB——你的第一份廣告行業工作是什么?那是一種什么樣的經歷?

What was your first job in advertising and what was that experience like?

我的第一份廣告工作是日商百貨商場的廣告宣傳部門，那是一個很特別的工作型態，服務的是商場內食衣住行各種不同品牌，還有情人節、母親節、圣誕節、周年慶等節日策劃活動主題，很多時候必須在商場打烊之后才開始進行，在空無一人的商場內檢視櫥窗、陳列…是我至今很難忘的經驗。

My first job in adland was working with a Japanese mall. It was a very special and unforgettable experience for me. Festival (or holiday) marketing was an important part of our work, as we needed to plan different themes/activities for festivals like Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Christmas etc. We also needed to plan and do marketing for brands across different categories in the mall. Most of the time we could only check and set the windows and exhibitions after the store closed. It felt like we were making magic behind the scenes.

我在臺北聯廣廣告的時候，創意總監對當時還是資深文案的我說過，我的idea與我說話的態度給人一種很誠懇真實的感受，希望我能保持，這句話影響我后來很長一段時間，讓我從真實的洞察與感受去思考。

When I was a senior copywriter at Taipei United Advertising, my creative director once told me to put sincerity into everything that I do. These words influenced me for a long time, and inspired me to always think from true insights and feelings – to be empathetic.

LBB——在你曾參與的作品中，哪一個是你最自豪的，為什么?

Of all the campaigns you’ve worked on throughout your career, which are the really special ones that you are proudest of and why?

可以讓一個品牌改變常規思考，做出一些讓消費者更喜歡的感受，一直是讓我最得意的。在我服務康師傅方便面期間，我用了很大的力氣與溝通，讓客戶不再總是論述食品工藝，開始使用IP、開始拍攝幽默腳本、甚至與夢工廠一起制作動畫廣告，讓康師傅的廣告開始娛樂化，是我很難忘的一段美好時光，這個現象，現在服務的雪佛蘭也正在發生中。

I'm proud of my work if it results in brands changing away from conventional messaging and doing something different, which resonates more with consumers. When I was working on Master Kong instant noodles, I put a huge effort into pushing the brand to switch its story-telling way, from talking about serious food technology, to doing more entertaining stuff, such as shooting a humorous script, or even producing animation commercials with DreamWorks… That's one of my best memories.  I'm lucky that I've also been able to work this way with my current client, Chevrolet, who is thankfully very open to having a different approach. 

LBB——目前你是麥肯中國雪佛蘭團隊的ECD，為什么會是這樣一個有趣且讓人滿意的職位?

These days you’re ECD on Chevrolet - why is this such a creatively interesting and satisfying role?

在廣告social化的過程中，汽車廣告算是比較晚跟上的，至今依然存在很多傳統型態的汽車廣告，開始接手雪佛蘭，我就抱著要改變傳統思維的意志，這一年來幾乎每一個campaign都是帶著social的思考去發動的，很高興雪佛蘭客戶接受了這樣的理念，我們在很短的時間讓雪佛蘭的廣告有了改變，并取得了不錯的成績。

Advertising now is trending more towards social media-first, however, automotive ads tend to lag behind this trend and many auto brands are still using traditional ways to do advertising. When I started to work with Chevrolet, I tried to always think from a social angle for every single Chevrolet campaign. I am very grateful that the client was so supportive and our efforts have paid off  - in the space of just one year, we have witnessed a very positive change on Chevrolet ads' impression and influence on social media.

LBB——中國的汽車行業經歷了怎樣的變化? 如今，消費者在期待什么，他們的品味和需求有變化么?

And how is the automotive sector changing in China? What are consumers looking for and how are their tastes and needs evolving?

中國汽車發展在世界上是現象級的，尤其是電動車的開創，進化步伐非常激進，這也相對帶動了中國汽車廣告的加速發展，但相較與中國汽車工業發展，汽車廣告的原創性仍不夠，相信中國很興奮看到電動車發展全面領先，也會很期待中國電動車品牌廣告在國際上發光。

The development of China's automobile industry is phenomenal, especially the evolution of electric vehicles, which is super exciting, and is also shaping the development of China's automobile advertising. However, compared with the diversified development of the automotive manufacturing industry, car advertising is still too conventional and not innovative enough. Nowadays China's EV industry is leading the world, and we also look forward to seeing a new style of vehicle ads standing out on a global stage. 

LBB——能分享一下你們最近創作的、能真正幫助到品牌的雪佛蘭作品？

What recent Chevrolet campaigns from the team in McCann China really showcase how your team is helping the brand?

2022年我們為雪佛蘭打造了大開腦洞的「一波酷操作」、改變黑色車標認知的「黑標-天生強悍」、探索決勝荒野幕后制作的「硬核背后的硬核」，在許多social平臺上獲得好評，我們讓網絡群眾看雪佛蘭的廣告不像在看廣告，喜歡雪佛蘭這種融入消費者生活的傳播姿態。

In 2022, for Chevrolet, we created several interesting campaigns, using a fresh approach. These included a branding campaign for its "black bowtie emblem”, and a unique BTS ads for Discovery’s ‘First Man Out’show and Ed Stafford. These campaigns received very positive engagements on social media. And I believe that's because we are trying to make advertisements not like ads, and people love Chevrolet's storytelling way which has truly helped the brand earn a meaningful role in consumers' lives.

LBB——你如何看待技術和數據在創意中發揮的作用，尤其是當你從事的是汽車行業的創意?

What are your thoughts on the role that technology and data can play in creativity, especially considering the automotive sector you’re working in?

技術應用與數據所帶來的創造力一直很吸引人，但這是一道非常難的題目，我認為那不只是一個小網站或小程序那樣的東西，應該要會出現全新的服務平臺或新商業模式的規模，有些電動車品牌就運用這些技術打造用戶俱樂部，也許還在能汽車的智能系統上多出一種全新的功能，甚至出現一個全新的交通運行系統也是有可能的。

The creativity brought by technology and data has always been very attractive, but it also brings big challenges. Now we are not just limited to designing a website or a WeChat program, but are looking at new service platforms or new business models. Some electric vehicle brands could use these technologies to build their consumer clubs, and perhaps add new functions to the intelligent system of the car, or even create a brand-new traffic operation system.

LBB——從你第一天入行業至今，你覺得中國廣告的創意方面發展得如何?

How has the creative side of advertising in China evolved since you first entered the industry?

中國網絡應用發展太快了，廣告的型態也跟的很辛苦，所謂的廣告數字化早已過去，現在是social化、平臺化、議題化…每幾個月就可出現新演變，實驗性非常強，中國廣告環境的變化之快，幾乎讓過去許多廣告知識理念都失效。

China's internet develops so fast, bringing huge challenges for advertising. So-called“digital” advertising has become outdated, and now we talk more about  social advertising, platform advertising, or even topical advertising... New items can appear every few months. The rapid evolutions have already invalidated many advertising concepts and knowledge, even from the recent past. 

LBB——你在上海工作，上海是一個充滿活力和文化氣息的城市，對你來說，上海的創意亮點是什么?

You’re based in Shanghai, which is such a vibrant and culturally exciting city - for you, what are the creative highlights of Shanghai?

上海有最多最長的觸角，伸向全世界，每一則流行訊息，每一個當紅話題，上海絕不會錯過，這些資訊流像千百條線索，就看你如何跟你的idea拉上關系，可能必須患上資訊焦慮癥才能搞清楚，上海對創意的亮點應該是：「走在最前面。」

Shanghai is so dynamic and exciting that it can captivate the whole world. They say that those in Shanghai will never miss a new trend, or a hot topic. Creatives have to stay on top of this latest information to inform and create your ideas. You may even have to suffer from information anxiety to figure out that the creative campaign’s highlight should be: "Being at the forefront."

LBB——對于中國以外的讀者，你認為中國的本土產業有哪些特別令人興奮的趨勢和發展?

For readers outside of China, what are some of the trends and developments happening in the industry locally that you find particularly exciting?

中國電動車發展是世界焦點，中國新消費品牌的創新更是令人興奮，過去更好、更小、更大、更輕、更軟…在傳統意義上的進步已經不符合需求，新消費品牌更給了消費者新的生活理念、獨特的品牌態度、迷人的使用經驗、令人向往的信仰…，品牌正在顛覆生活內容，這是強大市場造就的動力，我更認為這是一種無形的人類生活進化。

The development of China's electric vehicles is in the global spotlight, and the innovation of China's new consumer brands is even more exciting. In the past, it was better, smaller, larger, lighter, and softer... Progress in the traditional sense no longer meets the needs of modern society. New consumer brands have also given consumers new life concepts, unique brand attitudes, fascinating brand experiences, and glamorous beliefs... These brands are subverting our ways of living. This is driven by a strong market undoubtedly, and in my opinion, it is also the evolution of humanity.

LBB——在廣告行業之外，我很想知道什么形式的創意能啟發到你? 你有什么愛好或其他興趣能幫助你培養創意么?

Outside of the advertising industry, I’d love to know what forms of creativity inspire you? And do you have any hobbies or other interests that help fuel your creativity?

我很難說出什么「形式」，但我一直很喜歡「非說教式的理念性創意」，理念可以讓人改變觀念行為，但做理念很容易變成說教，能讓我的想像力有激發的可能是一個新消費品牌、一本書的書名，一個突然走紅的團體、一個陌生卻吸引我的IG，要不錯過這些激發的按鈕，就要保持不斷伸出觸角，創意不是深度閱讀的知識，要短平快，去逛、去刷。另外，找一個國外城市走走也會收獲很多。

It is hard for me to say which "form", but I have always liked "non-demonstrative conceptual creativity". Concepts can make people change their perspectives and behaviors, but illustrating concepts can easily become preaching. 

For me, what can stimulate my imagination, could probably be a new consumer brand, the title of a book, a group that suddenly became popular, or an IG that is unfamiliar but attracts me. If you don't want to miss these exciting buttons, you must keep stretching your boundaries. Creativity, for me, is more likely to be inspired by browsing, surfing, rather than in-depth reading. In addition, traveling in a foreign city could also be a good inspiration.

LBB——有沒有什么創意大咖，影響到你的創意之路? 如果有，是誰，如何影響的?

Do you have any creative heroes that have helped shape your own approach to creativity? If so who, and how?

對我來說沒有很具體的一個人，也許可以說是「年輕世代」，在網上、在街上的那些年輕人，他們的行為、穿著、觀念，一直在逼出我的創造力，我很難去克制自己不去了解發現，這種推力對我是一種有樂趣的折磨。

There is no specific hero for me, or maybe the "young generation" as a whole is the hero. Those young people on the internet and on the street, their behavior, clothing, and opinions have been challenging my creativity. It is hard for me to restrain myself from learning and discovering, and I have to say this constant challenge is fun, but also torturous trying to keep up!

LBB——展望2023年，你希望看到這個行業發生什么?

Looking forward to 2023, what would you like to see happening in the industry?

我希望看到更多讓我覺得我想不到的內容，或是讓我嚇一跳的東西。

I'd like to see more content that surprises me, or strikes me as unexpected.

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