12 women thriving in APAC: Yuka Tsukada

Yuka Tsukada, creative director, Dentsu | JAPAN

Tell us about your career path and achievements.

After joining Dentsu, I gained experience in graphic design and television commercial planning as a copywriter before being appointed as a creative director in 2006. Since 2014, I have been a member of the Dentsu Communication Design Center’s Creative Direction Department. In addition to mass media, I have often handled creative direction in a wide range of projects involving digital content, events, and public relations, which has allowed me to work with people from various other fields. I have represented Japan as a judge at Cannes Lions, Clio and Spikes Asia. In 2010, I was selected as a Creator of the Year Medalist by the Japan Advertising Agencies Association, which recognises people who have made noteworthy achievements in Japan’s ad industry in each respective year. Actually, I was the first woman from Dentsu to receive that honour.

Who is your role model?

I can’t think of anyone in particular.

Do you think there’s a glass ceiling in advertising in Japan? 

There had not been many opportunities for women to enter the ad industry in Japan until the Equal Employment Opportunity Law went into effect in 1986. That is the biggest reason why there are so few female creative directors today. Many women are being assigned to creative sections nowadays, so I think that the number of female creative directors will steadily grow.

What are the sort of challenges you have faced as a woman in making it to the top of your profession?

Rather than seeing men as competitors, I worked with the view that everyone was part of the same team. I made a point of respecting each individual, who essentially has the same values and sense of purpose regardless of his or her gender, while trying to encourage my colleagues, and, in turn, be motivated by them. A desire to climb to the top was not the reason for doing my job. I just wanted to do good work. I wanted to strive together with people who were motivated by the same thing. If I am a member of a team that does an outstanding job, and I can develop personally, then I am satisfied. My approach has been very simple.

What is your view on the belief that women in advertising do not aspire to have management roles?

To some extent I agree, and to some extent I disagree. If management just means overseeing an organisation, then I think many female creators do not see the attraction in that role. That’s because creative people naturally get excited about realising their own ideas. Nevertheless, depending on the person, there are certainly women who, while considering their age and personal life, want to be involved in supporting younger workers. That kind of role is somewhat like being a matriarch in the company, which is suited for such women in my view. In any case, compared to men, women generally express their feelings more honestly. The quality of the workplace environment is what has a big effect on motivating women. More than income and status, they place importance on a comfortable workplace and meaningful work. Without those aspects, many women will simply quit the company and start up a business or go freelance.

What do you make of the claim that women aren’t as creative as men?

Creativity has a very broad meaning nowadays. I wonder about the context in which such claims were made. In many respects, I believe it is women who excel at being creative. At any rate, the idea of pitting men versus women is meaningless in my view.

What advice would you give to a woman who aspires to be a creative director in Japan?

Generally, my advice is to keep at it. If you just keep working, opportunities will come in time. Along with that, you have to be resilient, because women must always be stronger than men to be able to survive in this industry.