McCann Erickson's Shun Matsuzaka takes on new role in Malaysia

McCann Erickson Japan's creative planner Shun Matsuzaka (pictured) has relocated to the agency's Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia office from Tokyo. This is to take on a new role as digital creative director, a move which was confirmed by McCann Worldgroup. This was part of a mobility programme offered by the agency.Matsuzaka is most known for his creation of an artificial intelligence (AI) creative director "AI-CD β". According to his LinkedIn, he was also responsible for areas such as idea generation, digital and communication planning, as well as TVC creative direction for major multinational FMCG brands. He held the role for around four years.He will also lead McCann Next in Kuala Lumpur. McCann Next is an extension of McCANN MILLENNIALS, a group he founded in Japan to empower younger staff in the agency to innovate. The move will also enable him to bolster his knowledge on Muslim Millennials.In March last year, McCann Erickson Japan upped its artificial intelligence game by creating and naming the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) creative director. Named AI-CD β, the AI bot was developed through the “Creative Genome Project”, one of the first projects undertaken by McCANN MILLENNIALS, an innovative taskforce that was launched in September 2015 by members of the agency’s Millennial generation.This led to a creation of an ad for Clorets Mint Tab (Clo-Tab), a tablet-type, mint candy sold by the confectionery-maker Mondelez Japan. AI-CD β was given the task of coming up with creative direction that would communicate the product’s benefit described as “refreshes mouth immediately with one tablet and long-lasting refreshment that lasts for 10 minutes.”