I Told You So…” Following Fuji Television’s Slapstick… The cancellation of a famous advertising award that has continued for more than 50 years.

I told you so ……,” said one of the concerned parties, voicing their dissatisfaction.

On January 23, Fuji Television Network, whose commercials have been replaced by “AC Japan” one after another as many as 75 companies have withdrawn their advertisements, decided to cancel the “Fuji Sankei Group Advertising Grand Prix,” a historic commercial contest that had been held 53 times.

The competition is literally an award given to advertisers who advertise for Fuji Television Network, Bunka Hoso, Nippon Broadcasting System, Sankei Shimbun, Fusosha, and other Fuji Sankei Group companies. The number of entries for newspaper ads is 70 companies. When the awards were held this year, it was the 54th time. The current head of the jury is Ryohei Miyata, 79, a former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and goldsmith.

He said, “Even after the news of Masahiro Nakai’s (52) ’90 million yen trouble’ with a woman came out at the end of last year and drew criticism from Fuji Television, there was no talk of canceling the event. Although the work entry was closed on December 25 of last year, after the news report, many people involved in the project questioned, “Can we really continue? After the news report, many people involved in the project asked, “Will we really be able to continue? The judging for each category, including the Media Mix, Creative, and Public divisions, had already started at the beginning of the year.

However, on January 23, after an extraordinary meeting of Fuji Television’s board of directors and a briefing session for station employees, the cancellation of the awards was notified to all concerned by e-mail or other means. The reason for the cancellation was simply stated as, “As a result of a comprehensive review in response to a series of media reports surrounding Fuji Television,” but no details were apparently given. The slapstick nature of the event has led to complaints from those involved, such as, “I told you so, …….” (An employee of an advertising company)

However, there are those who say that the event should have been continued.

“I think it should have been done because the relationship between Fuji TV and advertisers is currently deteriorating. The judging had already begun, and I think it was necessary in order to improve the relationship, but it is unfortunate” (from a sponsor company).

The top page of the award’s website states, “The Fuji Sankei Group Advertising Grand Prix is a comprehensive advertising competition that has established a firm position in the advertising world. It was customary for the decision on each award to be announced in a special program on Fuji Television, or for a representative of the judging panel to comment on the overall results in the verified program “Weekly Fuji Television Critique.

Last year, Mr. Hisashi Hieda also took the stage.

In the past, there was a special program with Akashiya Sanma (69) as the MC and a popular female announcer from Fuji Television as an assistant. In addition to award-winning commercials, the show featured “interesting commercials” that could only be seen on local stations, as well as “CM beauties. The reason why Sanma still says that he never skips commercials when watching recorded programs is probably because he was carrying the Fuji Sankei Group Grand Prize for a while.

It is also true, however, that in recent years some of the judges have questioned the award’s content. Some of the judges have expressed the view that it was only natural to cancel the award.

There are many commercial contests in Japan and abroad, and most of them are awarded to copywriters, cameramen, designers, and other creators. However, the “Fuji Sankei Group Advertising Grand Prix” has the rare distinction of being awarded to advertisers. The award ceremony is held every April at a first-class hotel banquet hall, and the presenters include Fuji Sankei Group President Hisashi Hieda (87), Fuji Television President Koichi Minato (72), and other group company presidents. The party following the awards ceremony is also a flamboyant affair rarely seen in recent years, with employees of group companies entertaining advertisers.

Many of the judges were concerned about the fact that masterpieces of commercials that have won excellence awards in other contests were not entered in the first place, and wondered if it was a good idea for the awards. However, the management did not care, saying, “It is an award given to advertisers. If the award was given to the creator, I think it should have been given, but considering the flamboyant parties that have been held so far, I think it was unavoidable to cancel it this time. And, after all, since there were companies that withdrew their advertisements, there must have been companies that withdrew their submissions to the same advertising awards. Even if they wanted to continue, they may not have been able to do so.

When we inquired at the Fuji Sankei Group Advertising Grand Prix Office about the reason for the cancellation, we received the following response.

The Advertising Awards Office’s response is at ……

The decision to cancel the awards was made in response to a series of media reports concerning Fuji Television Network.

Were there companies that withdrew their ads from the grand prize? Was this also a factor in the decision to cancel the awards?

“We will refrain from answering in detail,” he said.

Fuji Television held a second press conference. Fuji TV has scheduled a second press conference for January 27, this time with TV cameras, and is expected to place no restrictions on the attendance of media who have applied.

Fuji TV has also decided to refer the investigation to a third-party committee based on the guidelines of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, but the investigation is said to take up to three months. If the company that withholds the ads does not change its decision during that time, there is a possibility that a serious business crisis or bankruptcy will become a reality.

What will become of the relationship between Fuji TV and advertisers in the future?