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On January 23, Fuji Television Network, whose commercials have been replaced by “AC Japan” one after another as many as 75 companies have withdrawn their advertisements, decided to cancel the “Fuji Sankei Group Advertising Grand Prix,” a historic commercial contest that had been held 53 times.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