Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. was founded in Tokyo in 1930, and dedicated its name to the new generation of Japan. A generation that believed now was the time to change things for the better.

A lot of time has passed since then but the company still sees the world as a work in progress, and that every ‘now’ can set them on the path to something special.

With this in mind, we helped Citizen proudly deliver its first global brand statement. ‘Better Starts Now’ is the simple belief that, it is always possible to make something better – and now is the time to start doing it. The work was launched around the world, including in the new flagship store in Times Square-bringing international credibility to the Japanese watch brand. Forbes described the campaign as ‘The face of modern watch marketing’.

The film was shot by legendary Dutch filmmaker, Johan Kramer, using the correct camera for the year and innovation being portrayed – from historical black and white footage, shot on a 1930’s hand-cranked 35mm camera, to the saturated footage of a 1980’s VHS camera.

We’ve also updated Citizen’s global web presence and created a brand book.

Agency: W+K Tokyo, W+K Amsterdam
My role: Writer
Awards: Epica Bronze