Headliners: Edelman Japan CEO Campbell Hanley
(MENAFN- PRovoke)
Our Headliners series gets under the skin of PR and communications leaders around the world who have made PRovoke Media headlines recently. The conversation uncovers the risks they have taken in their career, the people, brands and work they admire, their advice for industry newbies, and their guilty pleasures.
This week, Campbell Hanley was appointed CEO and representative director of Edelman Japan, succeeding Meghan Barstow, who will leave the agency on 31 December after 20 years.
Hanley joins from Omnicom Public Relations, Campbell Hanley has been appointed CEO and representative director of Edelman Japan, succeeding Meghan Barstow, who will leave the agency on 31 December after 20 years.
Hanley joins from Omnicom Public Relations, where he served as head of client experience and growth for Asia Pacific. He previously led Weber Shandwick Japan as managing director, helping expand its capabilities beyond traditional PR into digital, creative, influencer marketing, content and integrated communications.
With more than two decades of experience across communications, journalism and agency leadership in Japan, Hanley began his career in the country as a journalist and editor at The Mainichi.
In this edition of PRovoke Media's Headliners, Hanley reflects on the career gamble that brought him to Japan, a creative risk involving a prototype camera and a handcuffed engineer, and why empathy, curiosity and human judgment remain essential to the PR profession.
What's the biggest career risk you've ever taken? How did it work out?
Moving from Australia to Tokyo at 23 with fewer than 10 words of Japanese and nowhere to stay.
Thirty-three years later, I'm still grateful to my younger self for taking that leap. It shaped both my career and my life.
What's the biggest creative risk you've ever taken?
Convincing a Japanese electronics manufacturer to trust a young YouTuber in the US with a prototype 360-degree camera.
One of the client's lead engineers reportedly flew to Los Angeles with the device in a Halliburton case handcuffed to his wrist. Fortunately, he was delighted to discover the creator had studied electrical engineering.
The resulting video was an enormous success and became a watershed moment for the company's PR team, helping shift its thinking beyond traditional media relations and towards creator-led communications.
What do you think are the most important character traits for a great PR person?
Italian novelist Italo Calvino once wrote: "It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear."
That has always resonated with me. Thinking about communications from the audience's perspective is extremely important to me. If I had to distil that into character traits, they would be empathy and curiosity.
More broadly, the best PR professionals I've worked with combine proactivity, indefatigable positivity and a thick skin.
Which company or organisation do you most admire in terms of PR, branding or reputation management?
I love reading the haiku-style PR aphorisms from Crackle's Parry Headrick on LinkedIn. More than once, his simple truths have snapped me out of an indecision loop.
Which individual, in any field, do you think exemplifies outstanding leadership or communication skills?
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe.
He's an exceptional communicator, both internally and externally, and his business results speak for themselves. I've always admired the way he and his team use annual videos and open letters to communicate with clarity, honesty and conviction.
What's the best campaign you've seen recently?
"Norway Makes Sh*thouses Great Again."
It was nimble, funny, visually beautiful and completely on-brand. A great example of how effective newsjacking can be when it's rooted in a genuine brand truth.
Is there an industry trend or discussion you think is over-rated or exaggerated or just plain stupid?
I think we're at risk of treating AI as a substitute for judgment rather than a tool that enhances it.
Some of the industry's conversation has become focused on speed and efficiency without enough emphasis on context, critical thinking and creativity. The real opportunity isn't replacing human expertise; it's amplifying it.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone entering the PR industry today?
Spend time learning how to do the work before asking AI to do it for you.
The more you understand writing, research, storytelling and strategy yourself, the better you'll be at using AI effectively. Context remains the most valuable skill.
What's your guilty pleasure when you need to unwind from the high pressure of PR?
The concept of Ribenji Yofukashi.
It's the Japanese term for the Chinese concept of "revenge bedtime procrastination", when you stay up far too late to reclaim a bit of personal time after spending the day focused on everyone else.
I wish I could say I've conquered the habit.
This week, Campbell Hanley was appointed CEO and representative director of Edelman Japan, succeeding Meghan Barstow, who will leave the agency on 31 December after 20 years.
Hanley joins from Omnicom Public Relations, Campbell Hanley has been appointed CEO and representative director of Edelman Japan, succeeding Meghan Barstow, who will leave the agency on 31 December after 20 years.
Hanley joins from Omnicom Public Relations, where he served as head of client experience and growth for Asia Pacific. He previously led Weber Shandwick Japan as managing director, helping expand its capabilities beyond traditional PR into digital, creative, influencer marketing, content and integrated communications.
With more than two decades of experience across communications, journalism and agency leadership in Japan, Hanley began his career in the country as a journalist and editor at The Mainichi.
In this edition of PRovoke Media's Headliners, Hanley reflects on the career gamble that brought him to Japan, a creative risk involving a prototype camera and a handcuffed engineer, and why empathy, curiosity and human judgment remain essential to the PR profession.
What's the biggest career risk you've ever taken? How did it work out?
Moving from Australia to Tokyo at 23 with fewer than 10 words of Japanese and nowhere to stay.
Thirty-three years later, I'm still grateful to my younger self for taking that leap. It shaped both my career and my life.
What's the biggest creative risk you've ever taken?
Convincing a Japanese electronics manufacturer to trust a young YouTuber in the US with a prototype 360-degree camera.
One of the client's lead engineers reportedly flew to Los Angeles with the device in a Halliburton case handcuffed to his wrist. Fortunately, he was delighted to discover the creator had studied electrical engineering.
The resulting video was an enormous success and became a watershed moment for the company's PR team, helping shift its thinking beyond traditional media relations and towards creator-led communications.
What do you think are the most important character traits for a great PR person?
Italian novelist Italo Calvino once wrote: "It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear."
That has always resonated with me. Thinking about communications from the audience's perspective is extremely important to me. If I had to distil that into character traits, they would be empathy and curiosity.
More broadly, the best PR professionals I've worked with combine proactivity, indefatigable positivity and a thick skin.
Which company or organisation do you most admire in terms of PR, branding or reputation management?
I love reading the haiku-style PR aphorisms from Crackle's Parry Headrick on LinkedIn. More than once, his simple truths have snapped me out of an indecision loop.
Which individual, in any field, do you think exemplifies outstanding leadership or communication skills?
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe.
He's an exceptional communicator, both internally and externally, and his business results speak for themselves. I've always admired the way he and his team use annual videos and open letters to communicate with clarity, honesty and conviction.
What's the best campaign you've seen recently?
"Norway Makes Sh*thouses Great Again."
It was nimble, funny, visually beautiful and completely on-brand. A great example of how effective newsjacking can be when it's rooted in a genuine brand truth.
Is there an industry trend or discussion you think is over-rated or exaggerated or just plain stupid?
I think we're at risk of treating AI as a substitute for judgment rather than a tool that enhances it.
Some of the industry's conversation has become focused on speed and efficiency without enough emphasis on context, critical thinking and creativity. The real opportunity isn't replacing human expertise; it's amplifying it.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone entering the PR industry today?
Spend time learning how to do the work before asking AI to do it for you.
The more you understand writing, research, storytelling and strategy yourself, the better you'll be at using AI effectively. Context remains the most valuable skill.
What's your guilty pleasure when you need to unwind from the high pressure of PR?
The concept of Ribenji Yofukashi.
It's the Japanese term for the Chinese concept of "revenge bedtime procrastination", when you stay up far too late to reclaim a bit of personal time after spending the day focused on everyone else.
I wish I could say I've conquered the habit.
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