Presented at

1. Knowing What We Know
An Ethnographer Looks at SNA
John McCreery
Sunbelt, March 2012

2. The Goal
• To better understand the relationship between
social network analysis (SNA) and historical
and ethnographic research (HER)

3. A Work in Progress
Archival Credits from the Tokyo Copywriters Club Advertising Copy
Annual (1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006), manually entered
Data into a Filemaker Pro Database
The starting point is a set of six 2-mode multiple edge
affiliation networks that contain a total of 7018 creators
SNA connected by 27, 314 roles to 3,634 award-winning ads, analyzed
using Pajek
Many of the high-centrality creators are authors or frequently
Desk interviewed in a large and active trade press—several hundred
Research pages per month of coverage in monthly magazines, numerous
new books each year, and now Websites and blogs as well.
Interviews with high-centrality creators using results of SNA
Interviews and Desk Research as stimulus material

4. Super Network 81-06
p-Core Distribution
Arithmetic mean: 2.3027
Median: 1.0000
Standard deviation: 3.1723
2.5% Quantile: 1.0000
5.0% Quantile: 1.0000
95.0% Quantile: 7.0000
97.5% Quantile: 10.0000
Vector Values Frequency Freq% CumFreq CumFreq%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( ... 0.000] 28 0.3990 28 0.3990
( 0.000 ... 8.778] 6752 96.2097 6780 96.6087
( 8.778 ... 17.556] 193 2.7501 6973 99.3588
( 17.556 ... 26.333] 33 0.4702 7006 99.8290
( 26.333 ... 35.111] 6 0.0855 7012 99.9145
( 35.111 ... 43.889] 1 0.0142 7013 99.9288
( 43.889 ... 52.667] 1 0.0142 7014 99.9430
( 52.667 ... 61.444] 2 0.0285 7016 99.9715
( 61.444 ... 70.222] 0 0.0000 7016 99.9715
( 70.222 ... 79.000] 2 0.0285 7018 100.0000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 7018 100.0000
Produced by combining six 2-mode networks, simplifying the result, projecting the 1-mode creators network in which line values are the numbers of projects on which
pairs of creators have both worked, and then performing p-Core analysis. (See Appendix 1 for details).

5. The Super Stars (0.064%)
Subnetwork of top 45 vertices. Extracted from partition based on p-Core Vector

6. The Super Super Stars
(But what does HER see?)

7. The Ethnographer’s Eye
(The circles indicate where my eye turns)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato (1948)
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Tada Taku (1963)
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

8. Founders Generation
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Oka Yasumichi (1956) Taku
(1963) Tada Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

9. Akiyama Sho
(Autobiographical Statement Found Online)
• Born in Tokyo in 1936, he graduated from the Rikkyo
University Faculty of Economics in 1958, and joined
the Kodansha advertising department the same year.
He joined Light Publicity Ltd. in 1964, and he is
currently president of that firm. His work involves
advertising production, including both graphic and
film direction, and copywriting. He cherishes the
words of Takashi Nakahata, "The bullet has a beautiful
form because it speeds to its target."

10. The Copywriter Boom
(“Hitmen” as celebrities)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936) (1936)
Light Publicity
Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Taku (1963) Tada
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

11. The Miyazaki Group
(Once they were the brightest stars)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Tada Taku (1963) Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

12. The Sasaki Team
(Dominant in the Late 1990s)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Tada Taku (1963) Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

13. Tugboat
(The Rebel Angels)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Tada Taku (1963) Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

14. Lessons Learned

15. Time Matters
(It Really Does)
• Age Matters
Most super stars have had long successful careers. Except for the occasional supernova—Tada
Taku, who burst on the scene with an unprecedented triple Grand Prix is an example, Itoi
Shigesato was another — it takes time to become a super star.
• Sampling Matters
To appear in our network, our stars’ glory days had to have been within the years our sample
spans (1981-2006). Many historically famous names do not appear because their glory days were
in the 1960s and 70s.

16. Two Surprises

17. Who is this?
(The SNA Surprise)
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947)
Itoi Shigesato
Nakahata
Takahashi (1947)
Maki Jun (1948)
Akiyama Sho (1936)
Light Publicity
Oka Yasumichi (1956)
Tada Taku (1963) Sasaki
Team
Sasaki Hiroshi (1954)
Tugboat
Miyazaki Group
Miyazaki Susumu (1944)
Okada Naoya (1955)
Ohnuki Takuya (1958)
Taniyama Masakazu (1961)

18. What are we not seeing here?
(The HER Surprise)

19. A Special Relationship
Sasaki Hiroshi
Anzai Toshio

20. そうだ京都、いこう
That’s It, Kyoto. Let’s go.
• One of the most successful and longest-running
campaigns in Japan’s advertising history.
• Sasaki and Anzai worked together on this
campaign. Sasaki was younger and a copywriter,
Anzai older and a CM planner.
• Anzai tells me a story about this collaboration...

21. In Conclusion
• SNA makes it possible to focus quickly and precisely on key players in a
network too large to grasp with the naked eye alone.
• SNA can surprise us, identifying key players who were off our radar,
Iwasaki Shunichi (1947), for example.
• Historical and ethnographic research (HER) adds depth to our
understanding of important relationships and reminds us that time matters
when examining archival data.
• HER can also surprise us, by identifying relationships that may not seem so
important in purely SNA terms but may be very important, indeed, in how
the actors we study perceive their networks.*

22. Thank You

23. Appendices

24. Appendix 1
How the Subnetwork was Selected
• Combine six primary networks into one super network
• Simplify super network
• Net>Transform>Remove>Multiple Lines>Single Line
• Project 1-mode creator network
• Net>Transform>2-Mode to 1-Mode>Rows
• p-Core analysis
• Net>Vector>PCore>Max>All
• Extract top p-cores
• Vector>Make Partition>By Intervals>Selected Thresholds>#10
• Operations>Extract from Network>Partition>4-10

25. Appendix 2
p-Core 81-06 (3-*), Top 238
Rank Creator Rank Creator Rank Creator Rank Creator Rank Creator
1 Soe903 51 Ter536 101 Kit214 151 Saw8 201 Ooy1250
2 Nak190 52 Kan821 102 Tsu1919 152 Tan924 202 Hor6938
3 Aki264 53 Yok747 103 Ood1258 153 Tak7009 203 Mae749
4 Hos265 54 Wat1242 104 Azu155 154 Yon37 204 Yas923
5 Yos6391 55 Ish680 105 Izu5654 155 Sai36 205 Tsu1397
6 Yas268 56 Mun763 106 Oka1165 156 Nak593 206 Ino1182
7 Ina8015 57 Abu5717 107 Miy267 157 Kaw3317 207 Kom1289
8 Mun401 58 Mor1489 108 Aso467 158 Ino629 208 Ish370
9 Mak65 59 Miy1417 109 Mae6378 159 Koi6345 209 Sak1848
10 Oku6805 60 Sat1271 110 Shi137 160 Tom392 210 Mar1152
11 Kiz1178 61 Tak3987 111 Yor136 161 Tak1713 211 Fuc3149
12 Tod695 62 Uch7027 112 Aiz134 162 Tam3147 212 Kam1244
13 And297 63 Mur6598 113 Yam129 163 Uts287 213 Iwa1714
14 Nis1181 64 Ima6400 114 Aso6376 164 Sek282 214 Nag1145
15 Asa4361 65 Tsu5836 115 Yam6495 165 Dom2 215 Yan1061
16 Ono79 66 Kur1998 116 Saw123 166 Nun1712 216 Ebi955
17 Sas3 67 Shi5571 117 Kam122 167 Kin481 217 Mat1248
18 Sug6917 68 Yan486 118 Uch7072 168 Yod68 218 Kon1153
19 Has6 69 Hir5682 119 Sek109 169 Tak6878 219 Nak1708
20 Tak1144 70 Kaz1985 120 Ues5603 170 Yag350 220 Har5921
21 Nak1 71 Yon1982 121 Sak1349 171 Kus755 221 Sus5778
22 Tan418 72 Uch1981 122 Fuk240 172 Sat1871 222 Nag658
23 Ito6226 73 Har600 123 Hyo305 173 Sig283 223 Kaj648
24 Iwa101 74 Hir688 124 Tak107 174 Nag88 224 Tom634
25 Sas1520 75 Suz1259 125 Shi935 175 Mat150 225 Wad7
26 Oot558 76 Kad641 126 Kar6970 176 Fuj76 226 Yam6828
27 Hos1888 77 Sai1735 127 Ued85 177 Sei3881 227 Ton2684
28 Fuk7576 78 Sek503 128 Has5607 178 Koj74 228 Mis3679
29 Hay725 79 Nak746 129 Nis1415 179 Nak39 229 Sek3678
30 Oon1719 80 Tor652 130 Shi5569 180 Kim7588 230 Ish2341
31 Miy952 81 Kan3450 131 Nom5568 181 Miu2992 231 Yos1189
32 Oka6907 82 Kai1940 132 Nag5567 182 Kas20 232 Meg6941
33 Ooh5602 83 Uru5732 133 Koj108 183 Yum5726 233 Ui
34 Tsu6310 84 Tak266 134 Nak686 184 Sat3041 234 Sak3030
35 Kas90 85 Fuk6515 135 Kaw304 185 Ish6781 235 Ook2334
36 Ino5617 86 Nak4941 136 Shi6949 186 Shu1257 236 Fuk2135
37 Tai6939 87 Sat261 137 Shi2316 187 Mat1148 237 Hig5566
38 Miz4 88 Tak6396 138 Sug5587 188 Oka5585 238 Sai8003
39 Ish98 89 Oot7867 139 Kaw54 189 Yos313
40 Anz1143 90 Ich674 140 Sak118 190 Kim462
41 Suz1207 91 Tak6990 141 Yan6924 191 Yam2642
42 Tan31 92 Kit1916 142 Jum193 192 Mur2641
43 Tad27 93 Ike444 143 Tak412 193 Saw5
44 Oka258 94 Yan231 144 Nak6594 194 Yok3148
45 Oka362 95 Mor230 145 Mae445 195 Oos113
46 Nak601 96 Mot202 146 Koi5578 196 Oga8143
47 Tan598 97 Kos962 147 Ato51 197 Kan5577
48 Kob7985 98 Ook5611 148 Fuj112 198 Yat590
49 Tak5570 99 Kad1282 149 Ish7872 199 Iku7327
50 Oka1889 100 Suz1281 150 Osa11 200 Yam344