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Hikaru ArimotoHA

Hikaru Arimoto

Senior Digital Strategist | Japan Market Entry

€500/day
Berlin, DE
8-15 years

Average response time: 1 hour

About Hikaru

Japan market entry and campaign management for European brands, and EU campaign execution for Japanese brands. 7 years at Tokyo agencies (NTT ad, Havas Japan, I&S BBDO), now in freelance practice from Berlin. Native Japanese, fluent English.

Selected clients: Pernod Ricard (Chivas Regal, Jameson, Perrier-Jouët, Mumm), PUMA, Swarovski, Evian, LG Electronics, Emirates, Walt Disney Japan, Michelin, Pizza Hut, SC Johnson, NTT docomo, and the Japanese Cabinet Office. Sole or lead digital planner on every account I owned, covering the full arc from audience research and KPI design through media execution, optimization, and reporting. Portfolios up to ¥700M annually.

What I can support you with:
· Japan market entry: positioning, channel strategy, and localization that goes beyond translation
· Japanese localization of global campaigns: copy direction, cultural adaptation, platform norms (LINE, X, Instagram Japan)
· End to end campaign execution and operational ownership
· Cross channel media planning: paid social, programmatic, branded content
· KPI design, tracking setup, brand lift measurement
· Coordination between global HQ and local teams, bilingual JP/EN
· DTC ecommerce promo cycles and retail campaigns
Tools: Google Marketing Platform (DV360, CM360, SA360), Sprinklr, SimilarWeb, brand lift study platforms, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Asana, Notion.

Also working as Art Director, with ADCE Awards 2025 Bronze and recent Berlin agency work at Serviceplan, antoni_, and Ogilvy for Netflix, Mercedes-Benz, BVG, and IKEA. Portfolio at hkrarmt.com.
  • Japanese

    Native or bilingual

  • English

    Fluent

  • German

    Basic

Can work on-site
Berlin (up to 50km)

Experience

  • Freelance
    Marketer | Creative
    January 2022 - Today (4 years and 6 months)
    Selected Clients : JvM Havel, Sheep Sisters, PLUGO (mobility startup), Pernod Ricard, Oeiental

    •Built PLUGO's go-to-market from brand foundation to launch communication — working directly with the founding team
    across UX, comms, and rollout
    •Led digital direction for Pernod Ricard's Perrier-Jouët Japan — continuing the engagement from I&S BBDO days
    •Co-developed Sheep Sisters as country manager for Japan — brand development with founders, Japan market strategy, marketing, and sales
    Brand Strategy Creative Direction Brand content Adobe Photoshop Marketing
  • Serviceplan
    Art Direction Engagement
    July 2025 - September 2025 (2 months)
    Berlin, Germany
    Clients:Netflix, DB, BVG

    •Designed the base logo and illustration direction for Netflix's Kebab campaign — a side initiative within a 360°
    price-positioning campaign; used as the base style for the final produced asset (see portfolio)
    •Pitched storyboard concept for a BVG campaign — selected as first-round direction before creative evolution
    •Developed rough concept ideas and deck pages for Deutsche Bahn — multiple concepts advanced to client presentation
    •Contributed additional Netflix campaign concepts to client presentation decks
    Visual Design Midjourney Adobe Photoshop Brand content
  • antoni_
    Art Direction Engagement
    January 2025 - June 2025 (5 months)
    Berlin, Germany
    Clients:Mercedes-Benz

    •Supported final concept deck and pre-production for the CLA x Gustaf Westman campaign — defining photographer
    selection criteria, props, and mood direction (see portfolio)
    •Adapted the US PowerTrain campaign for the German market across Digital, Social, CTV, and OOH
    •Produced web-ready assets for Mercedes-Benz CLA Germany — asset export and cropping from master shoot material
    •Contributed concept proposals and mood board development for Certified Pre-Owned Cars (European market)
    Art Direction Midjourney Adobe Photoshop Brand content Concept Development

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Education

  • Art Direction Course
    Miami Ad School Europe
    2025
    Art Direction Course
  • B.A. in Business Administration
    Aoyama Gakuin University
    2012
    B.A. in Business Administration

Skill set

Categories