Time & Co., which operates the knowledge content brand 'LongBlack', announced that it successfully concluded the 'LongBlack Story Conference 2025' held at the COEX Auditorium in Seoul on April 29th and 30th. At this event, attended by approximately 2,000 paying attendees over the two days, a total of 20 speakers took the stage on the topic of 'Irreplaceability'.
The Long Black Story Conference, now in its second year, brings together storytellers from across the lifestyle industry to share their experiences and insights.
Speakers at this event included First Man Studio CEO Kim Ji-yeon, who produced 'Squid Game'; entertainment PD Na Young-seok; Uniqlo Global Creative Director Kinoshita Takahiro; Tous Les Jours CMO Lim Hye-soon; Japan's Tsutaya Books (CCC) CEO Yasunori Takahashi; Hyundai Motor Group Brand Marketing Headquarters Director Ji Sung-won; and London brand agency Accept&Proceed CEO David Johnston.
The conference featured in-depth discussions about the capabilities that people need to have in the AI era.
Kim Ji-yeon, the CEO of Firstman Studio, the creator of Squid Game, said, “What we need in the AI era is the power of observation.” She revealed that she usually carefully observes news comments to read the thirst of the times, and said, “No matter how much technology develops, people are more interested in people’s stories,” and “Drawing persuasive characters through detailed descriptions is the condition for a powerful story.”
Takahiro Kinoshita, Global Creative Director of Fast Retailing (Uniqlo) Group, emphasized that “AI can be considered an accumulation of the past, but ultimately, it is people who must draw the future.” He introduced content with strong creators’ individuality and said, “In the AI era, the key will be who can tell ‘their true story.’”
On the second day, Yasunori Takahashi, CEO of CCC, who was the speaker, introduced the renewal project of Shibuya Tsutaya Bookstore and emphasized the importance of challenge. He said, “We boldly set the theme of the renewal as ‘what we like’ and it received a great response,” and “As a result of the challenge, the number of visitors to Shibuya Tsutaya more than doubled.”
Ji Sung-won, head of the brand marketing division of Hyundai Motor Group, introduced how to use heritage to tell irreplaceable stories. In particular, he looked back on the campaign that highlighted Hyundai Motor Company’s first unique model, the ‘Pony’, and suggested the keyword ‘old future’. “The secret to being unique lies in the past, and when you are most unique, you can be the most unique in global competition.”
Outside the lecture hall that day, five brands including Tous Les Jours, Persis, Isoi, Teaference, and Nupeep also provided various audience experiences.
A Time & Co. official said, “The most notable business leaders from Korea, Japan, and London shared their deep insights, which resulted in high audience satisfaction,” and added, “We plan to create diverse forms of content beyond digital subscription services to provide inspiration.”
Meanwhile, the stories shared at the two-day conference will be summarized and introduced on the Long Black website on the 10th and 11th.
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