Jean Lin × Yasuharu Sasaki (Part 1): Providing More Than Advertising The Role of Digital Agencies

In a society where digitalization and globalization accelerate ever faster, what should creativity that brings innovation to clients look like? Gene Lin, Global CEO of Isobar—a pioneer in the digital creative world—and Yasuharu Sasaki of Dentsu CDC discussed the essence of creativity in this "borderless era." We present this conversation in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2.

The secret to leading global staff lies not in management, but in how to guide them

Sasaki: First, I'd like to ask about Isobar. Many people see Isobar as a digital agency, but I believe it's more than just that. How would you describe Isobar?

Gene: I'd describe it as a borderless agency passionate about solving the most complex and difficult challenges clients face in the digital age through creativity.

Sasaki: That succinct phrase you just shared is incredibly important. Some of our clients' representatives think our work is just about creating ads or websites, but both Dentsu Inc. CDC and Isobar provide something beyond advertising—we identify the challenges clients face and solve them.

Gene: Digital advertising is just a small part of what we do.

Sasaki: Isobar also has a diverse talent pool—Poland has skilled tech staff, Shanghai has an excellent creative team, and in the US, we offer digital consulting and marketing services rather than just being an ad agency. As Global CEO, how do you manage this multifaceted team with locations worldwide?

Gene: My fundamental belief is that people aren't managed; they're guided. Top performers learn and act on what they need to do to achieve their goals without needing to be managed. So, in my role, it's about creating the environment for that and providing guidance.
Furthermore, if our goal is to solve clients' urgent and complex problems in the most creative ways, it's also crucial to design teams tailored to their specific needs.
We offer services across five domains in every market: Strategy, Campaign, Experience, Platform, and Product Design. The emphasis on each varies by country. In rapidly growing markets like China, where competition is fierce, Campaign and Experience are paramount. Conversely, in mature markets like the US, we differentiate through Platform and Product, in addition to Experience.
Adapting to client needs is a given in every country. However, with more clients expanding globally, we've implemented a framework enabling staff worldwide to participate globally. Our technical teams might be in distant locations like Poland or Manila, while our e-commerce innovation teams could be in Chicago, the UK, or Brazil. The process of assembling teams with diverse skills from around the world is critically important to our business.

Sasaki: So that's where your strength, Gene, really comes into play. Dentsu Inc. now has offices worldwide, but I believe Dentsu Inc.'s network should be far more global. My first goal is to extend and leverage Dentsu Inc. Japan's strengths into other regions. Moving forward, through collaboration with Isobar, I envision globalizing the diverse young talents in Tokyo and cultivating new leaders.

Gene: It's vital to guide future leaders to believe their role is to inspire staff and to think freely to find solutions suited to each country's environment. That will accelerate our expansion and development.

Sasaki: That's valuable insight.

Essential business consulting skills for project leadership

Sasaki: I'd like to ask about Isobar's team structure. How do you assemble teams—creative, sales, strategists, etc.—depending on the client?

Gene: There are various cases, but the standard team structure is pretty much the same as other agencies. We have sales, project management, strategy, and data analysts. Then the creative team includes a leader, copywriters, designers, art directors, technologists, and so on. While the required skills are largely common, the crucial part is identifying what drives the client's business. For example, if business strategy is prioritized, sales and strategy lead the direction. When creative ideas are key, sales and the creative team become the task force. Typically, creatives join later in the process, but with some clients, creatives might work directly with the client from the start. Otherwise, sales and strategy might waste time clarifying the challenge, and sometimes creative spark is needed to find solutions to overcome it.

Sasaki: I often wonder who should lead projects when we're delivering more than just advertising. If we rigidly assign roles—copywriters handle expression, sales builds client relationships—we can't move beyond that. To create something beyond advertising, we might need a new structure. Sometimes a copywriter could lead a project, or a planner could devise a new business model.

Gene: At our US office, any employee involved in client engagement—regardless of their core skill set—is called a "Client Partner." This applies to tech specialists, user experience experts, or innovation leads. What they all share is the essential skill of business consulting, where these Client Partners drive the business process forward. Some creatives aren't particularly skilled at building client relationships or project management. The key challenge is finding the right balance and leveraging team capabilities to deliver solutions effectively.

(Continued in Part 2 )