The Future Form of Promotion: "Brand-new way" ~ Contributing to Brand Value and Sales Through Completely New Methods ~

Rapid innovation in digital technology has enabled new marketing approaches originating from social media and highly accurate, effective marketing leveraging big data. How far have the possibilities for marketing and promotion available to companies expanded today? Dentsu Promotion Design Bureau Director Makoto Yamado asked Kayac Inc.'s Daisuke Yanagisawa and Nomura Research Institute's Ryosuke Suzuki about new promotional methods that contribute to brand value and sales.

To "Commit to Results"

Yamado: Dentsu Inc. is currently striving to further "commit to results" and is undertaking promotion reform. Could you share what you focus on and the approaches you are trying to "commit to results"?

Yanagisawa: Kayac Inc., the company I represent, specializes in creating web content and apps, with a particular strength in generating interesting outputs.
Let's take the "Kamakura Then and Now Photos" app as an example. The idea is simple: comparing old and new photos, a common concept. But what makes it interesting is its mechanism for fostering intergenerational exchange between high school students and seniors. We organize events where students approach grandparents, inviting them to share old photo albums with local high schoolers. Then, students and seniors pair up, visit the locations depicted in the photos together, listen to stories from that time, and take photos of the current state to post. The value lies in this intergenerational exchange, making it a highly satisfying event.
While the app world seems like it should reach many people since there are no distribution costs, we who have created many apps know firsthand how incredibly difficult it is to get users to download them.
Therefore, it's better to pursue deeper participant satisfaction by linking the app with real-world activities. Participants will say they want to join again. Getting people to take action like this is what we consider the greatest achievement.

The Line Between Thoughtful and Creepy

Suzuki: The same applies to leveraging big data for business. Collecting and analyzing vast amounts of data shouldn't stop at mere "visualization." It must contribute to customers "changing their behavior." This is no simple task.
For example, in marketing, you want users of competing products to switch to your product. But push too hard, and it becomes creepy. The line between "thoughtful" and "creepy" is blurry. To explain this, I use this fictional story:
Imagine a 25-year-old working woman wakes up at 2 AM to use the bathroom and finds her light bulb has burned out. She decides to leave a note in the living room to buy a replacement tomorrow. As she does so, she notices her smartphone on the table flashing. Curious, she looks at it and sees an email from a nearby supermarket asking, "Isn't it about time to replace your light bulb?" She feels a bit annoyed. That woman will absolutely never shop at a store that sent her that recommendation.
Big data carries this risk of coming across as "nosy." That's why I always feel we must think things through while exchanging opinions with people who truly understand human behavior.

Yamado: Planners and creators active in the marketing world are now excited because various behavioral and purchasing data can be leveraged as tools to measure effectiveness. Dentsu Inc. also aims to commit to concrete results through this, such as boosting sales and enhancing brand value.

Yanagisawa: While our creative work tends to get the spotlight, we place tremendous importance on data-driven validation. In that sense, we believe a plan that can't be demonstrated with concrete numbers is simply not viable.

Technology × Creativity

Yamado: When IT vendors approach IT transformation, it often leads to extreme rationalization—which is important in itself. But since we're dealing with people, "changing behavior" opens up a world of infinite ideas. That's our greatest strength. Let's join hands and use Technology × Creativity to create something that makes people say, "Why didn't I think of that?" Thank you both.