What lies ahead for omnichannel? Q5. How will marketing change?

A project where employees of Dentsu Inc. answer "What will happen next?" on flip charts for five topics related to omnichannel. The theme for the fifth and final installment is "Marketing."
The first installment, including self-introductions of the four respondents, is here.

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Capturing and responding to the latent needs within consumers' hearts

Maruyama: Now, the final question. How will marketing change in the omnichannel era? Like Q.4 on "Media," I think this will also take on a much broader meaning. Shall we start with Uehara-san?

A.1: "Hands, Head, and Heart"

Uehara: I've labeled them A, B, and C for hand, head, and heart respectively.

A represents the palm of the hand—clicking the purchase button represents explicit demand. B is the head, or rather the brain, knowing what one wants. This is essentially wants. And C is the heart, where needs lie dormant.

We can naturally capture demand that's already manifested as visible need. And the wants—that "I want something like this" desire—are increasingly visible through data analysis. So, I believe the marketing we should pursue is capturing the heart—the needs—that consumers aren't consciously aware of yet, but would recognize as "necessary" if they knew. In short, let's do marketing starting from needs.

Our path forward lies in delving deeper and deeper into the unseen world of consumers' hearts, beyond the world visible through their hands and minds. I believe this is the future shape of marketing and its true, essential form.

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A.2: "Advertising × Sales Promotion, Product × Customer, Real × EC, Analytical Ability × Execution Ability"

Matsunaga: As I mentioned, as we gather diverse data and visualize user trends and interests, various angles like "Advertising × Sales Promotion," "Product × Customer," and "Physical × E-commerce" will be optimized.

However, while having data makes it seem like everything is solved, analytical capability is truly where the battle is won. Furthermore, unless you analyze, implement measures, and continuously cycle through PDCA, results won't improve. Since consumers, media, and products are constantly changing, it's essential to keep implementing and steadily improving.

Maruyama: That's why "analytical capability × execution capability" is emphasized.

Matsunaga: Exactly. This will become the most critical requirement for future marketing. We at Dentsu Inc. aim to support this. Connecting to Uehara's point, uncovering latent needs is also our role. Analyzing purchase data is valuable, but it remains limited to visible outcomes. We must approach consumers' thoughts and feelings—both intuitively and rationally. That's the capability we aspire to embody.

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A.3: "Difficulty"

Watanabe: Well, Horikita-san again... (laughs).

Horikita: I tried to be consistent (laughs). But honestly, I genuinely think it's difficult. Of course, figuring out what to do from there is the big challenge, so difficult equals worthwhile.

The increase in tools and media means more choices, and the scope of what we need to consider keeps expanding. While data analysis reveals more insights, the factors we must consider are growing at a pace that outstrips the benefits.

This means the number of elements we need to combine keeps growing, making things exponentially more complex. But that's precisely why I feel this is an area where Dentsu Inc. can excel. After all, we in advertising have always been the ones bridging gaps between things, striving to create better outcomes and relationships within diverse and complex constraints. It's obvious our work will become more challenging than ever before. But as long as we remain in this industry, I believe we'll be thinking about marketing that continues to grow more complex in this omnichannel era.

Watanabe: Precisely because it's difficult, I want to believe there's opportunity there.

Horikita: Exactly, I agree. In Q2's "Retail" section, we discussed evolution. When the environment changes and forces evolution, it's also an opportunity for organisms to transform for the better. I believe Dentsu Inc. is in precisely that situation.

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A.4: "The Individual"

Kanno: If we define marketing as the series of activities to "make people aware of and purchase products or services," I believe we need a more "individual"-centric approach.

This applies to data analysis too. In the past, the focus was on "how much of this product sold." Now, it's standard to look at individual insights: who bought it, what prompted them, and how they bought it. Understanding these insights is what leads to subsequent improvements.

The unit of consideration has shifted toward the individual. So, I think the question for us is: how granularly can we track this?

Maruyama: So, are you starting to reflect this way of thinking in the Promotion Design Bureau where Mr. Kanno and Ms. Horikita work?

Kanno: I think so. In the Promotion Design Bureau, we're starting from purchase behavior analysis to design the entire process from information acquisition to purchase, leveraging Dentsu Inc.'s expertise across various fields like creative, media, sales promotion, and data analysis. Even when connecting manufacturer clients and retail clients, rather than merely considering mutual benefits, we're approaching it from the perspective of what function that company serves within society and how such a connection maximizes the value delivered to the individual.

Matsunaga: Ultimately, we want to maximize the value delivered to individuals and contribute to economic revitalization. After all, as has always been the case, if GDP doesn't grow, companies end up competing fiercely for each other's consumption. Even when GDP increases, competition naturally persists. Within the omnichannel trend, we hope to work alongside companies to explore how we can stimulate and capture new consumer demand.