Dentsu Inc. Establishes 'Entertainment Brain Lab' with Neuroscientist Kenichiro Mogi

Dentsu Inc. Establishes 'Entertainment Brain Lab' with Neuroscientist Kenichiro Mogi
― Discovering Entertainment in Everyday Spaces and Connecting It to New Promotion Strategies ―

Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Nao Ishii) will launch the "Entertainment Brain Lab" on its website (URL: http://entame-no-labo.com ) on August 22, in collaboration with neuroscientist Kenichiro Mogi and others. This lab will uncover entertainment present in everyday spaces and various products/services. Through research into their value, it will create new promotional and communication strategies.

The background for establishing this lab lies in the maturation of consumer behavior. Social consumption emphasizing quality and connection has become active, and products and services provided by companies are now evaluated on social media. Consequently, products and services require entertainment value that can become a shared topic of conversation.

In light of this situation, our company has decided to establish the "Entertainment Brain Lab" with 10 researchers, including Dr. Mogi. The lab will leverage the unique insights of neuroscientists to uncover and rediscover entertainment lying dormant in everyday spaces. It will disseminate this information while also creating new promotional and communication strategies to propose to companies and local governments.

During the discovery phase, the lab will evaluate and analyze elements of entertainment value and appeal using proprietary methodologies. For dissemination, discovered entertainment will be articulated and key-worded in accessible formats, crafted into video content and reports, and shared via the lab's website, social media, and publications to foster shared societal conversation. Furthermore, this entertainment will be leveraged as promotional tools for corporate and municipal branding.

The overview and logo mark of the "Entertainment Brain Lab" are as follows.

<Entertainment Brain Lab Overview>

・Lab Name:http://entame-no-labo.com
・Researchers: Kenichiro Mogi, Ayako Onzo, Takumi Ueda (see profiles below) and
Composed of 10 members including researchers from Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Consulting Inc.

■Primary Researcher Profiles

・Chief Researcher: Kenichiro Mogi
Born in Tokyo in 1962. Neuroscientist. Senior Researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories. Graduated from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, then completed the Graduate School of Science, Department of Physics at the University of Tokyo.
Doctor of Science. After positions at RIKEN and the University of Cambridge, he assumed his current role.
Specializes in neuroscience and cognitive science. Researches the relationship between the brain and mind using "qualia" (the inherent quality of sensations) as a key concept. Received the 4th Hideo Kobayashi Prize in 2005 for Brain and Virtual, and the 12th Takeo Kuwabara Prize for Arts and Sciences in 2009 for From Here to Everywhere.
Major publications include *The Brain and Qualia* (Nikkei Science Publishing) and many others. Published *The Story of Tokyo University of the Arts* (Kodansha) on May 20, 2015.

・Researcher: Ayako Onzo
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1979. Neuroscientist. Graduated from the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University. Studied neuroscience at the Graduate School of Tokyo Institute of Technology, earning a Ph.D. Advances research on themes including faces and self-awareness, having published works such as The Brain That Applies Makeup (Shueisha Shinsho).

・Researcher: Takumi Ueda
Born in Tokyo in 1978. Graduated from the Oil Painting Department, Painting Division, Tokyo University of the Arts. Completed graduate studies in Art Anatomy (Hideyoshi Fuse Laboratory) at the same university. Has experience working as an in-house designer for a corporation and is currently active as an artist and art director.

■ Entertainment Brain Lab Logo