Corporate Characters = Solutions

──How was "Ponta," the character for the Ponta shared point service, born? You handled everything from character development to creative direction.

Based on the service concept "Point terminal" and the image of points accumulating "pon pon," we first proposed the name "Ponta" for the point service. Furthermore, since it would be used in various partner companies' stores, contact points with consumers would inevitably increase. We thought utilizing a corporate character would be suitable for presenting these contact points in an integrated way, so we also proposed the character "Ponta."

We deliberately chose the tanuki as the straightforward motif because it's an animal that anyone hearing the service name "Ponta" would intuitively recognize and easily remember. A corporate character must be linked to the product or service to fulfill its function. Research at the time also showed there was no definitive character design using a tanuki motif yet. After it was adopted, we worked closely with the client, refining the character and discussing its communication strategy.

I believe corporate characters shouldn't be created on a whim or casually; they must be developed with solid, well-founded reasons. When consulting on corporate characters, I often ask: "Making the character popular isn't the primary goal, right?" Without recognizing that a corporate character equals a corporate solution, the question "Wait, why did we create this character again?" will inevitably surface at some point. This confusion will manifest in how the character is handled and its quality. A character without a clear purpose is destined to be short-lived.

──Looking at Ponta's creative work, I see the ingenious approach where Ponta transforms for each partner company.

Exactly. Isn't a tanuki perfect for this transformation concept? Given the diverse industries of our partner companies, an idea emerged during development: a communication scheme where Ponta transforms by wearing each company's uniform or holding their symbolic items. We thought this would allow Ponta to be a shared symbol and asset for all partners while also becoming a unique asset for each company. This way, people on the ground at partner companies could cherish and love Ponta as if it were their own character.

In a sense, this case could be considered internal communication. Dentsu Character Consulting Inc.'s corporate character development methodology also places significant emphasis on boosting internal motivation. By first getting internal employees to like the character across the entire company, this naturally leads to fostering affection for the character among consumers. When operating the character, if employees feel it's truly theirs, I believe they won't do anything to damage its brand value. Getting internal fans excited to use it more actively also plays a role in quality control and promoting exposure.

──It's been three and a half years since Ponta's debut. What kind of communication initiatives have been implemented?

Actually, Ponta has had almost no exposure in paid media like TV commercials. However, thanks to the affection and efforts of everyone involved—from the design of the point cards to the clients' web media and informational booklets, character goods for point redemption, and partner companies' in-store media—it has been actively utilized through owned media and social media. As a result, objective data shows that in Dentsu Consulting Inc.'s "Corporate Character Consumer Insight Survey," Ponta's recognition levels rival those of corporate characters frequently seen in TV commercials. Furthermore, according to Character Data Bank's survey (source: 'CharaBiz Power Book – Corporate Character Edition' published April 2013), our character ranked top in both recognition and favorability within the "Distribution/Retail Industry" category in their industry-specific character analysis.

We've also heard from our client that the Ponta Card membership has surpassed 58 million, and the service continues to grow steadily. We hope that by working together with our client and partner companies, the character will continue to be a solution provider.