Click AD® (Platform Business Division, Takuma Uehara)

Click AD® connects all mass media and smart devices to generate communication. To uncover its true nature, Kimezo—who knows absolutely nothing about it—interviewed Takuma Uehara from Dentsu Inc. Platform Business Division.

 

──Let me guess your job. That piercing gaze... that distinctive hairstyle... You're definitely the vocalist of a visual kei band!

Uehara: I'm a researcher .

──A visual kei researcher?

Uehara: I'm a researcher in platform development .
I went to Musashino Art University, but I wanted to do something more comprehensive. So I joined an advertising agency as a general employee, started in sales, gradually got involved in marketing, grew to love research, became interested in digital, and here I am today.

──You seem to change your mind quite a bit. Is that true in love too?

Uehara: (smiling) No, I'm actually quite devoted.

──So, what are you doing now?

Uehara: I'm developing a platform called " Click AD®" and working on that.

──Click...? What's that? A band name?

Uehara: No.
It's a platform that connects with various ads on smartphones to make everyday life more fun and convenient for everyone.

──So what is it? Answer in 20 characters or less.

Uehara: ( Completely ignoring the question) For example, when you see a TV commercial and get interested in a campaign announcement, it's a hassle to open your computer, go to the campaign page, and fill out the entry form, right?
But with Click AD®, you just launch the app and hold your phone up to the TV commercial to join the campaign.

──Sounds good. What else can it do?

Uehara: For instance, this is a service called "Stac" we're developing with Kakao Japan. It lets you earn points across various touchpoints.

──I have this habit of tearing up when things get complicated. If you don't want me to cry, explain it more simply.

Uehara: For example, when you go to a convenience store, just recognizing the in-store audio lets you collect stamps and easily get coupons.
It's not just audio—you can scan QR codes or use various other methods to collect stamps.

──You're pretty good at this. You're not just some band guy.

Uehara: I'm a researcher.
 Recently, we've also partnered with various companies to utilize Click AD®.
For example, this is a case study with NTT Docomo implemented during the London Olympics.

──That's a pretty big company.

Uehara: It was a campaign where if you held up a smartphone running the app during Docomo's commercials during the Olympic broadcasts, you'd get a gold, silver, or bronze Docomo Dake or a pure gold Docomo Dake as a gift. We had 160,000 uses for this.

──Hey, I totally misjudged you. Can I bow down to you? Seriously.

Uehara: But I still want to aim higher.
Regarding voice recognition technology, I believe we're already at the world's top level, but I want to climb even higher.

──That's some serious ambition. By the way, when was the last time you kissed someone?

Uehara: Not in about a year.
 Is that question related to Click AD®?

──No. By the way, what are your plans for Click AD® going forward?

Uehara: We're not just focused on TVs and smartphones.
We want to connect all kinds of things by providing experiences that sync with every user stimulus, whether it's from a ring-shaped wearable device or anything else.

──Telepathy, you mean?

Uehara: Maybe.

──Any final thoughts?

Uehara: I'm from Okinawa, and my mom runs an Okinawan soba noodle shop. If you ever visit Okinawa, please stop by! It's called "One-Way"!

──So eventually, you'll probably sell your mom's pork bone soba through Click AD® too, right?

Uehara: Yeah, that sounds good too!

──I've really taken a liking to you. Thanks a lot.

Uehara: Thank you very much.

──By the way, the last time I kissed someone was over ten years ago. Hey, help me out with Click AD®, okay? Hey...