New marketing ideas born from Gen Z insights

<Table of Contents>
▼ Young People Are "The First to Embrace the New"
▼ Reading the Future Half a Step Ahead Through Gen Z Insights
▼ "Foresight Planning" Where New Marketing Ideas Are Born

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Young People Are "The First to Embrace the New"

Dentsu Inc. Wakamon (Dentsu Youth Research Department) is a special-purpose unit within Dentsu Inc. It researches the realities of teens and twenties, primarily high school and college students, and provides integrated services from planning to creative development to help companies, society, and brands build better relationships with young people.

Dentsu Inc. engages with youth because they are the "first to embrace the new." Throughout history, despite criticism from older generations, young people have symbolized the future one step ahead with their fresh sensibilities and perspectives. We believe the flexible resilience they possess holds clues for society's path forward.

Guided by this conviction, Dentsu Inc. launched the co-creation platform " βutterfly " in 2017 as a new form of industry-academia collaboration project involving Generation Z students with diverse backgrounds and corporations. By combining Generation Z's unconventional perspectives with Dentsu Inc.'s planning and knowledge, we have expanded collaborations across various fields, including new service development, product development, organizational development, and advertising expression development.

Reading the Future Half a Step Ahead with Gen Z Insights

Every month, βutterfly holds " Tsugikuru " workshops with current university students and Dentsu Inc. Wakamon members. These workshops set a monthly theme, such as "The Next Shape of 'Events'" or "The Next Shape of 'Health'." Based on reports submitted by the students, we discuss and build future hypotheses for each theme. We call these hypotheses, which read the future half a step ahead, "Foresight."

What kind of foresight emerges from these student workshops? Here, we present an example based on the theme "The Next 'Cool' Form."

In their reports, students suggested the following ideas about the next "cool" form:

・Fashion styles that transform personal insecurities into unique strengths
・Declaring "I won't do this!" without being swept along by societal conventions
・A sustainable way of life
・"Cool" doesn't mean "masculinity," but "cool" means "being true to oneself"
・People who can openly show their effort, not hide it, are cool
・Things that resonate with you are cooler than appearances

Each report also explains "why we believe this will be next" and "examples embodying that coolness." Based on over 30 such reports, we at Dentsu Inc. —sometimes discussing with Gen Z university students—debated to grasp the contours of "cool" in the future.

The hypothesis that emerged: Could the standard for "cool" be having one's own stance? Looking back, there were eras where countercultural elements—symbolized by cigarettes, for example—were considered cool. Or, for a long time, "looking good" by embracing trends was highly valued. However, going forward, "living with a stance" and "acting with conviction" are gaining support as cool. The points that make something feel "cool" seem to be shifting from the "surface" to the "inner self."

So why is having a stance gaining support? In this era where anyone can voice opinions on social media, celebrities especially face increased opportunities to be bombarded with slander, hateful comments, or unexpected "troll replies" from people with different values.

In this environment, "people with a stance" create a reason for their followers to support them and their position. Followers can counter critical opinions not just "vaguely," but with clear reasoning. In other words, a "stance" leads to "easier supportability," making it simpler to build a following.

Based on this discussion, we summarized the foresight for this theme as follows.

The first keyword is "Holding convictions, even if they defy common sense." The ability to say "NO" to common sense or conventions like "Celebrities shouldn't talk politics" or "Women must do XX," and to voice one's own opinions, has become a key element of what is considered "cool."

The second keyword is the Earth/environment perspective. As consumer choices increase and "good quality at low prices" becomes the norm, we're entering an era of "meaningful consumption" where people choose based on clear reasons. A major factor in this "meaning" is whether someone holds a perspective on the Earth and the environment.

The third keyword is "being truthful and transparent." Information transparency has increased, allowing us to see behind the scenes. This is an era where inconsistencies between corporate words and actions, and lies, are exposed. Companies that only say good things in ads, or brands that make promises beyond their means, will not gain support.

Foresight, born from workshops with students through , provides fresh perspectives across various fields like service and product development.

Foresight Planning: Where New Marketing Ideas Emerge

Dentsu Inc. is now launching "Foresight Planning," a service that derives foresight from Gen Z insights to support concept development for all corporate activities, including product and communication development (release here ).

Traditional marketing approaches, like competitor or customer analysis, often lead to concepts that are correct but uninspiring, or correct but fail to resonate with the target audience—resulting in theoretical concepts that remain on paper. Foresight Planning relies not only on traditional marketing thinking but also on foresight derived from Gen Z insights and n=1 perspectives. By having Dentsu Inc. Wakamon—who have acted as translators between society and young people—handle concept development, we capture the values and trends of the near future, enabling planning that balances left-brain and right-brain thinking.

Foresight Planning is executed in three major steps.
① Build future hypotheses (foresight) using the co-creation platform "βutterfly"
② Develop concepts originating from foresight
③ Provide creative development and ongoing consulting activities (optional)

In actual Foresight Planning, concepts are developed not only through newly conducted workshops but also by leveraging numerous foresights previously built by Dentsu Inc. Wakamon and interviews with Generation Z students. We have already implemented rebranding utilizing Foresight Planning for multiple clients and brands.

For inquiries about "Foresight Planning," please contact the office.

【Contact Information】
Foresight Planning Secretariat (within Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department)
d.wakamon@dentsu.co.jp

 

 Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (Dentsu Wakamon) is a special-assignment unit within Dentsu Inc. that conducts research on the realities of teens and young adults in their teens and twenties, primarily high school and college students. It provides integrated services from planning to creative development to help companies, society, and brands build better relationships with young people.
https://dentsu-wakamon.com/