Achieving Integrated Online-Offline CX: Insights from "ENEOS New Car Subscription"

CX (Customer Experience) continues to evolve daily.

How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative approach contribute to the CX domain, now demanded in every scenario?

To explore this potential, members of Dentsu Inc.'s CX specialist unit, the "CXCC" (Customer Experience Creative Center), share insights on CX and creativity in this series: "Monthly CX" ( For more on Monthly CX, click here ).

This time, we spoke with Yuki Toyama and Mizuki Kojima from Dentsu Digital Inc., who led the renewal project for "ENEOS New Car Subscription," about the key points they prioritized in CX Creative(※1) and the process leading to its implementation.

ENEOS operates numerous service stations (gas stations) nationwide. What approaches did they take across offline stores and online web platforms to deliver their newly launched "ENEOS New Car Subscription" service to customers?

※1＝CX Creative refers to... using the power of creative to generate valuable new customer experiences. It also denotes the initiatives themselves.
 

[Profile of Yuki Toyama]
Dentsu Digital Inc.
Business Transformation Division, Service Innovation Business Unit, Business Unit Manager
Engaged in planning across diverse industries including soft drinks, IT/AV/home appliances, entertainment services/content, and finance, working in both Marketing and Account divisions. Provides comprehensive consulting from product/brand development to strategy formulation and communication initiatives. Currently at Dentsu Digital Inc., focuses on supporting the service transformation of businesses through digital shift, as well as the development and growth of new businesses and services, primarily in distribution and finance.

[Profile of Mizuki Kojima]
Dentsu Digital Inc.
CX Transformation Division, CX Creative Business Unit
Art Director
Joined current position after working at an advertising production company. Possesses extensive design experience spanning web design for major corporations, UI design for apps, and print media.
Participating from the strategic phase, he creates branding and experiential value through cross-media art direction that delivers consistent UX across online and offline channels.
 

A challenge deeply engaged with end-users. Collaborating from brand strategy and positioning.

Monthly CX: Please briefly explain "ENEOS New Car Subscription."

Toyama: It's a subscription-based car leasing service using ENEOS service stations as sales locations. You simply select the car you want on the website and sign the contract at a nearby participating service station to drive a new car.

Additionally, by signing up for the Full Support Pack, customers receive comprehensive services including payment of automobile tax, vehicle inspections and maintenance, replacement of tires and oil, and roadside assistance.

The target for "E-NEOS New Car Subscription" is people for whom a car is essential to their daily life. However, these people aren't necessarily car enthusiasts or experts. For them, the traditional way of buying a car – "going to a car dealer or used car shop to choose a vehicle" – feels like a high hurdle.

If they can receive such comprehensive services through a subscription at their regular service station, it couldn't be easier or more convenient. Communicating this ease of use was essential to the project, something the entire team agreed on from the start.

Monthly CX: What was Dentsu Digital Inc.'s role in this project?

Toyama: Dentsu Digital Inc. handled business development for launching and operating "ENEOS New Car Subscription," marketing activities, and channel development support. Within that, the main area we worked on alongside the CX Creative Team was information architecture and style guideline creation for the website and in-store, plus support for improvement and operations. Many people first learn about "ENEOS New Car Subscription" at ENEOS service stations. To ensure awareness and interest are generated at the point of sale, we also carefully produced signage and pamphlets.

Monthly CX: What challenges did you face when starting the project?

Toyama: The project lead was tackling the launch of a B2C business—one that communicates directly with end users to provide services like "New Car Subscription"—for the first time. Therefore, we needed to work alongside the client to raise awareness about the necessity of brand strategy and positioning, and then design these elements.

Monthly CX: How did you resolve those challenges?

Toyama: My primary role in this project was coordinating and communicating with the client. Within about a month of joining, we conducted marketing research and created customer journeys to define direction and strategy. However, differing opinions sometimes caused discussions to stall.

Monthly CX: How did you deepen the relationship with the client during these discussions?

Toyama: I focused relentlessly on communicating with the client, striving to understand their mindset, internal dynamics, and the points they valued most. I explained things repeatedly using language they could relate to, not the jargon typical of ad agencies or consultants. I organized the to-do list from their perspective, clarifying what needed to be done and when. My years of experience in sales and marketing proved invaluable here.

Through this repeated process, we built the relationship and earned their trust. As a result, they entrusted us with revamping their website and in-store promotional materials.

From "Car Lease" to "New Car Subscription": Gaining Recognition for a New Integrated Online-Offline Service

Monthly CX: When producing and directing both the online website and offline in-store promotional materials, were there any particular points you focused on?

Kojima: This time, our target was "people for whom a car is essential to daily life, but who aren't particularly knowledgeable about cars." We especially wanted to emphasize the ease of getting a car conveniently at their usual ENEOS station. Therefore, we strived to make the copy customers see as clear and concise as possible, and designed the tone and manner to feel approachable.

When we first joined the project, the service used the name "ENEOS Car Lease" alongside the copy "A New Way to Choose a New Car." However, we felt the traditional term "car lease" made it difficult for our target audience to recognize this as a new service tailored for them. Therefore, we downplayed the original "Eneos Car Lease" service name and changed the primary service name promoted upfront to "Eneos New Car Subscription".

Monthly CX: Changing the service name feels like a major undertaking. Did it proceed smoothly?

Toyama: It wasn't easy for ENEOS either. Actually, between changing from "ENEOS Car Lease" to "ENEOS New Car Subscription," we made several minor revisions to the service naming and its logo. Changing the service name required approval from management departments, coordinating with design companies for logo usage requests, and obtaining development permissions, which took several months.

Monthly CX: Could you tell us about the materials Art Director Kojima-san was responsible for creating this time?

Kojima: When we joined the project, promotional materials like posters and flyers created during the PoC (※2), along with the website, already existed. However, considering the target customers for "ENEOS New Car Subscription," the PoC design seemed inadequate and didn't convey the impression of a newly launched service. Therefore, we proceeded with design revisions to create a fresher impression while making it more understandable and approachable.

※2 = Abbreviation for Proof of Concept. Refers to verification or demonstration aimed at proving new ideas or business models.
 

Alongside revisions to leaflets and other materials, we also updated the website. We unified the offline and online designs to ensure the new service brand image remained consistent. Furthermore, by adopting a friendly and bright design for both, we believe we were able to reduce the perceived complexity and high barriers associated with car leasing contracts.

Given ENEOS's vast number of service stations as contact points, the range of materials produced—including in-store tools and banners—is extensive. Therefore, we also created a "Style Guide" to ensure design consistency even when creatives are produced by parties outside Dentsu Digital Inc.

True CX creative solves challenges for both the client and the end user.

Monthly CX: What kind of CX creative do you two envision?

Toyama: CX literally translates to customer experience, right? However, the CX we pursue isn't purely about solving consumers' daily challenges. It's about aligning with the client's business and needs, then translating that into the optimal experience and design. You could say it's very close to customer success.

Kojima: Design is always the gateway to any experience. The essence of CX creative, I believe, is ensuring that design and valuable experiences are consistently connected along a single axis. Beyond expressing the points our clients value, we prioritize creating that thrilling excitement that strikes a chord when people encounter our products, services, or creative work—those moments that make them pause and think.

Monthly CX: Finally, if there's anything you'd like to pursue in the CX field, please share.

Toyama: This project represents a flagship case study of the large-scale services we supported at Dentsu Digital Inc. Moving forward, I want to strive to increase initiatives and projects like this one, integrating offline and online touchpoints to design optimal OMO (Online Merges with Offline) CX.

Kojima: Being involved in a service that offers a seamless, integrated offline and online experience was a valuable experience for me personally. While most of my past projects focused on solving specific issues, I'm eager to take on more projects that create unprecedented experiences, both in terms of CX and creativity.

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(Editor's Note)
In the 9th issue of Monthly CX, we introduced the case study of "ENEOS New Car Subscription." This project involved end-to-end involvement in both offline and online materials: posters, flyers, leaflets, touch displays, digital signage, and websites. For a fundamental renewal, it's essential to help the client understand the value of CX and marketing. Repeated communication to deepen mutual understanding is a very simple and fundamental thing, but it's also a crucial approach in CX creative, isn't it?

This interview was conducted in collaboration with 'CX Creative Studio note' ( see here for details on CX Creative Studio note ). We are also working with Dentsu Digital Inc.'s CX Creative team, not just the Dentsu CXCC team, to collect and introduce a broader range of case studies. If you're interested, please check that out as well.

If you have requests for future case studies or topics you'd like us to cover, please send a message to the Monthly CX Editorial Department via the contact page below. Thank you for your continued readership.