Is the Customer Journey Really Outdated? Key Marketing Points for the "On-Off Integration" Era (Part 1)

In today's world, where digital devices are ubiquitous and gathering information via social media has become routine, it is essential for companies developing marketing strategies to manage all customer touchpoints—both online and offline—in an integrated manner and execute optimal marketing and promotional activities. On the other hand, as customer touchpoints diversify and become more complex, many may be wondering, "Are we truly executing effective marketing?" While "online-offline integration" sounds straightforward, many likely question whether they're truly achieving effective coordination across all initiatives or merely stringing together individual efforts.

This time, we interviewed Masahiro Miyagawa of Dentsu Digital Inc. about the key points for marketing that delivers results in today's era. Starting his career as a web director, he later gained experience as a producer for mass media advertising like TV commercials. Leveraging these diverse experiences, Mr. Miyagawa now excels as a truly "on-off integrated" producer handling mass media, digital, and offline media like events. We asked him to thoroughly discuss "how to implement effective marketing amidst increasingly complex purchasing behaviors."

Is it true that "the customer journey is outdated"?

Miyagawa: People working in marketing today often hear that "the customer journey is outdated." It's true that a journey like "see a TV commercial, search online to learn more, get a coupon, then go buy it" is completely out of step with today's world. Customer touchpoints and information sources have become incredibly diverse.

Google's new concept of "pulse-based consumption*" is indeed gaining traction. Purchasing behaviors like "immediately buying something featured by an admired Instagrammer" are becoming commonplace, rather than the traditional "learn, research, buy" pattern. In this context, the customer journey does feel like a marketing technique from a bygone era, and there is a valid argument that it risks oversimplifying customer behavior.

However, I believe that precisely because purchasing behavior is diversifying and becoming more complex, it is crucial to clearly map out the customer journey and ensure all marketing staff involved share this journey.

*Pulse-type consumption: Refers to the consumption behavior where a sudden "I want to buy" impulse arises while browsing smartphones or websites, leading to an immediate purchase. This contrasts with the traditional "customer journey-type consumption behavior," where purchasing intent is built up over time.

Q. Mr. Miyagawa, as a producer, you're more on the "production" side rather than a marketing role, right? So it was a bit surprising to hear you emphasize the importance of the customer journey.

Miyagawa: That might be true (laughs). But, for example, in a previous project, we took steps like this: in the meeting room, we posted the customer journey map on one wall, creative planning proposals on another, and budget proposals on yet another. All staff members thoroughly reviewed these. The goal was for everyone to grasp the big picture: what the overall marketing scope was, how the creative plan fit into fulfilling that role, and what the budget allocation for various initiatives looked like. That way, questions like "Will this creative plan really help achieve the KPIs?" or "Is this budget allocation even appropriate?" become visible.

The mix of online and offline channels makes it harder to connect the customer journey with KPIs

Q. However, as you mentioned, it's also true that "the customer journey is outdated." Beyond the diversification of customer behavior, are there other reasons why the customer journey is considered out of step with the times?

Miyagawa: One reason customer journeys are becoming difficult is that "the customer journey and KPIs don't connect." For example, with TV commercials, you have metrics like awareness percentage, and with digital initiatives, you have reach or conversion rates. But in a mixed online-offline environment, it's hard to fully measure the connection between "doing this much of this initiative leads to this much effect over there."

Did someone see a TV commercial and then go to the website, or did they go to social media? Conversely, did someone see something on social media that piqued their interest, then see a TV commercial that reminded them, leading them to think "I should buy this"? As these movements diversify, it becomes unclear how to set KPIs. Nevertheless, to verify the effectiveness of each initiative, we can't make judgments without KPIs. So, the approach inevitably becomes setting KPIs for each initiative and managing them that way. This leads to a mindset focused on maximizing the effectiveness of individual initiatives rather than mapping the customer journey.

However, I still believe it's crucial to first map out the customer journey. Even if it's just based on speculation or assumptions, defining the appropriate KPIs within that scenario is important. Doing so helps reveal whether the plan we're currently considering is fundamentally unrealistic or actually feasible. With fixed budgets and increasingly diverse purchasing behaviors, the rationale for "why we are implementing this particular initiative" cannot be found without a scenario that defines where we are aiming within the broader purchasing landscape.

Precisely because the options are limitless, a "strategic blueprint" becomes the critical decision-making tool.

Q. I see. It's true that precisely because purchasing behavior is diversifying, if you don't map out the customer journey, you end up without a map to judge "what you're trying to achieve as a whole." So, once again, what do you think is the "reason why the customer journey is important right now"?

Miyagawa: One reason is that "the customer journey helps define the scope of marketing initiatives." Starting with purchase as the goal, we map the journey backward. By overviewing customer actions this way, we can determine which range our current marketing initiative covers and where to set the starting point. Customer touchpoints are diverse, and with numerous media channels—especially digital and social—available, narrowing down where and what to do requires first defining the scope of this marketing effort.

Is the traditional approach of "running TV commercials to increase awareness" truly effective? Considering budget and KPIs, a strategy scenario like "intensively targeting those already aware" might be more suitable. Having a customer journey enables this kind of thinking.

Furthermore, having a customer journey map helps define your target audience for this campaign. Even the act of purchasing has become diverse—people buy in stores or online. The journey for someone buying in-store is different from the journey for someone buying online. Do you target both, or focus on one? Or, in an era where "you can buy online," perhaps "the store" isn't the only point of purchase. If that's the case, is "wanting to buy the product" really the only motivation for visiting the store? You start reevaluating from these points. It's precisely because you map out the customer journey that the customer profile and their motivations become clearer.

Furthermore, while we've tentatively set "purchase" as the goal here, we must ask: "Is purchase really the goal?" As mentioned earlier, with "impulse consumption" becoming more common, people often buy on a whim without strong motivation, simply because "their favorite Instagrammer uses it." If that's the case, what matters most comes after the purchase. How do we turn that person into a loyal customer? In other words, the goal isn't the purchase itself. Rather, "purchase = trial," and "buying again" becomes the goal. This changes the necessary strategies and how budgets should be allocated.

Mr. Miyagawa reemphasizes the importance of mapping customer journeys in today's era of increasingly diverse and complex customer behaviors. His insights, honed through extensive field experience, reveal why customer journeys are crucial now—offering valuable marketing hints for this rapidly changing time. In Part 2, we'll delve deeper into the additional benefits gained from mapping customer journeys.

• Is the Customer Journey Really Outdated? Key Marketing Points for the "On-Off Integration" Era (Part 2)