The Five "C"s: The Cornerstone of Integrated Online-Offline Marketing. A Framework for Enhancing Practical Capabilities (Part 1)

When executing marketing activities, it is vital to leverage both online (digital advertising) and offline (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, transit advertising, etc.) channels. Moreover, the key is not to deploy them individually but to combine multiple channels. This approach offers various benefits: it reveals the relationships between initiatives and makes it easier to determine the optimal budget allocation for each. However, "easier said than done." Many companies likely face numerous challenges in actually executing this effectively to maximize results, with the reality being that each initiative is often optimized in isolation.

This time, we spoke with Takuto Kai, Marin Kamikura, and Mizuki Matsuura from SEPTENI CO.,LTD (hereafter: SEPTENI) who have supported numerous companies through collaboration with the Dentsu Group Inc., about the "5C Model" framework. This framework enhances the practical capabilities of "integrated marketing" across online and offline channels.

Expanding Options from Online Domains to Full-Funnel Strategies

Q. SEPTENI CO.,LTD provides solutions utilizing data and AI, including digital advertising. First, could each of you tell us about your respective roles within the company?

Kamikura: First, while SEPTENI CO.,LTD may be strongly perceived as an "advertising operations company," we actually handle a wide range of other services. In the past, we primarily focused on performance-based advertising centered around "direct response" – promoting products and services through ads and direct mail to receive direct responses from potential customers. This area remains a major pillar today. However, in recent years, guided by the belief that digital engagement should encompass everything from awareness to CRM (Customer Relationship Management), we've also invested heavily in skill development and organizational building to offer full-funnel strategies.

Within this framework, I belong to the Marketing Strategy Division, an organization responsible for everything from strategy to media, communication, and creative planning. We provide a wide range of proposals tailored to the needs of our corporate clients.

Matsuura: The Integrated Planning Department I belong to is also one of the marketing units. Our primary focus is on developing the overall vision for media strategy and integrated online-offline planning.

SEPTENI CO.,LTD excels in digital media knowledge and operational tactics. My team, centered around digital media strategy, handles strategic planning and deep tactical development for integrated online and offline campaigns.

Kai: I oversee the team that works directly with digital media partners. Our mission is twofold: "to enhance on-off integration capabilities together with media partners" and "to support the internal framework for promoting on-off integration and integrated marketing." While Kamikura and Matsuura are in the planning section, my role is to drive on-off integration while also establishing the necessary environment.

SEPTENI CO.,LTD is part of the Dentsu Group. Do you often collaborate with other group companies on projects?

Kamikura: That happens much more frequently now. Recently, we've seen a rise in clients approaching us saying, "We want to try integrated online-offline marketing." For offline media, where we may not have a strong advantage, combining Dentsu Group resources—such as buying power, skills, and client relationships—creates significant benefits for the client. We believe the companies consulting us value our digital expertise and broad scope of services. To provide the best possible proposals each time, we present various options by forming the optimal combinations of group companies and teams, such as "Dentsu Inc. × SEPTENI CO.,LTD" or "Dentsu Inc. × Dentsu Digital Inc. × SEPTENI CO.,LTD."

What is the "5C Model" that advances integrated on/off marketing?

Q. When a client expresses interest in trying integrated online-offline marketing, what specific proposals do you typically make?

Kamikura: First, I feel there are several "barriers" to overcome when executing integrated online-offline marketing. For example, barriers exist between teams or people in different positions, preventing shared awareness of challenges or common goals. Or, different funnels become barriers, hindering the ability to see challenges holistically.

Kamikura: To overcome these barriers, we propose our proprietary "5C Model" framework designed to enhance execution capability. By reviewing past projects and reflecting on why certain initiatives failed or how we could have contributed more effectively to client businesses, the 5C framework gradually emerged. Specifically, for on-off integration, five key "Cs" are essential: Core, Co-Creation, Communication, Cost Control, and Connect. When all five function effectively, integrated marketing execution tends to proceed smoothly.

The Five Elements of the 5C Model

1. Core: Alignment of Strategy, Distribution, and Metrics
2. Co Creation: Organizational On/Off Co-Creation Structure
3. Communication: Integrated Communication Design
4. Cost Control: Optimizing online-offline budget allocation
5. Connect: On-Off Data Integration

Kamikura: Each of the five Cs is crucial, and I believe that achieving success in all five will enable true integrated marketing.

Matsuura: Furthermore, by dividing integrated marketing into three phases—Phase 1 to Phase 3—we've built a model where each phase aims to achieve the goals of the Five Cs. Broadly speaking, Phase 1 lays the foundation for channel integration, Phase 2 involves sharing strategies and ad data between mass media and digital, and Phase 3 is where we put integrated marketing into practice. While aiming for the goal all at once is difficult, the idea is that by climbing the stairs one step at a time, we can steadily approach the realization of on-off integration.

SEPTENI CO.,LTD has revisited past success stories to consolidate insights and systematize them, aiming for smoother, higher-level integration of online and offline. In Part 2, we explore the challenges and future outlook that emerged while advancing on/off integration based on the completed "5C Model" framework.

• The Five "Cs" at the Core of Integrated Online-Offline Marketing: A Framework for Enhancing Practical Capabilities (Part 2)