Lowering the barrier to mass advertising and broadening the gateway to solving challenges. Make "Uria-Gemba" the first step in your communication activities.

Communication activities, exemplified by advertising and PR, are crucial factors for corporate growth. However, many companies likely perceive mass advertising, especially TV commercials, as costly and daunting. Alternatively, some companies may be engaged in various communication efforts but lack sufficient staff and experience, leaving them uncertain about the effectiveness of their actions. Dentsu Runway Inc.'s "Uria-Geba" solution service addresses precisely these concerns: "We want to seriously engage in advertising communication for the first time, but don't know where to start," or "We have initiatives in place, but aren't confident our current approach is correct."

In this article, we interviewed Ryohei Kibe, who oversees "Uria-Geba" at Dentsu Runway Inc. We discussed the service's benefits and future outlook. We hope this serves as a reference for business professionals standing at the "entry point" of communication activities.

A "one-stop shop" company that handles all advertising consultations centered around media

Q. First, could you tell us about Dentsu Runway Inc., the company you belong to?

Kibe: It's a relatively new company established in 2019 to accelerate growth in the media solutions domain. It has a strong character as a so-called "media agency," and its name was originally "Dentsu Inc. Media Runway." Later, while still rooted in media, we expanded our solutions broadly into other areas like creative, PR, and events to solve all challenges related to advertising activities. Against this backdrop, we changed the company name to "Dentsu Runway Inc." in April 2021.

While the company isn't particularly large, this allows a single account manager to handle everything end-to-end—from sales and planning to media buying, CM production, and events. I believe this enables us to provide swift and highly personalized support to our clients.

Q. What kind of work do you do within that framework, Mr. Kibe?

Kibe: I manage Account Lead Department 2, one of our nine sales departments. My work is split roughly 90/10: 90% involves directly engaging with clients as a salesperson, planning, and proposing solutions; 10% is dedicated to a new service launched in 2021 called "Uriage Ganba."

Uria-Geba: A New Point of Contact for Advertising Communication Activities

Q. What kind of service is "Uria-Geba," which you are involved with?

Kibe: Its concept is "advertising services that contribute to sales growth." We provide useful information and consulting services to make mass advertising, including TV commercials, easier to utilize effectively.

For example, even if a company is interested in "running a TV commercial," those without experience often have many questions and concerns, like "Where should we consult?" or "What's the budget?" The complex mechanisms involved, such as how to purchase broadcast slots, might also make it feel daunting to get started.

That's why "Uria-ge Ganba" offers a wide range of accessible options. For clients who haven't worked much with mass advertising, we propose plans to create and air commercials easily and on a low budget. For clients considering what advertising strategy to adopt, our consultants provide support.

Some plans leverage the Dentsu Group network. For example, our "Casual Advertising Director" plan connects companies without marketing or advertising specialists with experienced advertising industry experts to support solving their challenges. This service is developed in collaboration with New Horizon Collective LLC.

Additionally, our "Uriage Ganba" media site offers free, accessible content. This includes column articles providing reference information when considering mass advertising, a "TV Commercial Placement Simulator" that estimates how far a commercial will reach based on area and budget, and an "Advertising Glossary" explaining advertising terminology.

We understand that companies with little or no prior experience in mass advertising might find it daunting to approach us directly with requests like "We want to run a TV commercial." Some may even be unsure where to turn for advice. Creating an accessible gateway where any company can easily consult with us was one of the key reasons we launched Uriage Gamba.

Using "Uriaage Gamba" as your starting point to tackle various challenges

Q. There are many competing services out there. Compared to them, what are the strengths and appeal points of "Uriaage Gamba"?

Kibe: The key point is that we specifically target clients who are new to mass advertising communication, not just TV commercials. We especially want companies that have never run mass ads before and don't know where to start to reach out to us.

While there are several competitors specializing in TV commercials, our strength lies in multi-tasking centered around media, not just TV. Depending on the challenge, we propose digital and print media too. We can also propose and execute solutions beyond media, including creative work and even events. Our distinctive feature is closely supporting clients considering mass advertising communication as a whole, understanding their challenges, and offering broad proposals and execution tailored to their situation.

If you find any of our "Uriage Ganba" services intriguing, we encourage you to use that as a starting point for a casual consultation. While we hope our individual services can directly solve your challenges, the optimal solution might vary depending on your company's specific situation. We might be able to offer broader support. This is our approach: confronting your challenges head-on and proposing the best possible solution.

For example, we once received a request from a regional ranch owner who said, "I only have a budget of 1 million yen, but I'd like to discuss options." In that case, we proposed PR and website solutions that fit within their budget. Regardless of scale or industry, we want companies to feel free to reach out and say, "Let's start with a consultation."

Q. While "Uriage Ganba" serves as the entry point, addressing clients' diverse challenges naturally requires significant capability and experience. In that regard, what are the defining characteristics of Dentsu Runway Inc.'s talent?

Kibe: Well, it might sound like I'm tooting our own horn, but... while other companies also have people handling diverse projects, I personally feel our company has a particularly high number of people with a rich well of ideas. Actually, I myself joined Dentsu Runway Inc. after working at several other advertising agencies. At Dentsu Runway Inc., even those with the title "Media Planner" are often incredibly creative individuals who can devise strategies with surprising perspectives. This allows us to propose a wide range of solutions.

Q. What kinds of inquiries and consultations do you typically receive?

Kibe: I definitely feel that requests like "We'd like to consult about TV commercials first" are quite common. Compared to other media, TV commercials can be confusing—how much budget is needed, how to arrange them, and so on.

On the other hand, I've noticed an increase lately in inquiries from companies already actively engaged in advertising communication. We're getting more cases where clients say, "We're not sure if our current advertising communication activities are truly effective, but we lack in-house experts, so we'd like objective advice." While not exactly a second opinion in medical terms, "Uriage Ganba" serves as an accessible entry point for reviewing current activities and seeking objective evaluations. Even if companies hold competitive pitches seeking new proposals, the process is time-consuming for the implementing side and can be costly. We believe we can quickly address needs like "We want to verify if our advertising communication is optimal from a fresh perspective."

Evolving into a service that delights through trial and error

Q. How do you plan to evolve "Uriage Gamba" into an even better service going forward?

Kibe: We currently offer five services, and we'll further refine each one based on client needs. For example, while we already advertise "CM production and broadcast for 3 million yen," first-time clients often struggle to visualize what exactly that budget can achieve. Therefore, we want to create and clearly present many concrete samples, like "This is the cost for a CM with this kind of production style and these cast members," making it easier to visualize.

Since we're just getting started, we'll keep refining our approach through trial and error to pursue services that bring even greater satisfaction to our clients. One of our strengths is building a solid foundation for our solutions while offering customization tailored to each client. We look forward to incorporating diverse feedback to evolve our solutions and continue supporting our clients' challenges.

For small and medium-sized businesses, or companies without dedicated advertising personnel, mass advertising like TV commercials has often been a high hurdle. For such companies, "Uria-Geba" can function as an accessible point of contact for consultation. At the same time, it also seems valuable for reviewing and evaluating existing advertising activities. Why not try using it as an easy point of contact to gather a wide range of information about advertising communication activities?