Leveraging Extensive Experience to Propose Data-Driven Marketing Strategies (Part 1) | Data Analyst Roundtable vol.3

As digital marketing grows in importance, Dentsu Digital Inc.'s Data & Technology Center (DTC) focuses on building foundations and developing solutions for data-driven marketing services for client companies. This work centers around the Data Clean Room (a data analysis environment provided by platform operators, enabling data analysis and operation without identifying individuals).

At DTC, data analysts play a vital role. They analyze diverse data to solve client challenges and formulate strategies. Given the growing attention on this role, Transformation SHOWCASE conducted roundtable discussions with data analysts active within the Dentsu Group to share their real insights. This article presents the third installment of the 'Data Analyst Roundtable,' featuring a discussion between four individuals who joined Dentsu Inc. DTC through career recruitment: Masahiro Fukuda, Shizuko Funaki, Makoto Nakajima, and Yuki Asada. We present their conversation in two parts. In Part 1, we explore their career paths to understand why they chose Dentsu Inc. as data analysts and what they are currently achieving.

The thrill of handling diverse data

Q. What kind of work are you involved in as data analysts? Please tell us about your current responsibilities, serving as a self-introduction.

Fukuda: I primarily handle data analysis for the data cleanroom. I'm also involved in designing systems being developed by DTC and researching the potential of quantum computing business for the future.

Funaki: Like Mr. Fukuda, I'm also responsible for the data cleanroom. Beyond that, I leverage my experience studying in the US during university to consider global expansion of the data cleanroom. I'm also involved in exploring how to utilize multiple platform data cleanrooms across domains, primarily within Japan.

Nakajima: My main responsibility is developing solutions for location-based data. I handle solutions that enable ad delivery based on location data and measure the effectiveness of store visits, such as whether actual visits occurred. I'm also involved in supporting data clean rooms for major domestic companies and promoting data utilization for purchase data providers.

Asada: My work focuses on two main areas: data analysis within the data clean room and solution development utilizing data science and statistical analysis. I'm still learning, but I collaborate with external data analysts to advance my work.

Q. You all joined Dentsu Inc. as mid-career hires, often referred to as "career recruitment." What experiences led you to work within the Dentsu Group now? Please share your backgrounds.

Fukuda: I joined an IT consulting firm right after graduating and worked there for about 12 or 13 years. After that, I moved to a venture company creating new marketing services. While I found it very rewarding to be involved in growing the business I was responsible for, I started vaguely thinking I wanted to broaden the scope of the businesses I worked on. Around that time, I was approached by Dentsu. I felt that here, I could leverage the system design, data analysis, and marketing knowledge I had cultivated, so I decided to join.

Funaki: I studied marketing in university and have consistently worked in the marketing field across various companies. I've handled POS analysis, conducted surveys and interviews at market research firms, and at my previous employer, Dentsu e-marketing One Inc. (now Dentsu Digital Inc.), I managed the entire marketing process from upstream to downstream. While that was enjoyable, I wanted to gain experience at a business company. I joined a firm in the credit card business and served as the head of marketing there. It was around that time that an old acquaintance from Dentsu Inc. reached out to me. After hearing about the opportunity, I realized the company handled a wide range of data and offered challenges from a different perspective than the business company I was working for at the time. Furthermore, I felt I could leverage my insights and experience from the business company, as well as my experience in the US, so I decided to join.

Nakajima: I worked in the digital advertising industry for about 14 years. At the company I joined right after graduation, I handled planning for banner ads, email ads, and search ads. After moving to a foreign-owned ad tech company, I worked in sales for retargeting ads. Later, at a subsidiary of a major telecommunications provider, I was responsible for promoting planning and development based on the company's proprietary data, and for utilizing data for marketing. Later, my desire to leverage a broader range of data and develop solutions that address client challenges grew stronger. I decided to join Dentsu Inc., expecting it would allow me to work with more partners and broaden my career scope.

Asada: I originally studied science, majoring in particle physics during my undergraduate and graduate studies. I sought a company where I could utilize the data analysis skills cultivated during my research career. Among potential employers, I was particularly drawn to companies handling economic and financial data—the most rigorous data reflecting human activity. Consequently, I joined a newspaper company that collects vast amounts of such data.

After joining, I was assigned to the database department, collecting and analyzing domestic and international financial and economic data. However, after some time, I wanted to see data from a broader range of industries and began considering a career change. That's when I chose Dentsu Inc., a company with extensive business connections across various industries.

Responding Swiftly to the Changing Environment Surrounding Digital Marketing

Q. Listening to your stories, a common thread is a strong desire to handle broader data beyond just your company's own. Once you joined and started working, did you feel any gaps?

Asada: There was almost no gap. I've been involved in data aggregation and analysis for various clients, including major platform operators. As a data analyst, I find it fascinating to be able to anticipate things like, "This communication yielded these specific analysis and measurement results," or "This creative approach brings out these particular personas."

Nakajima: I also changed jobs wanting to handle data broadly and develop solutions, so it's been exactly as I imagined. Beyond location data, I'm handling a wide range of data from major telecommunications companies and major platform operators.

Fukuda: In my case, I was surprised by how much we collaborate with various platform operators—more than I had imagined. The ability to leverage deeper data for analysis, while ensuring robust privacy protection, to drive precise marketing strategies and outputs, was, in a way, beyond my expectations. Also, I had assumed that since Dentsu Inc. handles such a broad range of business, the people working there would be more of a generalist type who coordinate the whole picture. However, I'm surrounded by many specialists. Because of this, I feel a sense of challenge – that I shouldn't just be content as a specialist myself, but need to see the bigger picture and act as a bridge.

Funaki: When I was at Dentsu Digital Inc., we had greater freedom to handle data, including cookies. While the environment has changed since then, I feel it's an organization that responds with a sense of speed.

Asada: Exactly. The digital marketing field is dynamic, requiring us to constantly catch up with the latest trends and act accordingly. I was initially bewildered when I first joined, but everyone in the department adapts and moves with each change, so I try to align my actions with theirs.

DTC handles diverse data and connects it to marketing initiatives with speed. Leveraging this strength, we tackle client challenges daily. In Part 2, we'll explore the perspectives essential for Dentsu Inc. data analysts and the appeal of this role, informed by experiences across various companies.