Co-creating the future with Aoyama Gakuin, partner companies, and Dentsu Inc.

In September 2024, Aoyama Gakuin University's Faculty of Culture, Media and Society and Dentsu Inc.'s Future Creative Lead (FC) Office launched a lecture series on co-creating corporate futures through project design ( see release here ).

Titled "AOGAKU PROJECT DESIGN CENTER".

Transforming university lectures—often passive experiences focused on earning credits or receiving instruction—into a source of proactive, "active" engagement. Furthermore, treating the lecture itself as a project, enabling the various actions and initiatives born from it to be stockpiled as corporate ideas. With this vision of the future in mind, Professor Yutaka Morishima (Faculty of Comprehensive Culture and Policy Studies, leading the seminar) and the participating university students—a new cohort of producers—embarked on this challenge.

Future Creative Lead (FC) Office  
We serve as the lead function for Dentsu Inc.'s cross-organizational "Future Creative Center," comprising over 90 creators and producers. Our mission is to confront questions without clear answers and demonstrate the potential of creativity, supporting diverse future creation projects.

What is Project Design?

The diagram below systematically organizes the thought process behind our "Project Design" production work. Rather than viewing challenges or phenomena as isolated "points," we transcend timeframes and action boundaries to gain an overview of the whole. From there, we discover the project's potential, design the concept, and bring it to fruition. We hope this serves as one guidepost.

Please refer to the steps below for specifics.

The inaugural lecture served as a prologue, introducing this "Project Design" concept. Moving forward, we plan to actively engage partners from Shunkado, BEAMS, and AMUSE to implement Project Design in practice.

Toward a "Flexible Co-creation Space" for Students and Partners

This is Yahana from the FC Office. I'm launching this project alongside Professor Morishima and driving this lecture forward. It all began in the fall of 2023. While Professor Morishima was visiting Princeton University as a visiting researcher, we happened to meet there. We exchanged a casual greeting, saying, "When I return to Japan, I'd like to work on something together." Professor Morishima's motto is "I want students to realize their own potential and move forward." That sentiment perfectly embodies the belief we hold in the FC Office—that through planning and production, we aim to "visualize the potential of our partners, society, and the future through creativity."

That's precisely why I strongly believe this lecture should not be a place where Dentsu Inc. teaches students something. Instead, it should be a place where we at Dentsu Inc. join together to seek out inspiration, discover new things, and learn. And where we take on challenges with our partners to create value.

At this stage, we've just finished the first lecture, and nothing has truly begun yet. Even so, I'm convinced that precisely because we're envisioning the future we want to reach through "Project Design" thinking, it can be realized. What lies ahead? Can the future vision of this project, discussed with Professor Morishima, be realized? What challenges and boundaries will we encounter? What learning experiences await us? Together with our fellow students, our partner guests, and the creative directors and producers who enrich the lectures, I look forward to learning while enjoying diverse stimuli. As Dentsu Inc. and the FC Office, we aim to challenge ourselves toward a new future.

24 Fall Semester Curriculum (Tentative)

I'm Funabiki from the Second Marketing Bureau, also part of this project team. Having not interacted with this many university students since entering the workforce, we approached the first day with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. The moment we entered the classroom and saw them greet us so brightly, we sensed the positive atmosphere of this seminar and felt a strong premonition that this initiative would be enriched by the students themselves.

Regarding "Project Design," which I thought might be difficult to grasp fully in the first lecture, reading their post-lecture reflections revealed a surprising level of understanding. I was also impressed by the deep interpretations each student independently arrived at.

Several years have passed since the term "Generation Z" emerged. Working daily in marketing, I face the reality that lumping them together can no longer find their needs and insights. Precisely because we live in an era of increasingly fragmented interests and preferences, the genuine voices of students who passionately engage with challenges are invaluable. I aim to co-create with Aoyama Gakuin students, turning overlooked perspectives into new projects, and make this a fresh, meaningful initiative for Dentsu Inc.

What is the significance of the project envisioned by Professor Morishima and Aoyama Gakuin students?

Following the first lecture, we received comments from the professor and students. Here are some excerpts that convey their enthusiasm.

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From the very first class with Dentsu Inc. representatives, we could clearly see a change in the students. Those who hadn't realized Dentsu Inc.'s significant impact on society and culture were genuinely excited upon learning this fact. The moment they grasped the possibility of engaging with a world they once thought unreachable, their minds and intellects were stimulated, and we could feel them overflowing with joy. 'I wanted to know, but never had the chance before.' 'I wanted to challenge myself, but never got the opportunity.' The students' previously suppressed feelings were evident in their active participation in the lectures. I am very much looking forward to seeing what ideas these students, having absorbed what they learned, will generate."
Yutaka Morishima (Professor, Faculty of Integrated Culture and Policy, Aoyama Gakuin University)

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"While my heart leapt at the chance to try something new, I also felt a surge of ambition, realizing that if I kept thinking only about finding the right answer, I wouldn't stand a chance. What struck me was the keyword 'storytelling' in planning. Seeing the case studies, I felt my heart warm despite having no particular attachment to them. That was the experience of 'stories move people.' Throughout this semester, I'm determined to confront the curiosity I've timidly kept caged, break free from self-imposed frameworks, and cultivate the courage to challenge the unknown."

The statement 'There is no single right answer at Dentsu Inc. Our approach is to guide the chosen path toward the right answer' showed me a more substantive and high-resolution way of being as a project producer. I am very much looking forward to the days of learning ahead, and my heart leaps at the thought of what new discoveries await.

"Gradually, I found myself unable to hold onto great hope for society or myself, instead feeling a sense of stagnation and powerlessness. However, through this lecture, I sense hope that perhaps I can break through this barrier. I believe an active stance is necessary—one where I think and learn for myself, rather than taking a passive attitude."

(From student comments)

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This series will report on the actual collaborative sessions, including seminars with partner companies and ideas generated by students.