Creating CX to make people love advertising as advertising. Why the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem" promotion succeeded.

How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative team contribute to the ever-evolving field of CX (Customer Experience)? "Monthly CX" is a series where members of Dentsu Inc.'s CX specialist division, the "CXCC" (Customer Experience Creative Center), share insights ( For more on Monthly CX, click here ).

This installment focuses on the promotional campaign for the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem," which began streaming on March 21, 2024.

This campaign, which included a collaboration with Weathernews to take over Shibuya's Scramble Crossing and influencer partnerships, generated significant buzz, particularly on social media. We spoke with Creative Director Yukio Hashiguchi, who handled the planning and direction, about the background behind the campaign and the reasons for its success.

[Profile: Yukio Hashiguchi]
Dentsu Inc.
Customer Experience Creative Center
Creative Director / Copywriter
Notable works include the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem," the "Tomorrow May Never Come" campaign, World Innocence Day's "Truth Can Be Bent," Nidec's "Moving the World. Changing the Future," and ITOCHU Corporation's "What Do You Want to Be? Exhibition? with Barbie." Founder and leader of the DEI-focused creative team BORDERLESS CREATIVE. Recipient of numerous domestic and international advertising awards. Author of "Word Diet" and "100-Idea Thinking." Over 24,000 X followers. Enjoys watching movies.

Recreating iconic scenes from the work to create an impactful approach beyond original fans

Monthly CX: First, could you briefly explain this campaign?

Hashiguchi: This promotion aimed to widely convey the appeal of the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem" in Japan. The original work is a long-form science fiction novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin, a bestseller with over 29 million copies sold worldwide.

For this project, we implemented two main initiatives to convey the grand world of "The Three-Body Problem." One was the OOH campaign "You Are Insects" created in collaboration with Weathernews.

"The Three-Body Problem" is, roughly speaking, a story about evil aliens called the "Three-Body People" invading Earth. To recreate a famous scene from the novel where the aliens take over all digital signage on Earth and display the message "You are vermin" to declare war, we collaborated with Weathernews to take over Shibuya's Scramble Crossing.

Hashiguchi: When caster Yui Komaki was about to announce tomorrow's weather, an error suddenly appeared on the screen displaying "YOU ARE BUGS." Seeing Weathernews's familiar footage hijacked at Shibuya Scramble Crossing, a symbolic location in Japan, offered Japanese viewers the thrill of witnessing a familiar reality being disrupted.

Monthly CX: That's an impactful campaign that would surprise even people unfamiliar with the work.

Hashiguchi: The intention was to appeal to a broad audience beyond just fans of the original work.

Another initiative featured three Japanese influencers: BossB, Juju, and Koyakki.

Just as the scientists' reality was shattered by the alien invasion in the work, the influencers were hijacked, and their usual videos gradually became bizarre. We asked influencers whose content aligns with the work's context of space, physics, and sci-fi, aiming to expand awareness and stimulate viewing interest among potential fans of the work.

Monthly CX: How was the response?

Hashiguchi: Both received an enormous response. The OOH campaign became a hot topic on social media and in the press. Beyond original fans, Komaki-san's fans from Weathernews actively shared it too. I believe the campaign's alignment with both The Three-Body Problem and Weathernews's contexts significantly contributed to its spread.

The influencer campaign also achieved exceptionally high TikTok video views and engagement rates, far exceeding normal levels and receiving great acclaim. Furthermore, while using influencers who don't show their faces was relatively uncommon in the past, this aspect also earned high praise from marketing experts. Users commented, "That's Netflix for you" and "I didn't even realize it was an ad." That's exactly the kind of reaction we wanted to elicit, so it was incredibly gratifying.

Monthly CX: Could you also tell us what sparked the project?

Hashiguchi: I'm a fan of the original novel, and I also admire the work of the creators who adapted it for the screen. So, I made a pitch to Netflix myself. After going through the orientation process, this project came together.

Monthly CX: So it all started with your unsolicited proposal, Mr. Hashiguchi.

Hashiguchi: Yes. "The Three-Body Problem" is already extremely popular in the US, Europe, and other Western markets. The fact that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, executive producers of "Game of Thrones," were adapting the novel generated buzz, and it was expected to be a hit overseas.

However, whether the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem" would be accepted in the Japanese market was an unknown. This is because the Japanese market is quite unique, with Korean dramas and domestic anime dominating the top rankings.

Furthermore, much of the content in Japan revolves around celebrities, and given the differences in reception between overseas and Japan, it was predicted that "The Three-Body Problem" would struggle. In this situation, we focused on how to convey the appeal of "The Three-Body Problem" to the Japanese audience when planning the project.

*Game of Thrones = An American television drama series that became a global social phenomenon. Based on George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" (TV series aired from 2011 to 2019; the original work is still unfinished as of January 2025).

We focused on creating a CX that would make people love the ad as an ad.

Monthly CX: Please tell us what you were particularly particular about in the creative aspects of this campaign.

Hashiguchi: We were very conscious of creating a project that would become a topic of conversation for the whole world, rather than just a grassroots buzz for fans of the original work. Of course, it was also important to fuel the enthusiasm of core fans of the original work in Japan, including myself. However, we felt that relying solely on that would give the impression that it was a niche work, and that it would not be something that a large number of people could enjoy. Netflix also expected us to present it as a major science fiction work.

Purely in terms of advertising impact, digital alone could have sufficed. But to truly convey the scale of this massive entertainment project, we put significant effort into the Shibuya Scramble Crossing takeover campaign.

Monthly CX: I imagine the presence of Weathernews as a collaborator was also significant.

Hashiguchi: To be honest, I wasn't sure if collaborating with Weathernews would be possible at first. It was a rather edgy concept, and we had planned for the possibility of it not working out. But the planner working on the project with us was adamant, saying, "It has to be Weathernews."

When we actually secured the collaboration and entered the studio, I was convinced the planner was right. Having an announcer speak in an actual weather forecast studio carries significant meaning and delivers a power only the real thing can provide.

Weather News forecasts serve as societal infrastructure, so we were conscious of striking the right balance, as making light of them could risk negative reactions.

Monthly CX: We'd also like to hear about the aspect where you focused the most effort from a CX perspective.

Hashiguchi: The moment something is perceived as an advertisement, the user experience often suffers. Even excellent content can easily be dismissed as "Oh, it's just an ad after all." That said, if you merely remove the surface-level ad-like qualities, it becomes stealth advertising.

Therefore, we prioritized a delicate nuance: creating something that doesn't look like an ad, yet can be loved as an ad.

When selecting influencers, we deliberately avoided genres like film or drama critics. This was also Netflix's preference, as when critics promote movies or dramas through PR, it can feel overly promotional. The best compliment we received was comments from users saying, "I didn't even realize it was an ad."

Creating experiences that consider not just "Customers" but "Citizens"

Monthly CX: As a creator, what do you find appealing about engaging with overseas sci-fi content like The Three-Body Problem?

Hashiguchi: Personally, I think the appeal of SF is that it often depicts future worlds, providing an opportunity to step back and see what kind of beings we modern people are. Immersing yourself in the unreal world of the story allows for metacognition about your own challenges and career. The popularity of philosophy and liberal arts, beyond SF, might stem from a growing need to view oneself objectively.

Furthermore, watching foreign dramas and films—not just The Three-Body Problem—offers the advantage of understanding what the world's leading creators are grappling with. I might get flak from movie and drama enthusiasts for saying this, but there's an aspect to enjoying these works akin to reading business books that decipher global trends. I believe such perspectives contribute to creativity to some degree.

Monthly CX: How do you envision Dentsu Inc. engaging with clients in the CX domain moving forward?

Hashiguchi: It's hard to sum up in one sentence. Fundamentally, I see the interaction between Dentsu Inc. and clients as an experience itself. I seriously consider what we can do to make clients enjoy working with us. Creating advertising is fundamentally a very enjoyable process, and I want to make not only the output but also the process itself a fun experience.

On top of that, I hope we can have solid discussions with clients. I believe it's crucial to think earnestly about the challenges while continuously considering objective approaches to meet the client's requests. As a creator, I might have ambitions to win awards, but if that personal desire becomes transparent, trust from the client would vanish instantly. I think a pure, healthy stoicism is important – respecting the other party while focusing on solving the problem.

Monthly CX: We'd like to hear your definition of "excellent CX," Mr. Hashiguchi.

Hashiguchi: I believe an excellent CX experience is one that contributes to the happiness and enriched lives of those who encounter the creative work.

While the "C" in CX stands for "Customer," I interpret it more broadly as "Citizen." Therefore, I constantly strive to create experiences for these Citizens.

People have many facets; being a customer or consumer is just one small part. I want to pursue CX that respects the whole person as a Citizen and can become an irreplaceable experience.

Monthly CX: Finally, could you tell us what challenges you'd like to take on next?

Hashiguchi: Building on this experience, I want to actively challenge myself to create content that conveys the appeal of works that are huge hits overseas but haven't gained much traction domestically to Japanese users.

I also feel that Japanese people are increasingly turning away from foreign culture, not just dramas, but also foreign films and music. In an era where global content is easily accessible, I believe an inward-looking attitude focused solely on Japanese content is not ideal from the perspective of cultural diversity.

Since the ways people enjoy content differ between Japan and overseas, there's still an unknown aspect to figuring out the right approach. However, I want to continue working on projects that improve people's lives and, ultimately, the world, leveraging this experience.

(Editor's Note)

This time, we spoke about the promotional campaign for the Netflix series "The Three-Body Problem."

The conversation was packed with insights on how to deliver great content to more people, and hearing about the interpretation of the "C" in CX greatly broadened my perspective.

If you have requests for future case studies or themes, please send a message to the Monthly CX Editorial Department via the contact page below. Thank you for your continued readership.

Monthly CX Editorial Department
Dentsu Inc. CXCC: Kibata, Koike, Otani, Okumura, Kosugi, Yi, Saito, Oda, Takakusagi, Kanasaka