──Mr. Obuse, with whom and how will you build the future?

dentsu Japan (the domestic Dentsu Group) has established the position of Growth Officer (GO) to spearhead the creation of exemplary cases in key focus areas. For fiscal year 2025, seven individuals were selected from various domains. This series explores the future-oriented perspectives and thinking of the GOs who embody Dentsu Inc.'s vision of being a "True Integrated Growth Partner."

The first installment features GO Noritaka Obuse. What is the "future-building" work that GO Obuse, who also serves as Director of the Future Creative Center, focuses on? And what is his ideal "society where each individual can unleash their creativity"?

Noritaka Kobuse: Growth Officer at Dentsu Inc . / Director of the Future Creative Center. Involved in projects across marketing, promotion, and creative domains with various companies. Appointed Director of the Future Creative Center in 2020, supporting the creation of future value. Handles grand designs for management strategies, vision formulation, symbolic action development, and branding and communication that enhance corporate and business value. Recipient of Cannes Lions 2023 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Lions; ACC 2024 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards; and the Japan Marketing Grand Prix 2024. Also holds numerous other domestic and international awards.

 

The Work of "Future Creation"

──Mr. Obuse, you are both a Growth Officer and the Director of the Future Creative Center, which employs 100 creators. What kind of work or projects have you been focusing on recently?

Obuse: Advertising work is certainly a big part of it, but lately, I've been taking on more work that could be called "shaping the future." For example, we get more and more consultations from people who have a big vision but aren't sure how to get started. These range from "We want to create a town that becomes a role model for Japan's future," "How can we change Japanese education?", or "We want to propose a new kind of travel experience, but how?" to even "We want to create new heroes in the sports world, but how do you think we should do it?"

──What kinds of companies or people bring these kinds of consultations to you?

Obuse: We consult with a wide range of people, including executives from large corporations and startups, athletes, artists, and experts. What they share is a strong desire to change the future. You could say we run alongside their ambitions.

──Why are we seeing an increase in such inquiries from corporate executives?

Obuse: When speaking with corporate executives, I sometimes sense they're a bit weary of problem-solving approaches or are seeking a different perspective.

When you look for problems within a company or organization, you typically find plenty. Tackling them one by one might turn a negative into a zero, but that zero rarely becomes a positive. I sense many executives grapple with this frustration. Against this backdrop, I feel more people are consulting us from a future-creation perspective – asking "What should we do to achieve the future we desire?" – rather than solely focusing on problem-solving approaches.

──So the starting point for projects is the individual's strong convictions and a future-creating perspective.

Obuse: Yes. At a world-renowned Danish business school I visited several years ago, they emphasized connecting future initiatives to one's intrinsic motivation and articulating them in one's own words. They called this "clear voice." They believed that possessing a clear voice is precisely what enables one to move various stakeholders and the world itself.

Indeed, Denmark ranks first globally in competitiveness while also ranking second in happiness. I believe the secret to achieving both strength and happiness lies in the fact that individuals aren't merely following orders; they are proactively initiating things with their own will.

The more we enter an era without clear answers, the less past experience applies. Precisely because we don't know what's right, the attitude of "I will make it right with my own hands" becomes crucial. So, what can we pour such passion into? What is the source of our motivation, fundamentally? I believe we are entering an era where plans for the future emerge from this dialogue with our inner will.

From "Presentation" to "Creative Session"

──Can you share an example of your "future-building" work?

Obuse: The Hokkaido Ballpark F Village (Escon Field HOKKAIDO) development project wasn't about advertising a finished stadium. It was a project where we worked side-by-side with the Fighters from the very beginning—from envisioning what kind of stadium it should be, what kind of town it should become, and what kind of experiences it should offer.

When building a new stadium, we had numerous discussions with the Fighters about the ideal form of the experience, the shape of the facilities, how to differentiate it as a "stadium unique to Hokkaido" from other tourist spots and theme parks, and how to ensure sustainable development after completion. I believe this was a project where we were involved right from the start, in the "future creation" phase, before the advertising itself.

The site at the project's outset. Nothing stood there yet.

A session with the Fighters team where individuals actively shared ideas

The completed Hokkaido Ballpark F Village. Featuring a ballpark, sauna and hot springs, lodging facilities, restaurants, outdoor activity facilities, and more—a destination where everyone from children to adults can enjoy themselves.

Part of the vision book created early in the project as a blueprint for the future. Many of the ideas realized are found here.

──How does the approach to "future-building" work differ from advertising work?

Obuse: In advertising, the established practice has been to receive a "brief sheet" from the client, develop a plan based on it, and then propose it in the form of a "presentation." This is a methodology that clearly separates the client from the proposer.

However, "future-building" work operates in a different, earlier realm than advertising expression production. It often starts from a place where the contours are still vague. Therefore, it's difficult to draw a clear line between request and proposal. Consequently, our approach has evolved into a process where we jointly engage in a back-and-forth movement: exchanging questions and answers, moving between concept and concrete, oscillating between intention and rationality. It's through this iterative process that we refine plans for the future.

This means the quality of that collaborative thinking space directly shapes the quality of the plan itself. So, we've refined our own unique methodology called "Creative Sessions," which is a bit different from what you'd call a typical workshop. It's a challenge to create the very method of creation.

──Could you tell us a bit more about Creative Sessions?

Obuse: Don't you find that typical workshops often feel cumbersome without yielding great plans? Participants propose ideas, group them, stick Post-its, and decide by majority vote... This approach often results in plans that don't surpass the initial proposals.

That's why our Creative Session emphasizes participants building ideas together through dialogue. By layering ideas collectively, we elevate proposals to heights unreachable alone.

To achieve this, we start by framing the session itself as a space for improvisational performance art. We create plans that can only emerge from that specific moment, location, group, and atmosphere—that's how we perceive the space.

Due to corporate confidentiality, I can't say much more, but everyone who experiences it—whether it's good or bad—enthusiastically exclaims, "It was fun!" (laughs). But that's incredibly important. Exciting, future-oriented projects simply won't emerge from tense, high-pressure meeting rooms filled with a stifling atmosphere. Recently, to get away from meeting rooms, we've also been implementing programs that combine short trips—ideal for shedding preconceptions and stretching our thinking.

Fieldwork with a certain company. Experiencing what's actually happening on the ground in the region while considering future strategies

There are two main types of meetings. The higher up you go in management, the more meetings you'll have where decisions are required.

──So rather than proposing plans to clients, you co-create them together.

Obuse: Yes. Of course, as professionals, we thoroughly refine the final proposal, but we discover the seeds of the plan together. Incidentally, when you really think about it, there are many areas with "planning" in the title—management planning, business planning, product planning, HR planning, action planning... Yet, opportunities to learn how to actually create a plan are surprisingly rare. Just the other day, a business leader expressed concern, saying, "Our management planning might just be managing the status quo." They felt their team might only be compiling numbers from below, failing to plan proactive strategies for the future. So, what we do is this: through creative sessions, we collaborate with everyone to brainstorm what we want to achieve. We layer ideas together, then multiply that with our creativity to build plans for the future.

Another key point is that the plans born from these sessions become "plans we created ourselves," not just "plans proposed by Dentsu Inc." Because they originate from within the team, genuine passion and commitment naturally follow. The motivation to realize this plan and drive the project forward grows stronger, creating significant momentum within the client's organization. Considering this, perhaps the very notion that "plans are created solely by advertising agencies" is outdated. By fostering a process where everyone involved feels personally invested, we can generate powerful centripetal force.

A scene from the creative session with the Lotte team. We received feedback like, "You aren't people who bring answers; you're people who help us create answers together."

We are also supporting the branding and action plan for the future of the startup "Heralbony," which won a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions in June 2025.

──These creative sessions that unite everyone's feelings seem like a method for driving change from within a company.

Obuse: I agree. While we often conduct creative sessions with the president and executives, we frequently hear feedback like, "Honestly, we've never had an opportunity like this to freely discuss the company's future with everyone." I suspect the underlying cause is the "problem-splitting disease" prevalent in many companies. By breaking down the challenges a company faces and assigning them to executives, those executives become confined to the perspective of their own assigned domain. Consequently, the organization becomes increasingly siloed. Only tasks and numerical targets are delegated to the front lines, creating work that is merely executed. The result is a state lacking any WILL ("This is how we want the future to be!"). If this state exists within a company, I believe creative sessions—where everyone collaboratively "integrates the vision of the desired future state and the strategies to achieve it," sparking the embers of transformation—hold significant meaning.

By dividing challenges and assigning tasks to individual executives, companies unintentionally fragment themselves.

I also plan and produce the Nikkei-sponsored Well-being Initiative, which brings together diverse companies and executives across industries to devise strategies for building a well-being society.

JAL FUTURE MAP: Visualizing future initiatives developed with JAL team members

──Are creative sessions like this a major part of your work lately?

Obuse: Yes, that's correct. Often, these creative sessions serve as the starting point for projects aimed at enhancing corporate value—whether it's branding and communication, developing actions and experiences, or internal activation initiatives. Precisely because I'm involved in the final output, I believe I'm constantly honing my intuitive sense of what truly resonates with people and what it means to move hearts. This ability to bring that sensibility into abstract strategic discussions is a real strength.

Toward a society where everyone can unleash their creativity

──Are there any societal changes or challenges you're currently watching closely?

Obuse: My team and I often discuss how society as a whole is moving too far toward efficiency and rationalization, potentially losing human creativity. While "systematization" to advance things efficiently is valid, it becomes problematic when it robs people of enjoyment and stifles new ideas. Can't we build a society where each person has more agency and can utilize their creativity? I believe that would lead to a future where each person living there can achieve much greater well-being.

──You mentioned a "society that fosters creativity." How do you define creativity or creative thinking?

Obuse: I see "creativity" as the polar opposite of "uniformity." A uniform world... how to describe it? For example, lately when I get off at a station, the cityscape looks the same everywhere. That's the kind of feeling I mean. It's a state where people are incorporated into a vast, unavoidable system and can't express their individuality. Changing that state, creating a society where each person can express their will—that, I think, is what a "society that harnesses creativity" truly is.

We tend to think of creators as people with special abilities who generate ideas and expressions, but I believe that in the coming era, everyone who lives proactively with a clear voice saying, "I want to create this kind of future!" or "I want to create this kind of society!" is a creator. That's why we see executives with strong wills as creators too. And to take it further, children are already creators at heart, aren't they?

As a side note, outside of my work, I regularly support a program called "Kikaku no Gakko" (The School of Planning) as a personal activity. It's designed to let preschoolers and elementary school students experience the joy of planning. What strikes me there is the magical moment when a child's eyes suddenly sparkle brightly the instant an idea strikes them—that "Aha, I've got it!" moment. Then, they become completely absorbed, jotting down ideas on paper, drawing pictures, and freely expressing whatever comes to mind. That spark of inspiration unleashes a force propelling them forward.

A scene from "Kikaku no Gakko." The children's eyes shone brightly as they explained their own ideas.

Actually, it's the same with executives during creative sessions. The moment an idea strikes, their eyes sparkle, and they lean forward eagerly, saying, "I want to do this! Let's do it!" Witnessing these sparkles in the eyes of both executives and children time and again made me realize that creating these magic moments is perhaps the very essence of planning.

──Finally, considering initiatives like "creating the future" and "a society that harnesses creativity," how do you envision your future role as a Growth Officer?

Obuse: Well, Dentsu Inc. is precisely trying to leap from being an advertising agency into its next phase. Within that, the Dentsu Inc. I envision for the future is a company that accompanies people who want to change the world—not just through advertising, but through their "future creation." By combining our team's top-tier Japanese creativity and production capabilities—conceptualization, articulation, visualization, storytelling, and experiential design—with the visions of diverse individuals, we can generate significant waves of change in society. If this contributes to building a better future, it would be profoundly meaningful. I believe my mission as a Growth Officer is to build a large network of partners dedicated to this future creation.

Through creative sessions, we draw out people's clear voices and shape the future. Obuse GO's thinking and perspective, demonstrating new possibilities for advertising agencies through an approach entirely distinct from traditional ad production, is both original and stimulating. When asked about his own clear voice, Obuse GO revealed his plan to create a "Proposal Museum" displaying the very proposals that sparked numerous projects, and to become its curator. His eyes sparkled as he spoke.