──GO Kojima, how will you evolve Business Production?

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 Growth Officers (GO) who embody Dentsu Inc.'s vision of being a "True Integrated Growth Partner."

This installment features Ryo Kojima, GO responsible for the Business Production domain. Leveraging his extensive experience working directly with clients, he is dedicated to supporting and strengthening dentsu Japan's front-end functions. What is the next-generation front-end model envisioned by GO Kojima?

 

Redefining Front-End Functions with a Cross-Dentsu Japan Perspective

──First, could you tell us about your current role as Growth Officer?

Kojima: Since becoming Growth Officer at dentsu Japan in 2024, I've been responsible for the Business Production domain.

Business production, as the name suggests, means producing business. At Dentsu Inc., this role is carried out by over 20 business production bureaus and the business producers who serve as the company's frontline, engaging directly with clients.

I see my job as re-evaluating the front-line functions of each group company from a dentsu Japan-wide perspective, optimizing and evolving them from the client's viewpoint, the field's viewpoint, and the management viewpoint.

Currently, my work consists of three main areas.

First is supporting and strengthening front-line departments through the Business Production Strategy Office. From a cross-organizational position, we provide knowledge and solutions to field divisions, respond to evolving marketing methodologies, and approach new clients from a management strategy perspective.

Second is the evolution of our client portfolio. While Dentsu Inc. serves a wide range of clients, there are industries and companies with which we have no direct connection. However, looking at the group as a whole, there are diverse cases where companies may not have a direct relationship with Dentsu Inc. itself, but are clients of DENTSU SOKEN INC. or work with Dentsu Digital Inc. We aim to re-evaluate these relationships from a group-wide perspective and evolve our client connections.

Third is strengthening collaboration among front-end departments across dentsu Japan. The key is not vertical integration, but flat collaboration where each group company leverages its strengths. This is because having diverse group companies with distinct areas of expertise act as the front end, with Dentsu Inc. providing back-end support, can sometimes enhance and broaden the value delivered to clients.

──So when optimizing front-end functions from a group perspective, moving away from vertical structures is essential.

Kojima: Exactly. To be honest, when I was at Dentsu Inc., I didn't fully grasp this myself. I was so focused on facing the client that I sometimes lacked the perspective of facing the client as a whole group. It's only in the last two years or so that I've been able to see things from a cross-group, bird's-eye view.

Based on my own experience, the mindset of members working hard on the business front lines doesn't change easily. No matter how much management explains concepts, that alone won't get the front lines on board. What I believe is crucial here is accumulating success stories, even small ones, within actual work. Through that, the front lines will understand, become convinced, and their mindset will shift.

Leveraging the Strength of Being an Outsider

──As a business producer at Dentsu Inc. and part of the front line at dentsu Japan, how do you think you should be perceived by clients?

Kojima: What I always emphasize is "Leverage the strength of being an outsider."

Some might think that a good business producer or front-line staff member should become one with the client, becoming part of their team. That's certainly not wrong, but precisely because we are external, we can objectively observe the client's thinking and actions. Sometimes, we can even bring to light challenges the client themselves hasn't recognized. For the client, too, in the long run, such a presence is invaluable, isn't it?

──What skills are required of front-line personnel, including business producers?

Kojima: It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but I believe it comes down to human skills (interpersonal abilities). Specifically, I prioritize three skills for moving people:

The first is "finding meaning."

Every challenge a client faces is unique. Moreover, these challenges are always new; no one has solved them before, and no one knows the answer. There is no single correct solution. Precisely because of this, it's crucial not to search for answers within existing frameworks, but to fundamentally reexamine why the challenge is important in the first place – to question its meaning. The ability to discern the essence of the challenge is what's required.

When clients brief us, they usually already have a hypothesis for the answer. Our job is to constantly ask: "Why this particular brief?" and "Could there be another hypothesis the client hasn't considered?" Our true value is determined by whether we can keep asking these questions and uncover meaning.

The second is "connecting."

One crucial task for producers is assembling teams for each project, bringing together creators, marketing planners, and others. Traditionally, teaming often felt more like "collecting" people. But going forward, the perspective of "connecting" becomes vital. It's not just about gathering people; connecting them creates new meaning and value.

There's a term called "connecting the dots." What's becoming important is the skill of building teams not just as a collection of dots, but by connecting them to create a picture.

Third is "backcasting (future-starting)." This is a way of working where you first define your target future vision and then work backward from there to determine what needs to be done now.

When you work by forecasting from the present, you inevitably end up with an overwhelming number of things to check and verify, and you can even lose sight of the goal midway. On the other hand, when you first decide on the "desired future" together with the client and then work backwards from there, you can work with unconstrained, free thinking, and both the team and yourself can move in a challenging way.

Rather than constantly viewing things from the present position and wondering what to do, it's crucial to first share with the client the "ideal we're aiming for" – even if it seems unattainable – and then work together to think about what we can do to get there.

Standing in front, not above

──How do you perceive the changes in society and business over the past decade?

Kojima: What I feel most strongly is the change in clients. There's a paradigm shift underway, moving from a "human-centric" approach where people design and define things to a data-driven "data-centric" approach.

In the past, advertising agencies provided value to clients by uncovering consumer insights through consumer research. However, with the evolution of digital technology, clients themselves have become holders of diverse and vast amounts of data.

Additionally, the mobility of marketing talent has increased, particularly through job-based hiring models. The job market for professionals with backgrounds at foreign companies, platform companies, and mega-startups is thriving. As a result, more clients are establishing specialized marketing departments, leading to a dramatic improvement in both marketing skills and business knowledge.

Meanwhile, the influence of media has also undergone significant change. The rise of social media has transformed how products sell compared to the heyday of mass media. We're moving from an era where exposure to advertising led a certain percentage of people to buy a product to one where the emphasis is shifting from buying to experiencing.

For large-scale clients, it has become an era where acquiring new customers is increasingly difficult. Seeing cases where new business models, such as so-called D2C Inc. (Direct to Consumer) brands, are gaining customers, I feel marketing is undergoing a major transformation.

――Amid this dramatic shift in marketing approaches, where does dentsu Japan see future opportunities?

Kojima: Among foreign clients, the term "End-to-End" is frequently used. It refers to where marketing begins and where it ends, though this varies by client. It could start with a smartphone and end at a physical store, or begin with a product and end with a person's hands. However, in a broad sense, the endpoint is generally the consumer or end-user – the "customer" for the client.

So, where does it begin? After thinking about this for the past decade or so, I've come to believe that a true, or rather, desired form of marketing is a continuous loop that "begins with the customer and ends with the customer."

Why? Because while we think we know our customers, there's actually still so much we don't know. Understanding that can expand our marketing perspective.

For example, data collected by the client themselves reveals insights about current customers and fans, but it's difficult to gain knowledge about those outside this circle—the "non-customers." In such cases, looking at data held by partner companies or third parties might provide clues to understanding future customers.

As in this example, if we can discern what the client hasn't noticed and make valuable proposals, that's where we see an opportunity for dentsu Japan.

――To make such valuable proposals, I imagine cultivating next-generation talent is crucial. How do you approach talent development in frontline departments?

Kojima: At Dentsu Inc. and dentsu Japan, including dentsu, we engage in diverse development programs. Personally, rather than focusing on management, I want to contribute to development by giving a push to those who might feel resistance or fear toward change.

――What does "giving them a push" entail specifically?

Kojima: Rather than discussing concepts abstractly, I believe giving someone a push means helping them overcome challenges together in real work situations, thereby reducing their resistance or fear of change. In that sense, it's closer to leadership than management.

Even if I, as a Growth Officer, go to the front lines and say, "Let's do this together," the team might still feel uncomfortable. Even so, if working together within that delicate balance of management and leadership can give someone a sense of security, if it becomes a catalyst for them to clear one hurdle, I think that's wonderful.

Ultimately, I think it boils down to the difference between standing above or standing ahead. My personal aspiration is not to stand above, but to stand ahead. I believe that would be a wonderful way to work.

――Finally, how do you envision your mission and role as a Growth Officer moving forward?

Kojima: At dentsu Japan, Growth Officers stand as corporate functions, each possessing specialized skills like AI, content, or risk management. Within that, I sometimes question whether business production—my area of responsibility—is truly a specialized skill.

But if this is indeed considered a specialized skill, I want to make an effort to leave behind something like tacit knowledge gained through practice for the future.

Technique and skill advancement are certainly important, but ultimately, I believe what matters is a modern reinterpretation of that DNA-like philosophy cultivated by the history of Dentsu Inc. and its group companies. Just as I once admired my seniors at Dentsu Inc., I think this modern interpretation is crucial.

---

Kojima GO, who spoke about how difficult it was to maintain an overview of the entire group while working on the front lines of Dentsu Inc.'s business production, noted that this experience now informs his current work. He stays attuned to the feelings of those on the ground while providing insights into new perspectives. Even taking just one teaming skill – the shift from "Collect" to "Connect" – he could sense the next-generation frontline model we should aim for.