Advertising serves people and society. The potential of "BORDERLESS CREATIVE" revealed through the "YOMETEL" case study.

How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative expertise 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 time, we introduce "BORDERLESS CREATIVE," a DEI consulting team specializing in the creative field, launched on July 19, 2024.

What kind of team is it, and what kind of creative work are they bringing to the world? We spoke with Mr. Kotaro Abe, a Creative Director and member of the team.

[Kotarō Abe Profile]
Dentsu Inc.
Customer Experience Creative Center
Creative Director
After joining Dentsu Inc., he was assigned to the Human Resources Department. He passed the creative exam and began working as a copywriter in his second year. He is currently part of the Customer Experience Creative Center. He defines his work as "word planning," expanding the power of advertising creativity while engaging across boundaries to connect and collaborate through interactive creative. His publications include: "It Won't Start If You Just Wait: Move Forward Decisively" (Kobundo), "Super Word Techniques to Capture Hearts: Essential Knowledge Even If You're Not a Copywriter" (Diamond Inc.), "That Might Be Your Own Assumption: Practicing 'Interpretation' Unbound by Someone Else's Answers" (Discover 21), and "To the You Who Wasn't Chosen That Day: 7 Notes to Reborn as a New Self" (Diamond Inc.).

BORDERLESS CREATIVE: Solving Society's Challenges Through a DEI Lens

Monthly CX: Please tell us about the "BORDERLESS CREATIVE" team.

Abe: "BORDERLESS CREATIVE" is a DEI consulting team specializing in the creative field. I launched it with Creative Director Yukio Hashiguchi, who is also part of CXCC. DEI stands for "Diversity," "Equity," and "Inclusion," and has become a crucial theme in the creative industry in recent years.

While companies offering DEI-focused consulting are gaining attention overseas, such firms and organizations remain scarce domestically. Our team brings together creators with deep DEI expertise and subject matter experts/specialists to provide end-to-end services—from identifying challenges to planning and production—for advertising campaigns and new business development. We have extensive experience handling diverse DEI-themed creative projects and have won numerous advertising awards.

Abe-san's work: Makeup lessons leveraging the exceptional tactile sensitivity of visually impaired individuals. POLA "Makeup Lessons Without a Mirror"
*Click the image to watch the video

Monthly CX: Could you elaborate on why you launched the team?

Abe: I believe a DEI perspective is indispensable for future creativity.

We see ads that trigger people's insecurities or hurt feelings, and content that goes viral for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes unintended messages spread, which isn't good for either the company or the audience.

To spread socially positive messages, I believe it's crucial to base planning on specialized perspectives, not just avoid problematic expressions. To achieve this, we've systematized our approach to planning and production into the "BORDERLESS CREATIVE METHOD."

Monthly CX: Could you explain specifically what the "BORDERLESS CREATIVE METHOD" entails?

Abe: It's the overall process and approach. In traditional creative workflows, there was often an unspoken boundary between the "client" and the "advertising agency." It was like a clash between the side proposing ideas and the side evaluating them, sometimes leading to intense conflict.

But clients and advertising agencies are teammates moving toward the same goal, right? To achieve this, we create a triangle involving the company's brand manager, the stakeholders/experts, and us, the creators of the advertising. The "BORDERLESS CREATIVE METHOD" is the framework that allows us to leverage each other's expertise to create better content.

Abe: Some might think, "That sounds ideal, but actually doing it is difficult..." However, I believe that when you try this approach, true co-creation emerges, and you begin to see new perspectives.

We also partnered with Sendenkaigi to launch the "BORDERLESS CREATIVE SCHOOL," a program for systematically learning DEI-focused creative. Many corporate brand managers and planners have participated in this course.

About Yometeru, the phone that reads the other person's voice

Monthly CX: Could you also tell us about the case you're handling, Mr. Abe?

Abe: Let me talk about "Yometeru," the phone that reads the other person's voice, which I've been involved with since before the launch of "BORDERLESS CREATIVE." This is a service provided as a public infrastructure based on law, and service provision began on January 23, 2025. Our team was involved in the naming, logo design, and communication development.

Yometeru: The Phone That Reads Voices 30-Second CM
*Click the image to watch the video

Monthly CX: Could you explain the service details?

Abe: Yometeru is a phone app that transcribes the caller's voice into text. It's designed for people who sometimes have difficulty hearing the other party on the phone (hereafter referred to as "people with hearing difficulties"). It can be used bidirectionally 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. By transcribing the caller's voice into text, it facilitates smoother phone communication. It's a legally mandated public infrastructure service.

Currently, it is estimated that over 14 million people in Japan experience hearing difficulties, including age-related hearing loss. Approximately 10% of the entire population experiences some form of hearing difficulty due to various causes.

Previously, the "Telephone Relay Service" existed as a legally mandated public infrastructure. This service enabled immediate, two-way telephone communication between individuals with hearing or speech difficulties and hearing individuals. This was achieved through an operator interpreting the conversation using either "sign language" or "text" and "voice."

On the other hand, "Yometeru" targets registered users who feel they "sometimes cannot hear or have difficulty hearing the other party's voice on the phone" and want to communicate using their own voice. We developed it by thoroughly considering the everyday challenges faced by people with hearing difficulties and how best to convey their messages.

Monthly CX: Have there been any reactions since the release?

Abe: Yes. After launching the service, we received feedback like, "I was so happy I could laugh along with my friend on the phone without having to ask them to repeat themselves," and from someone who became hard of hearing later in life, "It reminded me of the joy of making phone calls." Hearing those comments truly made me happy. I hope Yometeru reaches even more people who need it going forward.

Monthly CX: When creating Yometeru's communication approach, were there any particular points you focused on?

Abe: We established a "Public Relations Strategy Meeting" with the very individuals who would become Yometeru users. We developed the service concept and discussion themes for the "Hard-of-Hearing Roundtable" through repeated dialogue from diverse perspectives.

On top of that, we paid particular attention to the "automated voice guidance" that plays at the start of calls. We discovered that some people would hang up immediately upon first hearing the guidance: "This is Yometeru, a telephone relay service. We will convert your voice into text and display it to the other party. Please speak clearly." Therefore, raising awareness of Yometeru is also a crucial mission for us.

Transportation Advertising

Creating a kinder society through ongoing dialogue

Monthly CX: Please share the insights you gained through Yometeru, Mr. Abe.

Abe: Speaking with people who have hearing difficulties made me realize anew that actual hearing challenges vary so much from person to person. Some experience hearing loss due to aging, while others struggle with high-pitched or low-pitched sounds. Even under the term "hearing loss," the symptoms differ significantly.

By listening carefully to those directly affected, I learned many things—like how they press their phone tightly to their ear when talking on the phone, or consciously use email for exchanging numbers. Through these interviews, I truly feel we can create content that better supports more people.

Furthermore, I believe our job of crafting catchphrases is about catching people's feelings. Personally, I felt even more strongly that I want to be someone who can catch people's feelings, and I want to continue being someone who creates good creative work through repeated dialogue.

Monthly CX: Finally, Mr. Abe, could you tell us about any challenges you'd like to take on in the future?

Abe: Right now, I believe expanding our team is crucial. As the scope of DEI broadens, I firmly believe that when companies actively raise their flags to champion DEI, it will foster a kinder society where people care for one another.

I truly believe advertising and creative work can serve people and society. I genuinely believe we can create something that stays with people not just for a moment, but forever. I want to keep making advertising creative work that serves society, not just advertising itself.

And I want to keep creating "gentle shocks" that change society, slowly but surely. Shocks that shift people's awareness, prompt action, and ultimately steer society toward a better direction. Each project becomes a seed sown for the future, eventually yielding significant change. Believing in this potential, I want to continue working with passion.

(Editor's Note)

This time, we spoke with the DEI consulting team "BORDERLESS CREATIVE," launched on July 19, 2024, specializing in the creative domain, and about "Yometeru," a project handled by its team members.

To create better creative work, a DEI perspective is essential. In this context, I realized that the key lies in how we seek out invisible boundaries (borders), engage in dialogue, and walk alongside them.

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, Ohtani, Okumura, Kosugi, Yi, Saito, Oda, Takakusagi, Kanasaka

・dentsu Japan's DEI site is here
https://www.japan.dentsu.com/jp/deandi/