CX (Customer Experience) continues to evolve daily.
How can Dentsu Inc.'s creative expertise contribute to the CX domain, now demanded across every scenario?
To explore this potential, members of Dentsu Inc.'s CX specialist unit, the "CXCC" (Customer Experience Creative Center), share insights on CX and creativity in this series. This is "Monthly CX" ( For more on Monthly CX, click here ).
This time, we introduce "Android KAKOTTE MUSIC: A New Sensation MV to Search and Enjoy!", a promotional campaign for Android's "KAKOTTE Search" feature. This campaign, featuring popular VTubers in its music video, encouraged social media discussions and generated significant buzz. What exactly was the content? What creative approaches were taken during production? We spoke with Shinji Toyoda and Kurumi Aiba, who led the creative team.
(From left) [Profile: Shinji Toyota] Dentsu Inc. Customer Experience Creative Center Creative Director Specializes in 'Integrated Planning' – holistically directing everything from marketing strategy and media planning to CR outputs, designing 360° total brand experiences spanning mass media, digital, social, and PR.
【Kurumi Aiba Profile】 Dentsu Inc. Customer Experience Creative Center Planner / Digital Planner After working in PR and digital departments, she now serves as a planner for video projects ranging from web videos to TV commercials, as well as digital initiatives like SNS posts and online events. She also leverages her hobby of VR to create metaverse experience projects.
※Affiliation and position are as of the time of the interview.
Get Excited with Android! A New Sensation MV Combining Feature Experience × Fan Activities
Monthly CX: Could you tell us about "Search and Enjoy: A New Sensation MV! Android Kakotte MUSIC"?
Unravel Suisei Hoshi! MV / Stellar Stellar【#Android Kakotte MUSIC】 ※Click the image to watch the video
Toyota: As a strategy to promote Android's "Circle Search" feature to Gen Z, we produced a collaborative music video (MV) with Suisei Hoshigai, a popular VTuber among this generation.
"Circle Search" is a feature where circling an object with your finger on the smartphone screen instantly displays search results. For this campaign, we recreated Suisei's room on set and placed over 20 items—including her mementos and favorite things—to encourage her fans to search while watching the MV.
A key feature is its three-stage structure: not just introducing the feature in the MV, but actively encouraging searches; prompting users to post their search results or imaginative ideas on social media; and having Suisei explain stories related to the items during a live stream after the MV release.
【#Android Kakotte MUSIC】Explanation Stream ※Click the image to watch the video
Aiba: As a novel type of MV, it became a major topic on social media, receiving over 70,000 reactions on X (including reposts). It garnered 300,000 views within one day of release, and the live stream had 10,700 concurrent viewers. We received over 1,800 positive reactions like "Kakotte Search is convenient" and "I want to use Android."
Monthly CX: Please tell us how this campaign came about.
Toyoda: It started with the client's request: "We want Gen Z to experience Android's convenience and get excited about it."
To highlight the fun and convenience of KAKOTTE Search, we knew we needed a mechanism that would make people want to search more and more. The team brainstormed ideas, and the concept we ultimately arrived at was combining music with fan activities.
Monthly CX: Within the music × fan activities context, why did you decide to feature VTubers?
Aiba: Since VTubers' real lives are less visible, we thought fans might naturally become curious about the items they use daily and want to search for them. Plus, many VTuber fans are Gen Z and active on social media, making them a great fit for this campaign.
Monthly CX: Among the many VTubers out there, I'm curious why you chose Hoshimachi-san.
Aiba: Ms. Hoshimachi has over 2.8 million channel subscribers and is pioneering new frontiers for VTubers as a music artist. She was the perfect fit for a campaign centered around an MV. So, we proposed a story to the client where fans explore her roots through "Stellar Stellar," which is also her debut song. They accepted this concept.
Behind the scenes of creating an unprecedented MV combining various technologies
Monthly CX: I hear there were some challenges in producing the MV.
Aiba: Yes. This MV transitions between 2D, 3DCG, and live-action footage. Most typical VTubers' MVs are produced using only 2D or 3DCG. An MV combining all three had very few precedents, making it quite difficult to explain to the client.
An MV fusing 2D, 3DCG, and live-action
Toyoda: We really struggled with creating the visuals for the transitions from live-action backgrounds to 2D. To achieve a smooth transition rather than an abrupt change, the director carefully calculated the timing and direction, resulting in beautifully finished footage.
A scene from the MV
Monthly CX: What are the key points of this MV?
Toyoda: We faithfully recreated the room that appears as the background during Hoshimachi-san's regular livestreams. The art staff poured their entire effort into building the wonderful room fans imagine.
Aiba: We thought, "If it were her own room, she'd choose clothes to wear or relax on the bed," so we deliberately included scenes that hint at such private moments. While the main target audience for this project is Hoshimachi's fans, I believe we've created an MV that makes other VTubers' fans think, "I'd love to see my favorite's room too."
A scene from the MV
Monthly CX: Were there any UX considerations you focused on?
Toyoda: We were careful not to make it feel like overtly promotional content. Gen Z tends to avoid ads, but if it's fun, participatory, experiential content, they'll enjoy it regardless of whether it's advertising.
On top of that, to encourage social media talk, we consciously designed the first installment—the MV—to create an experience that makes people want to search for "kakotte." Finally, having Hoshi-machi reveal the secret during the live stream I think led to a sense of satisfaction for the fans.
Aiba: From a UX perspective, we thought about what kind of "item would make people instinctively want to search for it." We made selections within various constraints, like excluding things that were already easy to find in image searches or had large product names... We also thoroughly tested the number of seconds visible on a smartphone screen and the angles, and put thought into how to present it for easy searching.
The timing paid off, reaching new fans too
Monthly CX: You mentioned 70,000 reactions. What do you think drove this level of excitement?
Aiba: The item included a photo of Tokyo Dome, where Hoshimachi-san's dream of a "Tokyo Dome live" was revealed for the first time. Since the Budokan live was already decided around the time the MV was released, showing the next step became a delightful surprise for fans.
Additionally, the timing of the MV release coincided with increased media exposure for Hoshi-machi-san, such as the announcement the following month that she would sing the ending theme for the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX." This alignment also contributed to the campaign's momentum.
Monthly CX: Were there any particularly memorable comments on social media?
Aiba: We saw comments like "The MV quality is high," "I'm happy they recreated the streaming room," and "I used the search feature for the first time and it was convenient." Hearing feedback about both the MV and Android features made me happy too.
Toyoda: We also saw comments like "Android users are so lucky," "I'm proud to be an Android user," and "Now I can use Android with confidence." Creating excitement and satisfaction about Android's features was a major achievement.
We want to create promotions that are a win-win-win for viewers, participants, and clients.
Monthly CX: What insights did you gain from this campaign?
Aiba: The immense power of fans. Personally, I'm a fan of VTuber artists like Hoshi Machi, and I felt we expressed that love for the artist through the MV. I think having that unique fan perspective on the production side is why fans who share that same passion responded. If we had just introduced "Kakotte Search" as a feature, I don't think we would have captured the fans' attention.
I always prioritize win-win scenarios, focusing first on ensuring viewers enjoy the content. Ultimately, I believe that's what creates the greatest reach. Fans win by gaining deeper insight into the artist, the artist wins by seeing fans delighted, and the broader reach benefits the client. Fan marketing is crucial for making everyone involved happy, and I believe its production requires both love and meticulous attention to detail.
Toyoda: What truly matters is, quite literally, "Customer Experience (CX)." It's not just about rephrasing features in a fun way for ads; it's about how we make consumers enjoy their experience with the brand. Creating such experiences is something only Dentsu Inc., with its deep understanding of consumers, can achieve. In today's era, isn't it the accumulation of these CX moments that leads to a client's growth?
For this campaign, we challenged the client and, as "professionals who delight consumers," pushed through our own perspective. After it concluded, the client told us, "We're glad you stood your ground and pushed your opinion then." It reaffirmed for me that standing on the side of consumers (fans) and communicating opinions with genuine passion is crucial, and that such actions lead to results.
Monthly CX: What challenges do you want to take on next?
Aiba: For KAKOTTE MUSIC, we've released the second installment featuring ChroNoiR and the third featuring VOLTACTION. We've also confirmed a collaboration MV with ROF-MAO for release around the end of December. Looking ahead, it would be exciting to expand beyond VTubers to include real-world talents, influencers, and characters.
Personally, I want to create ads that make viewers feel happy and naturally want to engage with them.
Toyoda: I want to challenge initiatives that make everyone happy, driven by the same passion as our fans. Beyond just virtual content, I want to work on initiatives that amplify user voices across all domains—games, anime, dramas, and more.
(Editor's Note)
This time, we introduced the promotional campaign "Search and Enjoy a New Sensation MV! Android Kakotte MUSIC" for the Android feature "Kakotte Search".
As fandom activities become more widespread, fan marketing techniques are diversifying. Through this campaign, I realized that no matter how methods change, "consideration for others" and "affection" remain crucial—without them, achieving goals would be impossible.
If you have requests for future topics or case studies, 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
The information published at this time is as follows.
After working in PR and digital departments, currently serves as a planner involved in video planning (from web videos to TV commercials) and digital initiatives like SNS posts and online events. Also creates metaverse experience projects leveraging his hobby of VR.
The editorial team for "Monthly CX," a series where members of Dentsu Inc.'s CX-specialized division "CXCC" share insights on CX and creativity. By covering outstanding CX creative success stories within the agency or company, we unravel the essence and potential of CX creativity. Core members are Yoko Kibata, Hiroshi Koike, Nao Otani, Hirono Okumura, Yutaro Kosugi, Espin, Keisuke Saito, Kenji Oda, Hirozumi Takakusagi, and Motofumi Kanasaka, all belonging to CXCC.
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