The Cutting Edge of Marketing Strategies Utilizing Short Dramas: The Dentsu Group’s Initiatives

In the rapidly expanding short-form video market, interest and demand for utilizing short dramas in corporate marketing activities are on the rise.

During a session at “Advertising Week Asia 2025” (held over three days from Tuesday, December 2, 2025, to Thursday, December 4, 2025, in Tokyo), Naoki Kodama of Dentsu Inc.’s Customer Experience Creative Center andand Yuichi Emura of SEPTENI CO.,LTD, who provided insights on the latest trends in the short drama sector and approaches to leveraging them for marketing, drawing on specific case studies. Ryo Ishikawa of Dentsu Inc. Innovation Initiative served as the moderator.

The Continually Growing Global Short Drama Market

At the start of the session, the growth outlook for the global short drama market was shared. Mr. Ishikawa noted that the market is projected to reach $26 billion (4–5 trillion yen) by 2030. Assuming this market expansion, he explored how companies should approach this trend, drawing on the current state of short drama utilization and case studies in Japan.

Classifying Short Dramas into Four Categories

Next, Mr. Kodama broadly categorized short dramas into “free viewing on social media” and “paid viewing on streaming apps,” then organized them into four types from a corporate utilization perspective.

Regarding the free viewing segment on social media, Mr. Kodama noted three patterns for corporate use: (1) tie-ups with creator accounts, (2) posting content on the company’s own accounts, and (3) launching dedicated short drama accounts. He added that, as a fourth pattern, corporate utilization is also increasing in the paid viewing segment on streaming apps.

Mr. Emura added, “Especially on a global scale, China is quite far ahead in this area, and we’re even seeing structures that are similar to companies co-producing movies,” suggesting that similar trends could spread in Japan as well. Regarding the viewing habits of younger audiences, Mr. Ishikawa summarized, “Amid growing attention on the shift away from television among people in their teens through their mid-20s, their attention is shifting to social media.”

Implementation Methods: Case Studies

Case Study 1: Sponsored Content on Creator Accounts (Aiful)
Mr. Emura introduced Aiful’s initiative as an example of a collaboration on a creator’s account. The goal was to improve brand favorability; they posted three times a year for a total of six episodes, and the results showed that the six videos combined garnered nearly 29 million views. He particularly emphasized that they achieved this reach solely through organic views—without any paid advertising—meaning they achieved this reach using only production costs.

Case Study 2: Content on a Company’s Own Account (Mizkan “Kantan Su Tomato”)
Next, Mr. Emura presented the case study of Mizkan’s “Kantan Su Tomato.” The campaign aimed to boost awareness, brand favorability, and purchase intent, and the four videos garnered over 17 million views. Mr. Emura noted that it was “particularly noteworthy” that such strong results were achieved even without a sponsored partnership, while explaining that “the growth trajectory varies significantly across platforms depending on the quality of the creative.”

Case Study 3: Full-Length Drama Within an App × Clip Videos Shared on Social Media (Bump)
The third case study introduced a model where a full-length episode resembling a brand story was created within a subscription-based streaming app, while multiple clip versions were distributed across social media to expand reach. Using the streaming-only app Bump as an example, Mr. Emura explained that “distributing content within the app can generate tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views,” adding that “since a single clip can be viewed tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of times, the total view count can ultimately reach tens of millions.”Mr. Kodama emphasized that this approach “ensures quality, reach, and volume.” Mr. Ishikawa also noted that “operational expertise—such as deciding which parts to extract, how long to make them, and how many clips with different angles to release—is crucial.”

The Value Created by the “Engagement × Virality” Loop

In the second half of the session, the panel discussed why short dramas are effective from the perspectives of engagement and virality. Mr. Kodama explained that the strength of short dramas lies in the fact that the drama’s world-building fosters emotional immersion, allowing corporate messages to be delivered naturally within that context. He further noted that active reactions such as “likes” and “shares” drive virality, ultimately creating “a hybrid of content marketing and community-building initiatives.”

Mr. Ishikawa pointed out the importance of “retaining” users who arrive via clipped clips and other channels, and emphasized the need to capture their reactions and use that feedback to inform future production and processes. Mr. Kodama also expressed his belief that short dramas hold great potential because they can be “developed and refined as they are created” by analyzing user reactions.

Mr. Emura stated that “identifying drop-off points and analyzing comment sections form the core of the PDCA cycle,” highlighting the importance of examining “where users drop off” and “what was happening at those points.”Mr. Kodama also noted that on TikTok, it is possible to see “viewership drop sharply in a matter of seconds,” adding that precisely because “it’s easy to see what worked and what didn’t,” this leads to improvements. Insights on operations that balance quantitative and qualitative data were shared.

The Purpose Behind Launching the “Short Drama Marketing Lab”

Toward the end of the session, Mr. Ishikawa explained that Dentsu Inc., SEPTENI CO.,LTD, emole, and GOKKO had jointly launched the “Short Drama Marketing Lab” in November 2025.Mr. Ishikawa noted that while Dentsu Inc. and SEPTENI CO.,LTD., as advertising agencies, have handled production and media planning, GOKKO and emole are leading players in the short drama space; he expressed the intention to combine the strengths of both sides to jointly develop insights and services.

The services offered are designed to provide an end-to-end process, from planning and production to distribution, operation, data analysis, and the improvement cycle. Mr. Ishikawa emphasized the importance of steps 4 and 5 in the diagram below for continuously driving the PDCA cycle. He stated that the minimum value the Lab aims to provide is to rapidly “review both the positives and negatives of each project—rather than treating it as a one-off—and incorporate that feedback into the next iteration.”

PDCA Case Study: GungHo’s “Seishun Puzzle & Dragons Love!”

The “Puzzle & Dragons” case study from GungHo was presented as a concrete example of the PDCA cycle implemented by the “Short Drama Marketing Lab.”For “Puzzle & Dragons,” a dedicated short drama account was launched, and a school-themed drama titled “Youth Puzzle & Dragons Love!” was produced with the aim of reaching younger audiences. As the initiative continued, a “gradual community formed, leading to IP development,” and continued efforts resulted in increased awareness, favorability, and intent to use the service. In particular, data showed that favorability was more than four times higher among those exposed to the content compared to those who were not, and intent to use was approximately seven times higher; Mr. Kodama candidly expressed his surprise at these findings.

Future Developments for the Short Drama Marketing Lab

Finally, Mr. Ishikawa outlined the future of the “Short Drama Marketing Lab.” In the immediate term, the lab will focus on launching solutions and establishing and managing KPIs to accumulate insights. He stated that they aim to clarify the lab’s role within IMC planning, identify which KPIs along the conversion funnel it will impact, and explore integrated planning with TV commercials.

Furthermore, he outlined plans to explore and release derivative products and to conduct trials and proof-of-concept (PoC) projects in collaboration with brands starting in the second half of 2026. He concluded the session by expressing his determination to elevate short dramas from one-off buzz-generating campaigns to an established methodology.