Leveraging the digital and data capabilities that we have built in digital marketing over 20 years and our client orientation

Digital marketing has become even more critical due to rising demand for DX and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the increasing complexity of DX has made it difficult for clients to accurately identify the issues they need to resolve and the methods for doing so. We see an increasing need for comprehensive digital marketing beyond advertising that supports business growth by increasing profitability. The key to addressing these changes is to leverage both the digital and data capabilities we have built over 20 years and the human resources in whom we have instilled the value of client orientation.

Using Amazon advertising as a DX approach to achieving overall growth of our clients’ businesses

The growing demand for DX in marketing is exemplified by advertising that uses the Amazon e-commerce platform, where we provide support for numerous national brand clients. However, focusing on advertising metrics alone is not sufficient for maximizing sales on Amazon. We deploy strategies beyond advertising that leverage our digital and data capabilities and our client orientation to help clients achieve overall growth of their businesses.

Aiming to be a group of visionary professionals who use digital advertising to energize numerous companies

Opportunities to help clients, in ways such as leveraging Amazon to support DX, are increasing in tandem with the rising importance and complexity of digital marketing. We aim to be a group of visionary professionals who continuously explore new possibilities and create solutions in digital marketing that give our clients a roadmap to the future so they can grow. By using digital marketing, I also want to broaden our influence over a wide array of companies.

Committed to working with the Dentsu Group to create integrated online and offline proposals that will help our clients’ businesses grow as DX gains momentum in marketing

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have expedited the digital shift in a wide range of industries by five to ten years, and DX in corporate-related marketing is likewise accelerating. Marketing that digitally fuses in-person and online experiences is also emerging, and we expect to see a continuing trend of marketing with no barriers between mass and digital advertising. In tune with these changes, we are committed to the growth of our clients’ businesses in a rapidly evolving environment. To achieve this, we are working with the Dentsu Group to create integrated online and offline proposals that combine our respective strengths.

Building on the alliance with the Dentsu Group to evolve marketing methods and strengthen collaboration in all domains

In the two years since we began collaborating with the Dentsu Group, both companies have gained a greater understanding of their respective domains of expertise and our complementary relationship has continued to evolve. Many new marketing methods have emerged through the linkage of mass and digital advertising data. In addition, we have begun collaborating in the expansion of domains such as entertainment. We will also strengthen cooperation in the data & solutions domain to address client issues that advertising cannot.

Helping a wide array of clients grow their businesses and deliver optimal products and services to users

Further progress of DX in marketing will drive the transformation of businesses themselves as companies create their own content and connect directly with users. Currently, however, only a few companies make full use of digital promotion. By supporting the businesses of a wide array of clients, including those we serve in collaboration with the Dentsu Group, we will help clients deliver optimal products and services to users.

Establishment of a new intermediate holding company to create a structure to capture growing DX demand

The DX support market is growing. To strengthen our competitiveness in this market, we need to carry out “domain expansion” by building a data & solutions-centered ecosystem for DX support within the Group. Therefore, to accelerate this business we have established an intermediate holding company, Septeni Data Solutions, Inc., to consolidate management resources by integrating control of the four Group companies that have been responsible for this domain.

Supporting the innovation of our corporate clients through conversion into a profit center

Two of these four subsidiaries have been developing services for the Group. We are using this reorganization to convert them into profit centers that assist DX support operations for non-Group companies. We have also started developing products such as software as a service (SaaS) packages to promote DX. We will provide corporate clients with futuristic DX design to support their innovation in addition to our data-driven solutions.

Raising profitability by establishing an ecosystem centered on data, people and education

I want to establish an ecosystem that assists development by hiring and training engineers for continuous DX support. We will better demonstrate our unique strengths by creating a loop among three types of service: the data-centered services we have been cultivating, and services centered on people and education. I hope this initiative will play a part in improving profitability and thus lead to the growth of the Septeni Group.

Supporting the development of manga artists and the production and management of their works to help create numerous stars in the digital domain

About 10 years ago, with the spread of e-book platforms and social media, the manga industry began moving into digital media, which increased the ways for manga artists to present their work. In the future, instead of just a few talented manga artists active in major magazines, there will also be numerous manga stars who make their names in the digital domain. However, the industry is still lacking in terms of training of manga artists and the production and management of their works. I saw an opportunity and started this business.

From a manga artist development support program built from scratch to hit manga app GANMA! with over 14 million downloads

Aiming to create a new ecosystem for the content industry by supporting and cultivating future star manga artists who get their start on the Internet, COMICSMART began by creating a manga artist development support program called RouteM from scratch. In 2013, we launched GANMA! as a venue for presenting their work. It has earned support as a manga app that has published more than 220 original works with more than 14 million downloads.^*
* Cumulative number of downloads on Android and iOS as of April 2020

A focus on flat-rate subscription services, and data and AI-driven support for innovation in the anime industry

At GANMA!, we have prioritized our flat-rate all-you-can-read subscription services as a strategic area in order to grow it into a pillar of earnings. We are also focusing on the anime business, with the intention of producing high-quality animation through our strong network in the industry that will lead to the monetization of our IP assets.
Other initiatives will include using data and AI to innovate labor-intensive operations. Through our various businesses, I want to raise the value of manga artist as a profession and make it an occupation children admire, on par with professional athletes in baseball, soccer and other sports.

Perception of growing awareness of social good amid a shift from mass culture to the individual leads to decision to start a business

The impetus for starting this business came about 10 years ago when I was involved in a Facebook-related business and sensed a shift in the focus of the time from mass culture to the individual. Around the same time, I foresaw an increase in consumer behavior driven by consideration for society and the environment and growing awareness of social good. I wanted to establish a completely new platform that makes it easy for people to contribute to social good.

Providing an easy way to take action to help resolve social issues

We developed the social contribution platform gooddo to provide people concerned about various social issues with an easy way to take action to help resolve them. So far, about 33 million people have visited our website, which has enabled more than 500,000 users annually to take part in social contribution activities without cost to them, providing more than ¥200 million in support for domestic NPOs. At first, it was difficult to obtain support for the business model, but its track record of results is gradually growing.

Aiming to maintain Japan’s leading database of people working to resolve social issues

I intend to expand support to many sectors, such as companies and universities that are working to achieve the SDGs. In addition, I am planning to create and utilize a database of gooddo users. We aim to popularize a value system in which actions for social good lead to higher social and economic status, and to maintain Japan’s leading database of people working to resolve social issues.

Running a business that helps resolve the common worries everyone has about raising children

When I became a father, I experienced firsthand the difficulty of raising a child. That was the impetus for starting this business. Nowadays, the number of nuclear families and double-income households is rising in Japan, making it hard for such families to dedicate time to childcare. Everyone has worries about raising children, such as having no one in their immediate circle they can easily ask for help, so I decided to start a business that helps to resolve those worries. I won second place for this idea at the Septeni Group’s in-house contest for new business plans and turned it into an operating company in 2016.

Providing products that help resolve worries, and services that make raising children more enjoyable

At TowaStela, our vision is to help maximize the joy of raising children. To achieve this, we provide products that can help resolve worries about raising children, and services that make raising children more enjoyable for parents. Our official Instagram account posts information to more than 400,000 followers on original products and services handled by our e-commerce business that are useful and fun for moms and dads.

Transforming childcare by approaching the “grandchild care” market, which involves grandparents

Soon we will start a new business focusing on “grandchild care.” We have the means and the database to approach the age bracket with grandchildren. We intend to leverage this advantage to further stimulate this market, which is said to be worth ¥3.8 trillion. We are concurrently planning an e-commerce business centered on sustainability. By 2030, we aim to be ranked among the top three brands in the childcare industry.