PEOPLE
04
Always There for the Clients.
I wanted to know everything about media and build a career in the advertising business.
My interest in advertising was sparked when I was a university student. I joined an advertising event group that ran commercial contests, where I got talking with people in the industry. I even saw some commercials they made, which intrigued me.
After graduating, I got a job at a digital advertising company. After working there for a few years, I felt increasingly motivated to acquire knowledge about not just digital media but all forms of media to further my career in advertising. Therefore, I applied to Dentsu Runway soon after the company was established. Today, I support my clients and collaborate with partner agencies as an account executive while planning media for them. By serving as an account executive and a media planner, I can smoothly coordinate every stage of the process, from drafting proposals to media buying, ensuring the flow of progress, and writing progress reports.
Mid-career hires like me constitute the majority of Dentsu Runway. We have people from diverse backgrounds, so we can get expert advice in many fields. This environment allows us to absorb knowledge easily. We also own large quantities of data, and our planning tools are particularly advanced, so we are highly regarded by many clients.
The joy of solving problems despite limitations.
I was given the chance to experience every facet of advertising, from making a presentation to sharing information with the public. My team once entered a competition, and a partner agency took control of the creative side while we were in charge of the media side.
During the presentation, we had limited time for media proposals, so we had to communicate the necessary information clearly and concisely. In the end, we won the competition, and our client highly praised both our creative and media proposals. They also praised the transit advertising we delivered. I love the positive synergy of our style of collaboration with other agencies. We get opinions and feedback from different perspectives that we would not otherwise have thought of within our company, and we can then use this feedback to refine our proposals.
I think the thrill of our job lies in both helping clients and making positive impacts on the public. I find it very rewarding to find solutions to clients’ problems and receive positive feedback from them, which is the core of the advertising business. I also find it fascinating and rewarding when we share new information through advertising that leads to public interest and sometimes even a craze. I also enjoy seeing people’s reactions to the campaigns we launch on social media.
Becoming someone clients can count on.
Dentsu Runway is known to foster multitasking professionals, so each of us needs to fulfill a wide range of duties. This is a huge responsibility, but it leads to trust and praise on the part of our clients: “We can count on this one person to take care of everything.”
To handle my work as a multitasker, I have frequent opportunities to learn skills from senior colleagues. There is a lot I would like to learn from senior colleagues in my department, such as knowledge and experience in the television sector and the ability to respond to clients, media companies, and other parties involved in projects. When I was struggling with a project, I adopted their advice on phrasing that would satisfy everyone involved, which led to great success. I learn something from my colleagues every day, whether it is gathering information or building relationships with other companies.
In the future, I hope to enhance my communication and planning skills to deliver better and better proposals. I like entertainment and music, so one of my dreams is to work on projects involving music festivals or live concerts. I want to continue to accumulate experience to further my goals.