Dentsu and Amobee team up to tap Japan's 'silent majority'

Amobee and Dentsu have entered into a partnership for the first time in a move the companies hope will yield more valuable consumer data and insights in Japan.

Singapore-based Amobee, which is owned by the telco Singtel, will work with Dentsu to develop analytics and advertising solutions to Dentsu clients nationwide, according to a statement. Dentsu does not publicly disclose its domestic clients, but they are known to span Japan’s largest companies, including Toyota, SoftBank and Sony.

The partnership will make use of Amobee’s ‘Brand Intelligence’ tool, which aims to provide a comprehensive picture of consumer actions and feelings in the context of external events, according to the company. Marketers typically use the tool to help them optimise programmatic media campaigns. Amobee is active in North America, Europe and the Middle East as well as Asia-Pacific.

The tool claims to analyse the browsing activities of the “silent majority”—people who do not necessarily give voice to their opinions on social channels. Amobee says this enables greater “depth and precision” than regular social listening and surveys can.

In a statement, Hiroyuki Maruyama, a senior communication planning director at Dentsu, said the tool would help clients make “smarter marketing decisions”. Masatsune Shironishi, Amobee’s country manager for Japan, added that the partnership would “enrich brand experiences” for people.

While the rate of investment in digital and programmatic media in Japan is behind that in other major markets, it continues to grow. Digital business accounts for around 20% of Dentsu’s gross profit in the market.