Dentsu

The Isle of the Red Sun. Founded in 1901, Dentsu is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It's nearest competitor is Hakuhodo (or ADK) in the Japanese market. They have a digital shop called Dentsu Digital that is based in Brussels.

Dentsu was originally the Japan Advertising Ltd. and Telegraphic Service Co., started by Hoshiro Mitsunaga. After much evolution and several names changes, Dentsu has become on of the largest advertising agencies in the world.

95% of Dentsu's profit comes from within Japan. I would list their clients, if I could find them...

Dentsu (Tokyo). This is a interactive print ad to encourage people to support Cambodian schools, an area full of violence and poor education opportunities. The top picture is what the ad initially looks like. The reader is encouraged to scratch off the "silver bullets" to reveal crayons with the campaign message written on them. I like this because it engages the reader and makes them active participants in the campaign. Banking on innate human curiosity, the ad is worthless unless the reader takes the time to reveal the message. But, once revealed, the reader feels compelled to read it. It's basic psychology. This is a great example of how scientific knowledge can be applied to advertising. General research can help a lot. They most likely discovered that their target audience was very inquisitive and hands-on. If so, this ad hit the target.