AOY Insights: How unboxing creative helped Dentsu Creative China expand its remit as a partner to brands

AOY Insights is a series celebrating some of the top wins from Campaign Asia-Pacific's Agency of the Year awards. Join us as we take a closer look at the entries that struck gold this year.

Key wins: China Creative Agency of the Year; Greater China Content Marketing Agency of the Year (Gold); Greater China Creative Agency of the Year

Other wins: Greater China Brand Experience Agency of the Year, Greater China Customer Engagement Agency of the Year; Greater China B2C Marketing Agency of the Year; Greater China Agency Marketer Partnership of the Year (Silver) and China PR Agency of the Year and China Digital Innovation Agency of the Year (Bronze)

If there were any doubts about whether creativity still matters in a world where discussions around metrics and AI dominate marketing conversations, Dentsu’s annual global CMO survey offers some clarity — 83% of marketing leaders believe that creative ideas can transform businesses.

Against this backdrop, Dentsu Creative China winning top honours for China Creative Agency of the Year and Greater China Content Marketing Agency of the Year at Campaign’s 2024 Greater China Agency of the Year awards is particularly significant. The agency also bagged the regional award for Greater China Creative Agency of the Year.

Realising that it needs to move beyond creativity as usual, Dentsu Creative China has embraced a different path, unboxing creative approaches to deliver a broad spectrum of services that cover all aspects of a client’s business. More than just a slogan, Dentsu’s credo — ‘We fuel growth through the power of transformative creativity’ — has become a lived reality at the agency applied across areas like customer experience, sustainability, communication, content, and solving clients’ business problems.

The relevance of this approach becomes obvious considering that according to the CMO survey cited above, 88% of CMOs agree it is more important than ever for brands to be a part of culture, while 78% agree creating entertainment properties is important to their marketing strategy. However, 73% of CMOs find it a challenge to tell their brand stories in new ways such as entertainment, experience, or action.

Dentsu Creative China is addressing this need gap by creating numerous specialist verticals that cater to different aspects of the business. As the name suggests, Social Powerhouse helps craft a brand’s persona on social media through integrated design and brand communications. This core helps the brand build its social clout via influencer marketing, co-creation with fans, and building emotional connections with its base of followers. Dentsu Next relies on cutting edge technology to create experiences around products, services and communications. Dentsu Z is a dedicated team staffed entirely by Gen Z who provide a vital link to the psychology and trends animating this vast consumer cohort. Finally, Dentsu Entertainment helps form a deeper engagement with evergreen consumer passion points such as sports, gaming and entertainment.

The PepsiCo team at Dentsu Creative

Unsurprisingly enough, the approach has found a lot of support among marketers, even as it wows various award juries. Work from the agency clearly demonstrates why it has won top accolades this year both for creativity and content marketing.

Among several other trophies, the agency won a bronze at the Cannes Lions Festival 2024 — the only agency from China to win two years in a row — for Lost in Time, a campaign created in partnership with the Jian Ai Charity. To raise awareness around Alzheimer’s, the agency staged an exhibition featuring paintings of clocks created by patients afflicted by the disease. The campaign also saw watches being created based on these paintings, and the charity’s first ever auction organised on World Health Day.

Dentsu has positioned itself as a 'business to business to society' (B2B2S) company, with an aim to create economic and social value while contributing to a vibrant society where people enjoy fulfilling lives. This approach is reflected in Restaurant of Silence: 58 KFC outlets across 52 cities designed to be operated with ease and efficiency by hearing impaired staff, using visual symbols and interactive tools.

The KFC team at Dentsu Creative

Elaborating on the philosophy driving Dentsu Creative China and commenting on its recent success, chief creative officer Chris Chen said “Amidst the swift advancements in technology, many overlook the fact that the core of communication is about engaging and resonating with the audience. A brand that authentically lives the culture through creative ideas can leave a lasting impression on its audience. By fusing creativity with technology, it can create an emotional bond with consumers. We believe transformative creativity has the power to drive both good and growth for brands and businesses. Interested in how we deliver transformative creativity? Our exclusive formula, Creativity++, enables us to connect our network and capabilities, unlocking a dynamic ecosystem for brands to thrive in the world.”

By walking the talk on moving past traditional modes of creativity, Dentsu Creative China points to a fresh direction for agencies that wish to stay relevant, and capable of being the partners that marketers need as they transform their businesses.