Introducing Dentsu Creative

Dentsu International’s Global CEO, Wendy Clark, and Global CCO Fred Levron announced the launch of Dentsu Creative, dentsu’s global creative network, at Cannes Lions.

Designed to unify and accelerate creativity across the business, Dentsu Creative will serve as the sole creative network for Dentsu International working with clients around the globe.

Creativity will sit at the heart of Dentsu International’s proposition bringing together the best of creative, media and CXM, further supporting dentsu’s ambition to own horizontal creativity and become the most integrated network in the world. 

In a bold move, Dentsu International has announced the launch of Dentsu Creative, an entirely new global creative network, uniting all its creative agencies, including dentsuMB and Isobar and dentsu branded creative agencies, and expanding its Entertainment, Earned Attention and Experience capabilities. The launch is part of a broader strategy aimed at simplifying client engagement and injecting creativity in everything Dentsu International does, all backed by a depth and breadth of creative capabilities that are unparalleled in the market. 

Dentsu Creative exists to transform brands and businesses through Modern Creativity which looks to deliver ideas that Create Culture, Change Society and Invent the Future. 

Led by Fred Levron, who joined Dentsu International as Chief Creative Officer in November 2021 and has demonstrated the transformative power of creativity throughout his acclaimed career; Dentsu Creative will be comprised of 9,000 creative experts in 46 markets connected to 37,000 media and CXM experts across Dentsu International and collaborate closely with Dentsu’s creative team in Japan. 

Fred Levron, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu International said, “If you had the chance to build a brand new global creative network designed for the modern world, what would it look like? That is what we are answering with the launch of Dentsu Creative. Clients, talent and the industry at large are craving for a change: in the way we build brands, in the way we collaborate and in the role we give to creativity. If the current players have set the rules of the previous century, we have the ambition to set the rules for the decades to come.”

Wendy Clark, Global CEO, Dentsu International said: “At dentsu, we’re building a modern agency network fuelled by horizontal creativity – a creativity designed to unify our people, their capabilities and our delivery for clients. We’re fortunate to draw from our Japanese heritage steeped in a relentless focus on craft, innovation and creativity. This legacy inspired our vision for modern creativity that was born in Japan and raised in a connected world. Dentsu Creative offers a simplified, modern creative proposition that answers clients’ needs for us to break down agency silos and inefficiencies and seamlessly connect our talent around the right client opportunities at the right time.”

Keita Ishikawa, China CEO, Dentsu Creative, said: “I believe it is the right time to do this. In China, the challenges facing our clients are increasingly complex and conflicted, brand and performance, data and creativity, physical and virtual, long term and short term, growth and social good. The move to Dentsu Creative will enable us to respond to these needs through a truly inclusive culture. We can do our best integrated work, alongside the best talent, and be the most innovative and connected creative force for good while growing our clients' businesses and brands.”

Chris Chen, China CCO, Dentsu Creative said: “At Dentsu Creative we believe that creativity is the ultimate economic multiplier for brands and businesses. We are committed to delivering consistently excellent and modern creativity-made possible by technology, made personal by data, and made powerful by emotion. We believe it can make a difference to people, to communities, and to the planet.”

Dentsu Creative blends dentsu’s unique DNA of 120-year-old heritage and craft with its rich experience of building brands in the modern media landscape. Using customer intelligence to deliver ideas that are big enough to live anywhere, bold enough to chart new executional territory and rich enough to connect personally with millions. A striking visual identity has been crafted as a creative expression of East meeting West, a signal of the network’s dedication to craft and the transformative power of creativity and to help Dentsu Creative attract and retain the best creative talent.

This will be dentsu’s sole global creative network. Dentsu Creative will be fully operational in Jan 2023. But in China, Isobar brands will not be sunset until the end of Q1 2023 for the better preparation of the transformation.

This industry-first launch follows Dentsu Group’s February 2022 announcement of a JPY 250 to 300 bn acquisition investment fund for 2022-2024.