Dentsu

The challenge

Signed, sealed, and delivered – at a cost

In the fast-paced world of advertising, spare time is a rare luxury. Deadlines must be met — even when ads and strategies have to cross time zones for approval. For Dentsu, this used to mean added pressure and frantic courier drop-offs and pick-ups.

A number of the files Dentsu creates and shares — for projects such as billboards and TV spots — are hundreds of megabytes large. But because Dentsu’s company email server had certain file size parameters, employees had to rely on DVDs to deliver creative to clients and colleagues in other countries.

The DVD delivery method not only required Dentsu to spend time prepping envelopes and packages, it cut into development schedules, forcing employees to rush ad projects. On top of that, the company accrued huge shipping costs each month. As it became increasingly apparent that DVD shipping was unnecessarily costly, Dentsu began to explore other options. Dropbox Business offered a solution that was not only fast, reliable, and affordable — it worked in regions where file sharing had proved challenging. Dentsu Account Supervisor, Ai Ando says, “International markets are really important to us and we often have to send data abroad. We knew that Dropbox Business was secure and reliable enough to use in other countries.”

The solution

A new approach to global business

With file sharing and workflows transformed by Dropbox Business, Dentsu divisions like the global account team can exchange information with clients and vendors more quickly than ever, no matter how large the files. “We frequently do photo shoots and have to send clients 20-30 high-res files at a time — each of which is 200-300 MB,” adds Ando.

“Dropbox Business makes it easy to manage the big, heavy data every day. We just send links to our clients, and they immediately get what they need.”

Dentsu employees appreciate that Dropbox doesn’t require clients to download data in order to review concepts, assets, and videos. Because Dropbox Business is so easily accessible from the web, everything from print ads to commercials can be viewed online. As Ando explains, “It’s great that clients can see ads and commercials in Dropbox Business without downloading the files. They can quickly assess content, and give their final approval even if they are on a business trip.” In addition to convenience, Dentsu employees – namely the IT team – appreciate that data is being kept secure with Dropbox Business. “Security is a priority for our IT team since we handle highly confidential data, and Dropbox Business has proven to meet our requirements," Ando says.

The results

Reducing costs, improving productivity

By adopting Dropbox Business, Dentsu has seen big efficiency gains – in terms of both time and costs. Gone are the days of hefty international shipping bills. According to Ando, “A couple of years ago, a courier invoice for all the shipping we did over a four-month period would amount to hundreds of thousands of yen. With Dropbox Business, those costs are drastically minimized.” As spending has decreased, productivity has increased. Deadlines no longer have to be compressed to factor in DVD shipping.

Now, employees have more time to finesse ad creative, plus they have the ability to maintain a higher level of productivity when they’re away from the office on photo shoots or client visits. As Ando says, ”If you’re commuting to and from work, you can quickly pull up work files from your Dropbox Business account. I’ll often check on projects using the Dropbox mobile app and send links to colleagues before I even reach the office.” This kind of round-the-clock remote access to project files is key in an industry that moves at such a rapid pace. With Dropbox Business, Dentsu can stay at the forefront of the advertising world, keeping global clients satisfied and successful.