Advertising strategy consultant - Data Planning Section, Ad Sales Department, Marketing Partner Business(A&M)

Job Description:

Business Overview

Ad & Media Company provides advertising and marketing services, including digital advertising, research, and influencer business.

Its appeal lies in its ability to offer end-to-end solutions for all aspects of marketing, from upstream strategy formulation to downstream execution such as ad operations, performance measurement, and data analysis.

Marketing-related businesses include "Rakuten Marketing / LinkShare," which provides general digital marketing solutions, "Rakuten Data Marketing," which offers marketing solutions utilizing Rakuten's big data, and "Rakuten Insight," which provides marketing research services, among other wide-ranging marketing businesses.

This environment allows you to place yourself in an organization that forms the core of Rakuten Group, leading to your personal growth and career advancement.

Department Overview

Ad Sales Department is a division dedicated to providing Rakuten Group's "Marketing Solutions" to advertisers.

Specifically, it is a sales organization that addresses advertisers' challenges by combining:

Rakuten data based on approximately 100 million Rakuten member IDs.
Rakuten media spanning about 70 services.
AI incorporating the latest technology.
Regarding point 1, Rakuten data based on approximately 100 million Rakuten member IDs, we have recently been focusing on expanding not only online but also offline data. We have also started providing targeting and measurement services utilizing "offline purchase data." This enables us to offer integrated "solutions" that combine online and offline aspects.

Regarding point 2, Rakuten media, which encompasses about 70 services, handles a wide range of "user communications" including not only display advertisements but also email advertisements, sampling advertisements, and direct mail advertisements. This allows for a "multi-faceted approach" to reach appropriate users.

Regarding point 3, in terms of AI, we have recently developed technology to predict "future purchasers" and have commenced offering advertisements based on this. This enables us to improve the effectiveness for advertisers who prioritize performance.

Ad Sales Department will continue to provide "unique" solutions in the digital advertising industry that can only be realized within the Rakuten Group.

Future Purchase Prediction: https://adsales.rakuten.co.jp/products/miraikobai/

Position:

Why We Hire

The Data Planning Section serves as a “strategic partner that maximizes advertising revenue through data and AI” for the Ad Sales Department. We leverage Rakuten’s vast data assets and cutting-edge AI technologies to elevate sales activities to a new level. Our mission is not simply data analysis, but transforming data into value and empowering proposals to support strategic decision-making in the advertising business.

Our organizational vision is to build mechanisms that increase deal retention and win rates while maximizing deal value through data and AI. By establishing these mechanisms, we aim to create an ecosystem that balances scalability and repeatability in sales activities, driving sustainable growth.

We also play a crucial role in creating solutions that utilize Rakuten’s strongest asset, namely its data, and driving the adoption of data and AI within the sales organization. As experts in data and AI, we serve as a knowledge hub for sales teams and support highly data-driven proposals to clients, shaping the future of Rakuten’s advertising business.

In an industry where change is accelerating, our mission is to collaborate with sales teams and create new value using data and AI. This is our challenge.

We are currently in a crucial and challenging phase within the Data Planning Section, focused on further accelerating sales revenue. We are strongly committed to discovering and implementing new revenue-generating methods, driven by data and AI. We are seeking individuals who can help us drive this transformation.

Attractiveness of the Business / Organizational Phase
As a core organization supporting the expansion of the Rakuten Group’s advertising business, we are in a new challenge phase aiming to redefine sales activities using data and AI. We are entering a stage beyond traditional sales support or analysis, where “systemized data utilization” is being implemented, offering substantial room for growth. Because the structure is not yet fully established, the ideas and execution of each member significantly influence future direction.

Attractiveness of Autonomy and Organizational Culture
In this organization, members have autonomy to propose and execute initiatives, regardless of title or tenure. The environment enables end-to-end involvement from building data utilization mechanisms to designing AI-driven proposal models and supporting implementation in the sales field. Data scientists, analysts, and sales teams collaborate in a flat structure, fostering a culture of “achieving results as a team.” With a culture that welcomes challenges and learns from failures, members can grow rapidly while enjoying the pace of change.

Career Steps (Skills and Career Paths You Can Build)
This position enables you to develop practical skills integrating data, AI, and business. By engaging consistently from advertising data analysis and AI model development to sales strategy and client problem-solving, you will refine your implementation capabilities and business transformation skills. A wide variety of career paths are possible, such as data-driven sales strategy leadership or product ownership for AI-driven initiatives.

Differentiation from Competitors (Leveraging Rakuten Group Resources)
Our biggest strength is the ability to utilize the Rakuten Group’s extensive data assets and its diverse ecosystem. By integrating data across EC, finance, travel, and more, we can scientifically maximize advertising effectiveness- an advantage unmatched by competitors. Collaboration with in-house AI and data-specialist teams provides direct access to cutting-edge technology and knowledge, enabling large-scale implementation of your ideas. As a result, you can experience the impact of being a strategic partner driving growth for the entire Group, rather than simply supporting sales.

Position Details

Job Responsibilities

As a “strategic partner for sales,” this position supports the Ad Sales Department in solving organizational challenges and maximizing revenue through data and AI. Based on Rakuten’s diverse data (purchase data, browsing data, ad exposure data, etc.), you will identify client marketing challenges, make data-driven proposals, and manage the full cycle through to impact validation.

Main Responsibilities
- Marketing and advertising effectiveness analysis using Rakuten’s extensive data
- Identifying client marketing challenges and forming hypotheses
- Designing data-driven advertising solutions and creating proposal materials
- Conducting post-delivery measurement, extracting insights, and making improvement proposals
- Enhancing proposal quality through collaboration with the ad sales team
- Data extraction using SQL and data processing using Python

Example Projects
- Optimization for EC/Retail Clients
 - Challenge: Declining efficiency in acquiring new customers
 - Approach: Target analysis using historical purchase data; building new customer acquisition models
 - Result: Improved ROAS and CVR through optimized delivery design

- Brand Lift Analysis for Manufacturers
 - Challenge: Strengthening accountability for ad investments
 - Approach: Integrated reporting combining log data, survey data, and purchase data
 - Result: Used to inform investment decisions for the next campaign

- Data Analysis for Advertising Product Improvement
 - Challenge: Improve the performance of existing ad products
 - Approach: Factor analysis and hypothesis testing to improve click-through rates
 - Result: Developed improvement plans in collaboration with ad sales and provided feedback to product teams

Key Stakeholders / Internal Collaboration
- Ad sales team: Understanding project context, optimizing proposal content, supporting initiatives
- Tech organizations (e.g., AIDD): Consulting on data infrastructure and analytical methods, knowledge sharing

Work Environment

Team Structure
- We are a small, elite team
- Age range: Mostly in their 30s
- Majority are mid-career hires

Background of Mid-Career Members
- Some come from advertising agencies and understand the full workflow of sales and client work
- After joining, they contribute to winning multi-million-yen deals through collaboration with sales and negotiation with other internal organizations

Career Paths of High-Performing Mid-Career Members
- Starting as a member and progressing into management roles

Mandatory Qualifications:

- Planning experience in the advertising or marketing field (approx. 3 years)
 (e.g., campaign design, target strategy formulation, media planning)
- Experience identifying client challenges and proposing solutions
- Communication skills with multiple departments and stakeholders
- Strong interest in data utilization (hands-on experience a plus)

Desired Qualifications:
- Experience in advertising effectiveness analysis or customer analysis
- Knowledge of digital advertising and ad technology

- Experience extracting data using SQL
- Practical experience in data processing or analysis using Python
- Experience collaborating with analysts or data scientists

Additional information on Location 

Futako Tamagawa Rise Office 

2-21-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

TOEIC Score exceeding 800 (or similar level of English ability) or a University Degree earned in an English-speaking country.
Proof of qualifications will be required by the time of the job offer.
If no evidence is available to prove the qualifications denoted above, taking an IP test, organized by Rakuten, during selection process is required.

Rakuten Group, Inc. Homepage Link
- Benefits:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/benefit/
- Recruitment Information:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/information/ * Employment type is detailed
- Rakuten Culture:https://corp.rakuten.co.jp/careers/culture/