日本网络广告-SMB视角

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY TAKEAWAYS A robust online advertising industry is maturing in Japan, theworld’s third largest advertising market. Japan is uniquelypositioned relative to other countries, with traditional forms ofadvertising still accounting for around half of all advertising spend,more than other significant markets. Japan has huge potentialto grow its online advertising industry, with cascading economicbenefits, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses(SMBs), a critical segment of the economy. 1.SMBs are making the most of the diverse online advertising ecosystem.Over nine in 10respondents use at least two ad formats and three digitalad platforms. 2.SMBs report a long list of benefits of using online advertising, includingrevenue growth,cost effectivenessandmeasurability. 2.1.80%of SMBs believe that online advertising enables clear insightsinto ad effectiveness to inform key business decisions. In partnership with Google, Oxford Economics surveyed 1,000 SMBs acrossnine industries in Japan to understand their online advertising strategies,growth plans, barriers to adoption, and returns on investment. 3.Online advertising delivers strong return on investment (ROI) for SMBs,with88%expecting it to increase the ROI of their campaigns over thenext three years. 4.87%of SMBs acknowledge AI’s potential to significantly enhanceefficiency, creativity, and ROI, but only one-third of respondents arecurrently leveraging AI for online ads. 5.Navigating the competitive online advertising landscape and developingtechnical skills are the top two hurdles for SMBs to unlock further returnson their online advertising investments. 5.1.However,96%believe that the challenges they face will not preventtheir businesses from expanding online advertising initiatives overthe next few years. 6.SMBs can learn from the best practices of the top30%of respondents.These leaders are further ahead in their use of online advertising and AI. 7.To support SMBs in successfully leveraging online advertising for theirgrowth, we recommend the following actions for stakeholders: 7.1.Increase awareness and expertise amongst SMBs. 7.2.Invest in digital tools and skills of SMBs. 7.3.Support SMBs to integrate AI into advertising plans, with clearregulatory guidance from policymakers. 7.4.Mobilize government and industry partnerships. ONLINE ADVERTISING STATE OF PLAY INTRODUCTION ADVERTISING SPEND IS SHIFTING TO ONLINE In collaboration with Google, Oxford Economicssurveyed 1,000 SMBs across nine industries inJapan to explore their online advertising strategiesand experiences, including their growth plans,barriers to adoption, and returns on investment.Within this sample, we identify a group of leadersconsisting of the top 30% of SMBs that arefurthest ahead in adopting online advertising andrealizing greater benefits as a result.5 The Japanese advertising market saw spending of¥7,673 billion in 2024, making it the third largestin the world.1Less than half of this amount isdedicated to online channels, in contrast to thetwo largest global advertising markets, the USand China (Figure 1)2—each of which allocate over75% of ad budgets to online outlets.3This gappresents major growth potential for advertisers inJapan, especially given the country’s sophisticatedadvertising industry and digitally savvy population. Japanese SMBs in our survey reported spending, onaverage, 13% of their annual revenue on advertising,with some variation between industries.6In linewith the broader Japanese advertising ecosystem,SMBs’ advertising mix is increasingly shifting fromtraditional advertising channels, such as print, TV,and radio, to online channels. Three years ago, SMBsspent, on average, 40% of their advertising budgetson online channels. Today, that number is just over50%. This trajectory is expected to continue, withonline channels set to make up the majority ofbudgets in 2028 (Figure 2). SMBs are turning to digital channels to expandtheir customer bases, especially as their targetaudiences increasingly spend more of theirtime and money online. This growth in onlineadvertising is expected across industries, but thedigital-centric ones—Media and Entertainment,IT, Software & Telecoms, and increasingly Retail,with the rise of e-commerce—are pursuing itmore aggressively than others (Figure 3). Retailrespondents cite the role that online advertisingcan play both in boosting e-commerce sales andalso driving traffic to physical locations: “we canpromote loyalty schemes with QR codes or appdownloads redeemable only in-store, increasingboth foot traffic and retention.” Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)represent a particularly important segment of theJapanese economy, accounting for 86% of theworkforce and 63% of domestic sales in 2023.4These businesses have great potential to drivedigital ad growth. SMBs use advertising to attractnew customers, build brand awareness, and boostsales, contributing significantly to the country’seconomic