underworks
Underworks is a Tokyo-headquartered digital marketing consulting firm, founded 2006, that serves Japanese large enterprises with marketing-technology strategy, CMS and martech implementation, AI agent integration, and global web-governance services, supported by a broad partner ecosystem and an ASEAN subsidiary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What underworks does
Underworks Co., Ltd. (アンダーワークス株式会社) is a privately held, Tokyo-headquartered digital marketing consulting firm founded in April 2006. The company sells professional services — strategy planning, implementation, and operational support — to large Japanese enterprise clients across verticals including aviation (ANA, JAL), manufacturing (Daikin, Olympus, Toshiba, Subaru, Sekisui Chemical), IT (NTT Data), and consumer (Suntory Beverage Solution). Underworks reports a 9.52/10 customer satisfaction NPS from its 2025 client survey and claims engagement with over 100 major companies, supported by bilingual consultants able to coordinate headquarters and overseas subsidiary marketing operations.
The service portfolio is organized into five areas: Strategy (marketing-technology stack architecture, digital marketing strategy), Web Infrastructure (global website construction and operations, AI search content strategy, CMS introduction), Marketing Execution (AI agent implementation, marketing automation), Data (BI/dashboards, CDP, AI data utilization, tag assessment), and Governance (global data privacy, web governance, policy revision, consent management). Underworks runs its own annual Marketing Technology Chaos Map Japan covering approximately 1,150 martech tools and an annual Marketing Data Management Practices Survey, which act as proprietary thought-leadership assets. The firm operates a corporate website rebuilt in May 2026 on a headless CMS × AI architecture as a self-reference, and actively produces DMJ blog content on AI trends.
Revenue is generated primarily through project-based consulting engagements priced by quote, supplemented by marketing-technology sales and implementation support tied to a partner roster that includes Salesforce Japan (since 2016), Sitecore (since 2017), Tealium, Adobe, HubSpot, Marketo, Oracle, Domo, Workato (since February 2026), Ensighten, OneTrust/TrustArc, Siteimprove, CabinetM (Japan-first partner), Lytics, and Drupal. Distribution runs through direct enterprise field sales and partner referrals. In April 2022, Underworks acquired Singapore-based Clickr Media Pte. Ltd. as a wholly-owned subsidiary, establishing a regional headquarters serving Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The firm reports a 51–100 employee range, operates from Minato-ku, Tokyo, and is led by Representative Director Manabu Tajima (田島 学) with an executive bench including bilingual Managing Director Yutaka and Executive Director Yutaka Taguchi (田口 裕).
underworks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- underworks
- Legal name
- アンダーワークス株式会社
- Website
- https://underworks.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Underworks is a Tokyo-headquartered digital marketing consulting firm, founded 2006, that serves Japanese large enterprises with marketing-technology strategy, CMS and martech implementation, AI agent integration, and global web-governance services, supported by a broad partner ecosystem and an ASEAN subsidiary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
underworks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Marketing Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise Application Managed Services Outsourcing (ERP/CRM/HRIS AMS) (BPAEAMAI)
Keywords
Where underworks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
underworks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Digital Marketing Consulting: Professional consulting services for digital marketing strategy, including marketing technology stack design, implementation support, and ongoing advisory services.
- Marketing Technology Sales and Implementation: Sales and implementation support for marketing technology tools including CMS, MA, CDP, BI, and privacy management platforms.
- Website Development and Production: Website design, development, and ongoing production services for global and local web presence.
- AI Solutions and Automation: AI agent implementation, AI data utilization infrastructure, and business process automation services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
underworks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Underworks is a Tokyo-based digital marketing consulting firm that advises Japanese enterprises on marketing strategy, marketing technology stack design, CMS/MA/CDP/BI implementation, AI agent integration, and global website governance. Services span from strategy formulation through technology vendor selection, implementation support, and ongoing operational advisory, with additional capability in international privacy regulation compliance (GDPR, APPI) for Japanese headquarters with overseas subsidiaries.
Product overview
Underworks is a digital marketing consulting firm founded in 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of consulting services organized around five core areas: Strategy (including marketing technology stack architecture and digital marketing strategy), Web Infrastructure (encompassing CMS implementation, website construction, and global web operations), Marketing Execution (including AI agents for automation and marketing automation), Data (encompassing AI data infrastructure, BI/dashboards, and CDP), and Governance (covering global data privacy, website governance, consent management, and policy support). The service portfolio includes named offerings such as AI Agent Implementation, AI Data Utilization Infrastructure, AI Search Content Strategy, BI/Dashboard, CDP, CMS Introduction, MA, Website Governance, Global Web Governance, Consent Management, Tag Assessment, Policy Revision Support, Marketing Technology Stack Architecture, and Global Subsidiary Operations Support. Underworks also maintains a network of technology partnerships with major platforms including Workato (Agentic AI), Tealium (CDP), HubSpot, Marketo Engage, Adobe, Sitecore, Oracle, and others. In April 2022, Underworks acquired Singapore-based Clickr Media as a subsidiary, expanding its presence across the Asian market with operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Marketing Strategy
- Marketing Technology Stack Architecture
- CMS Introduction and Migration
- Website Construction
- Marketing Automation (MA)
- CDP (Customer Data Platform)
- BI/Dashboard
- AI Agent Implementation and Business Automation
- AI Data Utilization and Analysis Infrastructure
- AI Search Content Strategy
- Website Governance
- Global Web Governance
- Global Data Privacy
- Consent Management
- Tag Assessment Services
- Policy Revision Support
- Global Subsidiary Operations Support
- Clickr Media Digital Marketing Agency
Quantifiable outcome
- Customer satisfaction NPS score of 9.52/10
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use underworks
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
underworks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration21 records
AI capability10 records
Feature5 records
underworks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WorkatocoreStrategic partnership for Agentic AI and Orchestration to accelerate DX initiatives. Workato is an enterprise automation platform enabling integration and workflow automation.
- Clickr Media Pte. Ltd.coreSingapore-based digital consulting firm acquired as subsidiary in April 2022. The acquisition enhances Underworks' presence in the rapidly growing Asian market. Clickr operates offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, providing comprehensive digital marketing services including web design, online advertising, creative production, social media marketing, and web analytics.
- AdobecoreTechnology partnership for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) CMS implementation and digital experience management solutions.
- SitecorecorePartnership for Sitecore CMS implementation, web experience management, and digital marketing platform deployment.
- TealiumcorePartnership for customer data platform (CDP) implementation and tag management solutions.
- HubSpotcorePartnership for marketing automation (MA) implementation using HubSpot's platform.
- OraclecorePartnership for Oracle CX Cloud solutions including marketing automation and customer experience management.
- DOMOcorePartnership for business intelligence (BI) and data analytics platform implementation and support.
- Salesforce JapancorePartnership established in 2016 for Salesforce CRM implementation and digital marketing integration support.
- EnsightencorePartnership for client-side security solutions, specifically GDPR compliance and tag management to prevent data breaches through JavaScript tag exploitation.
- Node, PERSOL, Treasure DataminorBusiness partnership established in 2019 for data management and marketing technology collaboration.
- OneTrust (CookiePro)corePartnership for cookie consent management and privacy compliance solutions.
- TrustArc Cookie Consent ManagercorePartnership for privacy management and cookie consent solutions supporting global compliance requirements.
- SiteimprovecorePartnership for web governance, accessibility, and SEO optimization solutions.
- Marketo EngagecorePartnership for marketing automation implementation using Adobe's Marketo platform.
- CabinetMcoreJapan's first partner for CabinetM marketing technology management platform, providing technology stack assessment and optimization services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves17 records
Expansion highlights6 records
underworks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentPeers
Direct peers
- Septeni Holdings: Septeni Holdings is a Tokyo-based listed digital advertising and marketing group with strong digital agency operations in Japan. It is comparable to Underworks as a Japanese enterprise digital marketing services provider, though larger and more advertising-led.
- BrainPad Inc. BrainPad is a Japanese data analytics and digital marketing firm offering CDP, BI, MA, and marketing data utilization services. It directly competes with Underworks' data-driven marketing stack design and CDP/BI implementation offerings in the Japanese enterprise market.
- Conversion Co., Ltd. Conversion is a Tokyo-based digital marketing firm specializing in CRO, LPO, and performance marketing for enterprise clients in Japan. It is comparable to Underworks as a Japanese digital marketing services provider serving enterprise customers, though with a performance/CRO focus rather than global martech stack services.
- Planit: Planit is a Tokyo-headquartered digital agency providing digital marketing, web strategy, and digital experience services to enterprise clients in Japan. It directly competes with Underworks in B2B digital marketing consulting and CMS/web platform implementation for Japanese corporates.
Broad incumbents
- Dentsu Group: Dentsu is a global advertising and marketing services giant headquartered in Tokyo with extensive digital transformation and martech integration capabilities. It is comparable to Underworks in serving Japanese enterprise digital marketing needs but at far greater scale, with broader agency and media offerings.
- Digital Garage: Digital Garage is a Tokyo-listed digital marketing, fintech, and technology platform company with broad digital marketing and data services. It is comparable to Underworks as a Japanese digital marketing services provider with enterprise martech partnerships, but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
underworks social profiles
Digital presenceunderworks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
underworks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
underworks subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
underworks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
underworks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about underworks
What does underworks do?
Underworks is a Tokyo-based digital marketing consulting firm that advises Japanese enterprises on marketing strategy, marketing technology stack design, CMS/MA/CDP/BI implementation, AI agent integration, and global website governance. Services span from strategy formulation through technology vendor selection, implementation support, and ongoing operational advisory, with additional capability in international privacy regulation compliance (GDPR, APPI) for Japanese headquarters with overseas subsidiaries.
Is underworks a public or private company?
underworks is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was underworks founded?
underworks was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is underworks based?
underworks is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does underworks make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Marketing Consulting is the primary driver. The others are marketing Technology Sales and Implementation, website Development and Production and AI Solutions and Automation.
Who are underworks's main competitors?
Hakuhodo DY Holdings is listed as a peer. Direct peers are Septeni Holdings, BrainPad Inc., Conversion Co., Ltd. and Planit. Broad incumbents are Dentsu Group and Digital Garage.
Does underworks have an API?
No public API is recorded for underworks.
What industry is underworks in?
underworks's product category is Digital Marketing Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAMAI, Enterprise Application Managed Services Outsourcing (ERP/CRM/HRIS AMS). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.