What Hakuhodo Key Three does

Hakuhodo Key Three (博報堂キースリー) is a Tokyo-based specialized marketing subsidiary of Hakuhodo DY Group, Japan's second-largest advertising holding company, established in December 2022 to serve digital asset and blockchain-sector clients. Headquartered in Akasaka Biz Tower with registered capital of ¥100 million, the firm is led by CEO Shigematsu Toshinori (重松 俊範) and operates as a focused web3 marketing services unit within its parent's broader network.

The company delivers four integrated service lines: PR, Creative, Digital Marketing, and Strategy/Research. Its target customer base is concentrated in regulated financial-sector verticals, including asset managers, real estate funds and REITs, crypto and digital asset issuers, digital bond and security token (ST) projects, private equity and venture capital firms, and stablecoin-related businesses. This positioning reflects a B2B services model targeting institutional clients navigating Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA)-regulated financial landscape.

Beyond conventional marketing services, Hakuhodo Key Three has invested in infrastructure-level participation — most notably becoming the first Japanese advertising firm to operate a Solana validator node — and has formed partnerships with web3-native organizations including 3rd Economy, DIMO, Taisu Ventures, and the Solana Foundation. These moves indicate a hybrid strategy that combines traditional agency services with capital investment and protocol-level engagement, leveraging the parent group's distribution scale while building specialized credibility in the digital asset space.

Name

Hakuhodo Key Three

Legal name

株式会社博報堂キースリー（Hakuhodo KEY3 Inc.）

Website

https://key3.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hakuhodo Key Three is a Tokyo-based digital asset marketing subsidiary of Hakuhodo DY Group, serving institutional clients in crypto, real estate funds, digital bonds, stablecoins, and PE/VC with PR, creative, digital marketing, and strategy services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Marketing & Communication): Integrated marketing and communication services including PR, creative, digital marketing, strategy, and research targeting digital asset companies, asset managers, real estate funds, PE/VC firms, and stablecoin issuers. Services span from strategy development to execution across multiple channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hakuhodo Key Three is a specialized digital asset marketing agency that provides integrated marketing and communication services—including PR, creative, digital marketing, strategy, and research—to companies in the digital asset, blockchain, asset management, real estate fund, PE/VC, and stablecoin sectors. The company combines proprietary blockchain implementation knowledge (including operating a Solana validator node) with the Hakuhodo DY Group's consumer insight research, creative, media, and PR capabilities to help clients build differentiated brand narratives, communicate complex blockchain concepts to mainstream consumers, and ensure regulatory compliance under Japanese financial laws.

Product overview

Hakuhodo Key Three is a specialized digital asset marketing agency within the Hakuhodo DY Group, offering a unified platform of integrated marketing services. The company operates four interconnected service pillars: PR/Public Relations Communications (messaging, media relations, reputation management, executive PR, M&A communications, IR communications), Creative (website design, visual storytelling, video production, marketing materials, brand guidelines), Digital Marketing (strategy, SNS management, advertising, multi-channel campaigns, SEO, ROI analysis), and Strategy/Research (marketing strategy, consumer research, competitive analysis, overseas market entry). All services are specifically tailored for the digital asset, blockchain, fund, finance, and real estate industries, leveraging the Hakuhodo DY Group's comprehensive capabilities including research, creative, media, and PR functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PR/Public Relations Communications (PR・広報コミュニケーション) Comprehensive public relations and communications services tailored for digital asset, blockchain, asset management, and real estate clients, including messaging development, media relations, reputation management, executive PR, M&A and new product launch communications, and IR communications.
• Creative Services (クリエイティブ) Creative production services for digital asset and financial clients, including website design and development, visual storytelling via infographics and diagrams, video and animation production, marketing materials and pitchbook creation, and CI/logo/brand guidelines development. The service is designed to translate complex blockchain and financial products into clear, visually compelling brand assets.
• Digital Marketing (デジタルマーケティング) Digital marketing services for digital asset and financial clients, including digital marketing strategy, SNS operations and community management, digital advertising, multi-channel integrated campaigns, SEO and content marketing, and ROI analysis with optimization of budget allocation.
• Strategy/Research (戦略・調査) Strategic and research services for digital asset and financial clients, including marketing strategy development, consumer research (quantitative and qualitative), competitive analysis and brand positioning, overseas company Japan market entry support, and vision/purpose development. The offering leverages Hakuhodo DY Group's research infrastructure for high-resolution stakeholder analysis.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 3rd EconomycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Capital and business partnership (資本業務提携) with 3rd Economy, a company pursuing the fusion of web3 and the economy. The partnership involves investment (出资) and business collaboration to drive social implementation of the web3 economic zone.
• DIMOcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with DIMO, a US-origin global DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) project. Hakuhodo Key Three supports DIMO's entry into the Japanese market through integrated marketing and business accompaniment, representing an advanced case study in mobility x blockchain.
• Taisu VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with Taisu Ventures, a web3-specialized VC. The collaboration aims to connect global web3 startups with Japanese companies, launching a co-creation program that bridges international startup innovation with Japanese enterprise needs.
• Solana FoundationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Hakuhodo Key Three became the first Japanese advertising company to operate a Solana blockchain validator node. This partnership/infrastructure role enables the accumulation of blockchain implementation knowledge within the organization and demonstrates hands-on blockchain expertise.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wachsman PR: Wachsman is a specialized PR and communications agency serving blockchain, crypto, and Web3 companies globally. It is directly comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three in that both act as sector-specialist communications shops serving the same digital-asset client base with similar PR, messaging, and reputation services.
• Lunar Strategy: Lunar Strategy is a digital marketing agency exclusively serving blockchain and crypto projects, covering SEO, content, community, and paid media. Comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three as a Web3-specialist marketing agency targeting token issuers, protocols, and exchanges.
• MarketAcross: MarketAcross is a blockchain-focused content marketing and PR agency serving crypto exchanges, token issuers, and Web3 protocols. Comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three as a digital-asset-specialist marketing agency delivering integrated communications for similar enterprise client types.
• SingleSource (now H/Advisors): H/Advisors (formerly SingleSource) is a strategic communications firm focused on crypto, digital assets, and fintech clients, providing PR, IR, and capital-markets communications. Directly comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three for crypto/digital-asset issuer communications, IR design, and regulated financial product launches.

Emerging players

• Solaris (SE): Solaris is a regulated digital-asset and embedded-finance infrastructure provider in Europe serving issuers of stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and digital assets. Comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three as a digital-asset/regulated-financial-product ecosystem player in the adjacent marketing-issuer value chain, and a potential cross-border reference point for Japanese stablecoin issuer clients.

Others

• CoinShares: CoinShares is a European digital-asset investment manager that operates adjacent market-structure, research, and capital-markets infrastructure for crypto issuers. Not a direct competitor, but thematically adjacent to Hakuhodo Key Three's clients in the asset management and digital-bond issuer segment, representing a potential partner or client rather than peer.

Broad incumbents

• ADK Holdings (Asatsu-DK): ADK Holdings is a major Japanese advertising group with full-service creative, digital, and media capabilities and financial-services client accounts. Comparable as a broad incumbent Japanese agency network that could serve as the parent-level competitor to Hakuhodo Key Three's specialist offering.
• Dentsu Inc. Dentsu is Japan's largest advertising holding company with broad financial-services client relationships and integrated marketing capabilities. Comparable as the incumbent Japanese network that Hakuhodo Key Three effectively competes with at the holding-company level for digital-asset mandates, but operating as a generalist rather than a digital-asset specialist.
• Hakuhodo (Hakuhodo Inc.): Hakuhodo Inc. is the core operating agency of the Hakuhodo DY Group and the direct parent of Hakuhodo Key Three. Comparable as the broad-incumbent Japanese creative and media agency whose integrated capabilities (research, creative, media, PR) the specialist unit draws on when delivering end-to-end campaigns.

Regional players

• DAIKYO (Dentsu Group subsidiary, real estate marketing): Daikyo is a Japanese advertising group with deep real-estate and property-marketing specialization serving developers, REITs, and funds. Comparable to Hakuhodo Key Three as a Japan-based sector-specialist marketing unit serving the real estate fund and REIT client base that overlaps with Hakuhodo Key Three's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/H_KEY3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hakuhodo Key Three