Insight Japan

What Insight Japan does

Insight Japan (株式会社インサイト, INSIGHT inc.) is a Hokkaido-headquartered, publicly listed advertising and marketing services company founded circa 1975 (IPO February 2008 on the Sapporo Stock Exchange, upgraded to the Main Market in January 2025 under ticker 2172). The company operates a diversified portfolio of services: traditional advertising (TV, print, outdoor), digital advertising resale through channel partnerships with Yahoo! Japan, Baidu, TikTok Ads, and Logicad, marketing research through the proprietary INSEARCH consumer-panel system (45+ years of accumulated Sapporo-area data), the inShare influencer marketing marketplace (Hokkaido-specialized, targeting 3,000 registered influencers), women's marketing under the INCROSS brand, regional revitalization and furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) campaign services for municipalities, PR/media distribution (Plus INSEARCH), and ancillary lines including the LESTEL. MARU smart hotel (via wholly owned subsidiary Invaito) and lifestyle/housing/job-support platforms.

The company serves three primary customer segments: Japanese local and regional governments (100+ municipalities served for furusato nozei and regional PR — including Kaga City, Mori Town, and Niseko Town), enterprise B2B advertisers seeking full-service campaigns (Rakuno Gakuen University, Marugame Seimen, Infomart, Sapporo Underground Shopping District, Fighters Sports & Entertainment), and Hokkaido-based SMBs and educational institutions accessing influencer and digital services. GTM combines direct enterprise field sales from Sapporo and the newly opened Tokyo office (August 2024), self-service influencer campaign ordering on inShare, channel-partner-driven digital ad resale, and event-led demand generation (notably the Sapporo Autumn Fest 'PRECIOUS TABLE' venue).

Revenue derives from advertising commissions, subscription/transaction-based research and influencer services (influencer campaigns from ¥100,000, PR services ¥50,000-100,000), professional services fees for government campaign execution, media-buying margins from digital ad resale, and ancillary income from hotel operations and owned media. Leadership is family-controlled, with Asai Hajime (浅井一) as Representative Director and Chairman/CEO and Asai Ryosuke (浅井亮介) as President Representative Director. The business is Hokkaido-dominant with a geographic concentration that Tokyo expansion is intended to dilute.

Name

Insight Japan

Legal name

株式会社インサイト (INSIGHT inc.)

Website

https://ppi.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Insight Japan (株式会社インサイト, ticker 2172) is a Hokkaido-headquartered, publicly listed advertising and marketing services firm serving Japanese local governments, enterprise advertisers, and regional SMBs through consumer research, digital and traditional advertising, influencer marketing, and furusato nozei campaign services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sapporo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising Services: Traditional and digital advertising agency services including TV, print, outdoor, and online advertising. Handles campaign planning, creative production, media buying, and brand promotion for enterprise clients.
2. Marketing Research (inSearch): Subscription-based consumer research panel and survey services. Provides both commissioned research for enterprises and free public surveys generating leads.
3. Regional Revitalization Services: Furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) platform operation for municipalities. End-to-end support including promotion design,返礼品 management, and campaign execution. Major growth driver.
4. Influencer Marketing Platform (inShare): Platform fees from brands seeking influencer campaigns. Registered influencers receive assignments and post sponsored content. Base pricing from ¥100,000 per campaign.
5. PR and Press Release Services: Press release creation and media distribution services. Plus inSearch service provides research-backed PR content from ¥50,000-100,000.
6. Digital Advertising Resale: Reseller commissions from Yahoo! Japan, Baidu, TikTok Ads, and Logicad advertising platforms. Margins on media buying for enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Insight Japan is a Hokkaido-rooted advertising and marketing services firm that plans, creates, and buys campaigns across TV, print, outdoor, and digital channels for enterprise clients and local governments. It also operates proprietary platforms — inSearch for consumer research, inShare for Hokkaido-focused influencer marketing, and Plus InSearch for PR — and runs end-to-end furusato nozei (hometown tax) programs for municipalities.

Product overview

Insight Japan operates a diversified portfolio of marketing and advertising services centered in Hokkaido. The core offerings include INSEARCH, a marketing research system conducting consumer surveys, and inShare, an influencer marketing platform utilizing local Hokkaido influencers for SNS promotions. Supporting services include 札幌広告.com for local advertising, incross for women's marketing, and プラスインサーチ for PR support. The company has expanded into hospitality with LESTEL. MARU smart hotel, operates restaurant platform みんサポ, and provides regional solutions including CREATIVE HOKKAIDO international promotion projects. Additional offerings encompass housing platforms (ほっかいどうの家), employment support (Start!), video production (INMOVIE), and web solutions (INCHECKER). The portfolio represents a platform-plus-specialized-services architecture combining digital marketing capabilities with regional activation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INSEARCH (インサーチ): Hokkaido-focused marketing research system/platform
• inShare (インシェア)
• インクロス (INCROSS)
• LESTEL. MARU (レステル マル)

Products and services

• inShare (インシェア) Influencer Marketing Service Hokkaido-specialized influencer marketing platform connecting local businesses with registered regional influencers for SNS-based promotion campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Provides access to approximately 100 registered influencers covering various genres, with pricing starting at ¥100,000.
• INSEARCH (インサーチ) Marketing Research Service Marketing research system providing consumer survey and panel services primarily in the Sapporo area. Conducts regular public opinion surveys, releases free questionnaire reports on COVID-19 sentiment, regional spending, and demographic trends, and offers paid commissioned research for enterprises.
• MinSapo (みんサポ) Restaurant Promotion Platform Free restaurant promotion website launched during COVID-19 to support local dining establishments in the Sapporo area. Registration and listing are free for shops; users can search by category, genre, and area.
• Plus InSearch PR Service Press release creation, production, and media distribution service utilizing InSearch survey data, designed for Hokkaido small and medium enterprises. Standard service ¥100,000 (tax excluded); launch discount ¥50,000; includes Sapporo marketing research, press release writing, Hokkaido media distribution, raw data delivery, and inSearch SNS posting.
• incross (インクロス) Women's Marketing Project Women's-focused marketing project featuring female-targeted content, surveys, promotional campaigns, product development initiatives, and a female influencer network with the tagline "Crossing with Women's Hearts."
• Sapporo Koukoku.com Advertising Service Platform Comprehensive advertising service platform for Sapporo-based businesses offering various advertising solutions for local companies.
• LESTEL. MARU Smart Hotel Operation Unmanned smart hotel operation launched in August 2020 in Sapporo Maruyama, featuring 30 rooms and 22 dormitory beds in a fully renovated building; operated by subsidiary INVITE Inc. on commission from Daiwa House Industries.
• Hokkaido Homebuilders Platform (ほっかいどうの家) Platform connecting Hokkaido-based homebuilders and housing companies with consumers seeking local construction services.
• Start! Employment Support Book Service Employment support book service for high school students in Hokkaido, helping bridge the gap between students and companies in the region.
• CREATIVE HOKKAIDO International Promotion Project Regional promotion project conducted in collaboration with Sapporo City and Hokkaido Newspaper, promoting Hokkaido culture internationally in locations including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Ho Chi Minh.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 municipalities served for furusato nozei and regional revitalization programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and key.

• Sapporo TV Broadcasting (札幌テレビ放送株式会社 / STV)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2024Collaboration on furusato nozei promotion using STV's TV programs and events to disseminate regional charm. Combines INSIGHT's furusato nozei platform operations with STV's broadcasting reach for regional revitalization.
• Regions (リージョンズ株式会社)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 September 2020Joint seminar on new graduate recruitment. Regions provides employment consulting expertise for student recruitment seminars.
• Rinber (リンベル株式会社)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 September 2020Business partnership related to gift catalog and corporate gift solutions.
• Makuake (株式会社マクアケ)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 July 2020'Crowdfunding x Influencer' marketing service combining Makuake's crowdfunding platform with INSIGHT's inShare influencer network to support Hokkaido brand projects. Provides video production, SNS advertising, and PR support.
• Invaito (株式会社イナイト)keyImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 31 July 2020Subsidiary company established to operate LESTEL. MARU smart hotel (30 rooms, 22 dormitory beds) in Sapporo Maruyama. Daiwa House Industries commissioned operations.
• TikTok (字节跳动/ByteDance)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 October 2019First Hokkaido advertising sales agent for TikTok Ads platform. Enables local businesses to advertise on TikTok.
• Hokkaido Advertising (株式会社北海道広告)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2018Business partnership for expanded advertising services in Hokkaido market.
• Interact Communications (インタセクト・コミュニケーションズ株式会社)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2018Business partnership for Chinese tourist inbound promotion and Chinese-language digital marketing. Provider of Maforong (馬蜂窝/Mafengwo) travel platform expertise and WeChat Pay promotion services. Joint seminars and campaigns for Hokkaido businesses targeting Chinese visitors.
• J Office Crew (株式会社ジェイ・オフィス・クルー)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2017Capital and business alliance including Kururu regional magazine publishing (Asahikawa and Sapporo editions). Joint regional media initiative.
• Yahoo! Japan (雅虎株式会社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 July 2017Sales agency agreement for Baidu listing ads and Baidu ad network ads. Yahoo Japan is the domestic master agent for Baidu services in Japan, enabling INSIGHT to offer Chinese-market digital advertising to Hokkaido businesses.
• Ality Architecture (アライ디어ーキテクツ株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2017Joint development of inShare Hokkaido influencer marketing platform. Ality Architecture provides technology and influencer network expertise; INSIGHT provides local market knowledge and regional client relationships.
• Will Corporation (株式会社ウィル・コーポレーション)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2013Business partnership for DM (direct mail) marketing and promotional services. Joint seminar collaboration on data-driven customer cultivation.
• Daiichi Agency (株式会社第一エージェンシー)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2008Business partnership for opening inSearch research site in Sendai (仙台). Regional research platform expansion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Digital Holdings: Tokyo-listed holding company aggregating multiple digital advertising agencies. Broader scale and digital specialization than INSIGHT, but overlaps in providing integrated digital marketing services to enterprise clients in Japan.
• Hakuhodo DY Holdings: Second-largest Japanese advertising group, offering full-service advertising including digital, content, and media. Overlaps with INSIGHT on enterprise creative, media buying, and regional activation work.
• ADK Holdings: Major Japanese full-service advertising agency group offering creative, media, and digital services. Larger-scale incumbent with overlapping capabilities to INSIGHT's traditional-plus-digital advertising offerings.
• Dentsu: Japan's largest advertising agency with global operations. Competes with INSIGHT for major-brand enterprise accounts (e.g., Marugame Seimen) but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• FreakOut Holdings: Tokyo-listed digital advertising platform company specializing in programmatic and data-driven ad buying — similar in business model to INSIGHT's digital ad resale (Yahoo/TikTok/Baidu/Logicad) operations.
• Allied Architects: Tokyo-based digital marketing and influencer-marketing firm operating social-media campaign platforms (incl. influencer marketplace similar to inShare). Comparable in offering social-media-driven brand activation to enterprise clients across Japan.
• Cross Marketing: Tokyo-listed market-research firm providing consumer surveys, panels, and digital marketing research. Comparable to INSIGHT's research-led monetization model and SMB/enterprise client base.
• Septeni Holdings: Tokyo-based digital advertising group specializing in social-media marketing, programmatic, and creative — closely comparable to INSIGHT's digital-plus-influencer service portfolio targeting Japanese enterprise clients.
• Intage: Japan's largest domestic market-research firm providing consumer panel data and marketing insight — directly comparable to INSIGHT's INSEARCH consumer research platform.
• Macromill: Listed Japanese online market-research firm operating consumer panels and survey analytics, directly analogous to INSIGHT's INSEARCH research platform and Plus inSearch PR service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Insight Japan