What HAKUHODO Kettle does

HAKUHODO Kettle is a Tokyo-based creative advertising and communications agency founded on April 3, 2006 by Koichiro Shima and Kentaro Kimura, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hakuhodo Inc. within the Hakuhodo DY Holdings group. The firm delivers integrated campaign planning, brand consulting, PR, entertainment content production, and product development for large Japanese enterprises and government entities, with named clients spanning Google, Sony, Toyota, ANA, AEON, Shiseido, KDDI, Yahoo Japan, and ministries such as METI. Its core differentiator is a "No-Rule Rule" creative methodology paired with a "One Table" operating model that collapses Strategy, Creative, Promotion, and PR into a single integrated production layer, deliberately avoiding the departmental silos typical of larger holding-company agencies.

The product and venture portfolio extends well beyond traditional agency services. Kettle PRODUCERS (established 2021) packages the firm's PR-based producer model as a standalone service line; STOVE Company is a wholly-owned editorial subsidiary handling print, web, events, and physical-store content; Corporate Boiling™ (launched August 2025) is a packaged integrated corporate communication offering; and proprietary platforms include Kettle Kitchen (content site), Kettle Magazine (bimonthly publication with Ohta Publishing), Qualities (local web media), KITACOLLE! (outing information site), and the Zetsumeshi regional revitalization program, which has scaled from a single Gunma Prefecture partnership into a multi-prefecture initiative adapted into a TV drama. Other ventures include Book and Beer (Shimokitazawa bookstore with book director Shintaro Uchinuma) and VIBTEX™, an anti-virus wearable brand co-developed with textile firm YAGI.

The business model is B2B professional services on a project-based pricing structure with no publicly disclosed rate cards, monetizing the firm's creative talent, methodology, and Hakuhodo network access. Distribution is direct, via dedicated account teams selling integrated creative and communication engagements to enterprise clients. The firm has no disclosed revenue and is privately held; the stated full headcount band is 11–50, with the STOVE Company internal unit reported at five employees. The company is currently navigating a leadership transition, with a new Representative Director and co-CEO appointed effective April 1, 2026, following the departure of long-tenured CEO Ken Funaki.

Name

HAKUHODO Kettle

Legal name

HAKUHODO Kettle Inc.

Website

https://kettle.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tokyo-based creative advertising and communications agency, founded 2006, that delivers integrated campaign planning, PR, branding, and entertainment content for major Japanese enterprises and government clients. Operates as a Hakuhodo Inc. subsidiary with a portfolio of proprietary editorial and product platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative & Advertising Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (54143), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512), Commercial Photography (541922)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

Keywords

• Creative agency services
• Integrated marketing communication
• Brand consulting
• Entertainment content production
• Advertising campaign planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Planning and Production Services: Full-service advertising and creative agency providing campaign direction, account planning, brand consulting, and integrated marketing solutions to corporate clients
2. Entertainment Contents Business: Development and production of entertainment content including dramas, music videos, and branded entertainment for clients
3. Product Development: Original product development initiatives including media platforms and local revitalization projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HAKUHODO Kettle is a Tokyo-based creative agency that provides integrated marketing communication services including creative planning, campaign direction, account planning, brand consulting, and PR production for major Japanese corporations. The firm also develops entertainment content (dramas, music videos, branded entertainment), product development initiatives, and operates editorial/content platforms. It serves enterprise clients across technology, automotive, consumer goods, retail, telecommunications, media, and government sectors via a wholly-owned subsidiary structure under Hakuhodo Inc.

Product overview

HAKUHODO Kettle is a creative planning and production agency offering integrated marketing communication services. The company operates as a multi-brand portfolio including: the core Kettle PRODUCERS team providing PR-based producer services; STOVE Company handling editorial and content creation; Corporate Boiling™ for integrated corporate communications; and various proprietary platforms including Kettle Kitchen content site, Qualities web media, and the regional revitalization initiative Zetsumeshi. The company also operates subsidiary ventures such as Book and Beer bookstore and publishes Kettle Magazine. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Tokyo, the agency specializes in breaking conventional advertising frameworks to create innovative communication methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kettle Kitchen (ケトルキッチン): Internal blog and content platform operated by STOVE Company featuring various columns and articles
• STOVE Company (ストーブカンパニー)
• Zetsumeshi (絶メシ)

Products and services

• Creative Planning and Production Services Full-service advertising and creative agency providing campaign direction, account planning, brand consulting, and integrated marketing solutions to corporate clients.
• Entertainment Contents Business Development and production of entertainment content including dramas, music videos, and branded entertainment for clients.
• Corporate Boiling™ Integrated corporate communication service that combines various communication methods for corporate messaging and PR activities.
• Kettle PRODUCERS A producer group that uses PR thinking as the foundation for solving client challenges and creating value.
• STOVE Company (ストーブカンパニー) Internal editorial organization born as a department of HAKUHODO Kettle. Handles editing and planning for print, web media, events, and physical store projects, creating new content and value by organizing information and systems.
• Zetsumeshi (絶メシ) Local gourmet service promoting regional revitalization by preserving and supporting local eateries at risk of closure. Has expanded nationally and was adapted into a TV drama.
• Kettle Kitchen (ケトルキッチン) Company content platform featuring various columns and articles managed by HAKUHODO Kettle's staff, covering topics such as culture, art, work, events, PR practices, and awards.
• Qualities Local web media edited by HAKUHODO Kettle's Masanobu Hino, featuring interviews and regional content focused on local revitalization.
• VIBTEX™ Japan's first anti-virus total wearable brand developed in collaboration with textile company YAGI.
• Kettle Magazine (雑誌『ケトル』) A bimonthly themed magazine edited by HAKUHODO Kettle and published by Ohta Publishing, featuring 40-page feature articles and over 50 pages of reviews.
• Book and Beer (本屋B&B) A new-style bookstore opened in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo in collaboration with book director Shintaro Uchinuma, combining books, knickknacks, vintage furniture with beer and drinks, and daily events.
• KITACOLLE! (キタコレ！) An outing information website that helps users decide 'What should I do tomorrow?' Operated by STOVE Company since 2013, gathering daily street information from Tokyo and occasionally overseas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100+ international and domestic advertising awards won including multiple Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Good Design Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hakuhodo Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company relationship as subsidiary of Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Operates as independent creative unit within the Hakuhodo network, leveraging parent company's client relationships and media assets while maintaining autonomous creative direction.
• NPO Japan Booksellers' Award Executive CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership since award establishment; Hakuhodo Kettle participates in planning and management of the Japan Booksellers' Award (Honya Taisho), a major literary award selected by bookstore employees nationwide.
• Uchinuma Shintaro (Book Director)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership to open Bookstore B&B in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo in 2012 - a new-style book store combining books, knickknacks, vintage furniture with beer and events.
• Takasaki City, Gunma PrefecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Zetsumeshi' regional revitalization project - local gourmet promotion that has expanded to multiple prefectures and been adapted into TV drama.
• Sony Marketing Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term creative partnership for Sony product campaigns including Sony Building recycle project transforming advertisements into designer jeans.
• All-Japan CD Shop Clerks UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership managing the CD Shop Awards - music industry award selected by record store employees nationwide, similar to Japan Booksellers' Award model.
• Kettle Kitchen Subsidiary BrandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal subsidiary operations including Kettle Kitchen, Book and Beer (B&B), STOVE editorial company, and various content initiatives under unified creative direction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mother: Boutique global creative agency founded on irreverent creative principles; comparable profile to Hakuhodo Kettle given team size, founder-led DNA, and award-winning output on premium brands.
• Droga5 (now Droga5 Part of Accenture Song): Award-winning independent creative agency (now within Accenture Song) known for integrated ideas across film, entertainment, and PR—directly parallel to Kettle's blended creative/entertainment/PR production model.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency globally recognized for integrated brand-building without traditional agency silos (parallel to Kettle's One Table model); competes for similar global-brand integrated creative briefs.
• TBWA\Hakuhodo: Sibling Hakuhodo-network creative agency combining TBWA's global disruption methodology with Hakuhodo's Japanese client access. Closest direct peer in scale, methodology (Disruption vs Kettle's No-Rule Rule), and target advertiser set.
• Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo: Boutique creative agency with Tokyo presence, internationally award-winning, working with major global brands. Highly comparable given creative-only focus, founder-led culture, and Japanese-headquartered operations serving multinational clients.

Broad incumbents

• Hakuhodo Inc. (parent): Parent company and one of Japan's top-three advertising agencies. Same client roster, access to enterprise resources, and competing for integrated creative mandates; sets the strategic ceiling Kettle operates beneath.
• ADK (Asatsu-DK): Major Japanese full-service advertising agency (now part of Bain Capital ownership) competing for integrated creative, branding, and entertainment-content mandates on the same enterprise client base as Hakuhodo Kettle.
• Dentsu: Japan's largest advertising agency group and direct domestic competitor to Hakuhodo; competes for the same blue-chip Japanese advertisers (Toyota, KDDI, Sony) across full-service creative, media, and PR.

Regional players

• Septeni Holdings: Japanese digital-marketing and creative holding company with comparable boutique-creative subsidiaries; competes in Japan for similar enterprise client share and overlapping creative/integrated services.

Emerging players

• Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Marketing: Talent and entertainment-driven marketing agency pursuing brand integration work; thematically comparable given Kettle's entertainment-content production (drama, music video, branded entertainment) orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Kettle_kitchen_
• Facebookfacebook.com/kettlekitchenjp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 HAKUHODO Kettle