Keywordmarketing

What Keywordmarketing does

Keywordmarketing Inc. (株式会社キーワードマーケティング) is a Tokyo-headquartered, privately held Japanese advertising agency founded in 2003 that manages performance-based advertising campaigns for B2B and B2C clients across approximately 20+ digital platforms. The firm was originally incorporated as Keyword Marketing Research Institute and rebranded in 2007 to its current legal name. It serves both enterprises outsourcing full ad operations and mid-market clients seeking consulting or in-house training, with named case-study customers spanning legal/compliance (Lexis Nexis Japan), education (Drone College), and software/telecom (PHONE APPLI).

The company's product portfolio centers on three service lines: fully managed performance advertising operations across search (Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft), social (Facebook, Instagram, X, LINE, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, SmartNews), video (YouTube, Connected TV), and commerce (Amazon, Google Shopping, Criteo); a six-month advertising consulting engagement for in-house teams; and an in-house training/education program derived from research data on 600+ companies. The principal technical differentiator is the proprietary Search Creation Marketing (SCM) methodology, which combines PR and advertising to intentionally generate new search demand for low-volume keywords rather than merely capturing existing intent. The firm also operates a free ad account diagnostic as a lead-generation entry point and publishes the Key Make Blog plus recurring webinars as content-marketing assets. Operations are split between the Tokyo headquarters (Akasaka), a Kansai branch in Osaka (Nakanoshima), and a Saga operations hub, enabling separation of client-facing strategy from back-office campaign execution.

Keywordmarketing generates revenue through professional-services fees across its three service tiers, with pricing customized per client engagement rather than publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is primarily direct sales supplemented by inbound inquiries, webinar/seminar demand generation, and a network of seven official partner firms that cross-refer and co-deliver services. The customer base spans 1,483+ companies across 150+ industry categories as of July 2024, suggesting a distributed rather than concentrated revenue mix. The firm is ISO/IEC 27001 certified and has been consecutively recognized as a Health Management Excellent Corporation (2025 and 2026, with a 2026 Next Bright 1000 top-tier selection), reflecting operational maturity but no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or international expansion.

Name

Keywordmarketing

Legal name

株式会社キーワードマーケティング

Website

https://kwm.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Keywordmarketing is a privately held Japanese performance-advertising agency, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Tokyo, that manages paid media campaigns across 20+ platforms and serves over 1,483 B2B and B2C clients with managed operations, consulting, and in-house training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Advertising Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Performance Marketing (SEM, Paid Social, Programmatic) (BPAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) (BPAFACAA), Performance Marketing Automation & Bid Management Services (MPAAACAM), Lead Generation & Performance Media (B2B/B2C) (MPAAACAK), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Performance advertising management
• Search creation marketing
• Advertising agency outsourcing
• Digital advertising consulting
• In-house advertising training

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

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 Agency Services: Full-service managed advertising operations for clients seeking to outsource ad management across multiple platforms.
2. Advertising Consulting: Consulting services for companies managing advertising in-house, with a 6-month co-support program.
3. In-house Training and Education: Training programs based on research data from over 600 companies' advertising operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Keywordmarketing is a Japanese performance-advertising agency that plans, executes, and optimizes paid media campaigns across roughly 20+ channels (Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, LINE, LinkedIn, Pinterest, SmartNews, Amazon, Criteo, etc.) on behalf of client companies. Its flagship methodology, Search Creation Marketing (SCM), combines PR with advertising to actively create new search demand rather than capture existing intent. The firm also sells structured 6-month advertising consulting, in-house team training/education programs, brand awareness advertising, PR services, and a free ad-account diagnostic.

Product overview

Keywordmarketing (株式会社キーワードマーケティング) is an advertising agency providing managed performance-based advertising services across approximately 20+ platforms and channels. The core offering is the '運用型広告 運用代行' (Managed Advertising Service), which handles campaign strategy, execution, and optimization across search (Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft), social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LINE, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, SmartNews), video (YouTube, Connected TV), commerce (Amazon, Google Shopping, Criteo), and specialty networks. The company differentiates through its proprietary '検索創出型マーケティング（SCM）' methodology, which uses PR and advertising synergy to generate new search demand. Supporting services include in-house training and education (developed from 600+ company research), 6-month advertising consulting, brand awareness advertising, and PR services. The company also offers a free ad account diagnostic as an entry-point service. No self-service SaaS platform, API, or marketplace is described — all services are delivered as managed agency engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Managed Performance Advertising Services (運用型広告の運用代行)

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved 700% improvement in CPA using combined PR and performance advertising strategy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Faber CompanycoreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2023SEO professional firm providing integrated SEO and content marketing services. Partnered with Keyword Marketing for cross-referrals and joint service delivery on digital marketing engagements.
• アイオイクス株式会社 (IOIX Corporation)coreTechnology or Integration · 12 June 2023Digital marketing technology company. Official partner for technology integration and digital marketing services collaboration.
• 株式会社ウェブライダー (WebRider)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Marketing agency specializing in web and digital marketing strategies. Partnership enables expanded service offerings and client referrals.
• 株式会社カルテットコミュニケーションズ (Quartet Communications)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Marketing communications firm. Partnership for expanded service coverage and cross-referrals.
• サクラサクマーケティング株式会社 (SakuraSaku Marketing)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Marketing firm offering specialized digital marketing services. Partnership for cross-referrals and service collaboration.
• 株式会社クヌギ (Kunugi Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Digital marketing and technology services company. Partnership for expanded marketing service ecosystem.
• 株式会社ジーニアスウェブ (GeniusWeb)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Web marketing and digital advertising services company. Partnership for cross-referrals and collaborative client service delivery.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CyberAgent: Major Japanese internet media and digital advertising company with AI-driven performance marketing (AIChat, AIRobo) and large managed-services operations across search, social, and video — overlapping directly with Keyword Marketing's offering but at materially larger scale.
• Hakuhodo: One of Japan's largest advertising agencies with extensive digital and performance marketing practices — sets the strategic context and competitive ceiling that a mid-sized firm like Keyword Marketing operates beneath.

Direct peers

• ADWAYS: Tokyo-based performance marketing company focused on affiliate, app-install, and cross-platform digital advertising — comparable in scale and channel mix to Keyword Marketing's mobile-app and SNS advertising practices.
• Opt (now OPT Holdings): Japanese digital advertising agency offering integrated performance marketing across search, social, and display — directly comparable in service scope and target customer (mid-market Japanese advertisers) to Keyword Marketing.
• Feedforce: Tokyo-based digital marketing firm with managed advertising, content, and technology integrations — a mid-sized Japanese competitor operating in similar channels and customer segments.
• IREP (Hakuhodo iREP): Hakuhodo-owned digital marketing agency specializing in performance advertising, SEO, and analytics for Japanese advertisers — directly competes with Keyword Marketing's managed-services + training/consulting offerings.
• FreakOut Holdings: Japanese DSP/programmatic ad-tech and performance marketing company providing managed DSP buying and audience targeting — comparable on the programmatic and paid-media buying dimensions of Keyword Marketing's practice.
• Digital Holdings (formerly Septeni Holdings): Japanese digital advertising group with a flagship performance-marketing agency (Septeni) operating across search, social, and video — the closest large-scale direct competitor to Keyword Marketing's cross-platform managed-services model.

Emerging players

• Speee: Tokyo-based digital marketing and DX company with a performance-marketing agency arm — adjacent competition for mid-market Japanese advertisers with comparable search/social services.

Others

• Tinuiti: US-based independent performance marketing agency — useful international benchmark for cross-platform managed-services model, channel mix, and target customer profile even though it does not compete in Japan.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kwm_co_jp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZHR3oj0eB5eQ2TzK3kJRJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/kwm.co.jp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keyword-marketing-co-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/kwma_pr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Keywordmarketing