Job Description:

Business Overview

Ad & Media Company provides advertising and marketing services, including digital advertising, research, and influencer business.
Its appeal lies in its ability to offer end-to-end solutions for all aspects of marketing, from upstream strategy formulation to downstream execution such as ad operations, performance measurement, and data analysis.
Marketing-related businesses include "Rakuten Marketing / LinkShare," which provides general digital marketing solutions, "Rakuten Data Marketing," which offers marketing solutions utilizing Rakuten's big data, and "Rakuten Insight," which provides marketing research services, among other wide-ranging marketing businesses.
This environment allows you to place yourself in an organization that forms the core of Rakuten Group, leading to your personal growth and career advancement.

Department Overview

Rakuten Insight is a company that provides marketing research services to clients both within and outside the Rakuten Group.
Leveraging the Group's extensive data assets and developing research products that incorporate AI, we are driving initiatives to create new industry standards.
Through the integration of "Research × Data × AI," we aim to deepen our understanding of consumers and help our clients solve their business challenges.

Position:

Why We Hire

The research industry is undergoing a major transformation as marketing becomes more complex and faster-paced, and AI rapidly permeates the field.
We view this change as an opportunity and are strengthening the following initiatives by leveraging Rakuten's data and AI knowledge:

- Developing data-driven businesses that go beyond the framework of conventional research
- Developing and providing research products that incorporate AI

We are seeking individuals who have the passion to create next-generation research together while providing high-quality research as researchers, with "research knowledge and skills" at the core to accurately grasp and solve customers' marketing challenges.

Attractive Features
- An environment where you can engage with diverse customers and projects, allowing you to broaden your knowledge and skills
*Including business companies such as manufacturers, advertising agencies, media companies, and various Rakuten Group businesses

- Speed that encourages challenge and growth
Service improvements and product development are promoted speedily, and researchers have abundant opportunities to participate in planning proposals and new service creation

- Challenges in next-generation research through AI and data utilization
AI utilization promoted across the entire Rakuten Group is also being deployed in research and data business, allowing you to gain knowledge to apply AI in practical work

- Diverse career paths and growth options
It is possible to expand your possibilities according to your own will, such as deepening research expertise, developing new models using AI, expanding into data specialist areas, and broadening your field of activity to various Rakuten Group businesses

Position Details

Our areas of activity are broadly divided into three domains: corporate clients (such as manufacturers), advertising and media agencies, and various Rakuten Group businesses (including Rakuten Ichiba, Rakuten Mobile, and Rakuten Travel).
In each domain, sales representatives and researchers work together as a team, leveraging their expertise in online research and data utilization to help clients solve their challenges.
Researchers are responsible for the full range of research tasks—from proposal and questionnaire design to data tabulation, analysis, and reporting.

Main Responsibilities
- Research planning and proposals
Planning and proposing optimal research from hearing customer challenges in collaboration with sales
- Research operations:
A series of operations from questionnaire creation, tabulation/analysis, report creation, to presentation
*Since survey screen creation and data collection are handled by separate specialized departments, researchers can focus on planning and analysis
- AI/data utilization promotion:
Analysis support using AI, report creation, operational efficiency improvement (report creation using generative AI, analysis automation, etc.)
Challenges in next-generation research combining internal and external data (purchasing, behavior, EC data, etc.) with asking data

Sample Projects
- For a beverage manufacturer:
We propose effective research solutions addressing a wide range of marketing challenges, working closely with the client to deliver actionable insights. Our large survey panel and the ability to integrate AI-powered products into proposals are among our key strengths.

- For an advertising agency:
With the growing demand for ad effectiveness measurement using ad exposure logs, we often engage with cutting-edge advertising technologies and have opportunities for stimulating discussions that go beyond conventional research frameworks.

- For Rakuten Group businesses:
Working alongside marketing teams across Rakuten Group companies, we provide professional research expertise that directly supports strategic decision-making.

Work Environment

Team Structure
- Number of researchers: Approximately 50
- Age range: Primarily in their 30s to 40s (many members with extensive research experience)
- New graduates vs. mid-career hires: Around 10% new graduates, 90% mid-career professionals

At Rakuten Insight, we have many mid-career professionals who have joined us from a wide range of industries and roles. In addition to experienced researchers, our team includes members who transitioned into research from business companies or other departments within the Rakuten Group.

Backgrounds of Mid-Career Hires
- Sales or researcher roles at research agencies
- Research, brand management, or marketing positions at manufacturers and other business companies
- Members who transferred or transitioned from other Rakuten Group businesses into research roles

Career Path Examples of Successful Mid-Career Members
- Enhancing research skills within Rakuten Insight and advancing to a Senior Researcher role
- Transferring to a group specializing in big data within Rakuten Insight to deepen expertise in the data domain
- Holding a concurrent position in the AI product development group, contributing to the creation of new services that integrate research and AI
- Expanding their career within other Rakuten Group businesses as marketing professionals

Mandatory Qualifications:

- Individuals with at least three years of hands-on research experience in marketing research firms, business companies, advertising agencies, or equivalent research skills.

- Those with experience in the entire research process, from project planning and questionnaire design to data tabulation, report creation, and presentation.
 

Desired Qualifications:

Preferred qualifications
- Experience working on-site at client locations as a marketing researcher
- Experience in multivariate analysis
- Experience conducting qualitative research
- Experience in team or member management

Desired Qualities
- Able to build trust and communicate effectively with colleagues and clients.
- Capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously with speed and flexibility.
- Eager to proactively leverage AI to enhance work efficiency and the quality of deliverables.
- Sees change as an opportunity for growth and is willing to take on new challenges.
- Interested in exploring data analysis and new research methods, in addition to traditional survey-based (asking) research.

 

Others Information: 

Additional information on Location 

Futako Tamagawa Rise Office 

2-21-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Additional information on Secondment 

Rakuten Insight, Inc.

Additional information on English Qualification 

English Requirement: Yes
*TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.
*Details will be provided if you proceed to the selection process.

#business #researcher #commerce #RakutenInsight 

Languages:

English (Overall - 3 - Advanced), Japanese (Overall - 4 - Fluent)

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