Activate Japan

Music meets manga with “www:sh.shinzou.jp” Shinzou Sound, a group of artists and musicians launched “Synesthesia” the interactive online manga on 12th of August 2006. “Shinzou Sound” is a group of creative collaborators sp specializing in manga, music, web design, and sub-culture. They joined forces with the simple concept of merging their talents in an effort to deliver the new entertainment of music and manga in an innovative way. Exclusive songs, inspired by the manga story have been commissioned for “Synesthesia” as well as playlist from international and Japanese DJ’s. The music, podcasts and playlists are available from iTunes Music Store Japan. Project members include leader Nick Wood, Simon Le Bon, Tatsuya Oe, DJ Sugiurumn, Alex Paterson, Detroit 7, manga artist Enka Sugihara and web designer Hideki Owa, with more names being added as each new episode is released. “Synesthesia*” has three main characters: Shinzou (main character), his sister Tamako, and DJ Karita (who they met when they accidentally swapped iPods on the train). These se 3 individuals form a band and begin a journey of musical inspiration. *Synesthesia is a neurological condition which causes ones sense to influence another sense, for example, people with synesthesia may see shapes or colors when they hear sound, or see colors or shapes, they might hear sounds. Some of the world’s most notable artist from Jimmy Hendrix to Mozart have been gifted with sy synesthesia, which could be one reason why they were able to erase boundaries between the senses and open perception to new possibilities. The story is split into 10 episodes with one new episode release every 2 weeks.. Each new episode co comes with an original new song, which can be downloaded free, from iTunes. Users can also so download Podca casts showing behind the scenes, interviews and more. Shinzou sounds are also planning a live event to merge the manga st storyline with an actual live event. They plan to invite artist who’ve contributed to the project to participate in bringing Shinzou’s world to the stage. Shinzou sounds plan to publish a physical manga book at the end of the “Synesthesia” series along with a full-length digital album featuring the entire soundtrack, this will be a true co collectors edition.

I think when a product or a service kindles an emotional dialogue with the consumer the product or service can qualify to be a brand. As advertising becomes more ubiquitous across the country, it's increasingly difficult for companies and products to stand out from the crowd and avoid being ignored by ad-weary consumers. The shift in thinking is from asking how a company can motivate consumers to buy a product to asking instead how the product can touch consumers' lives. My favorite brand is Apple ever since I saw that Super Bowl ad talking about how Macintosh would change the world. I was reminded about why I loved Apple when this copy was used when Apple launched its iMac with their famous "Think Different" ad campaign. I got a real feeling of the mission of the company as well as its vision so I kept it in my files. This also ran and worked well in japan. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Copyright, Apple Computer 2001

Non-price competition is where true marketing professionals earn their money. The quality of the product, its unique selling proposition whether it is the quality of the product or the reliability of service when conveyed simply and with a compelling pitch can set a product apart from its competition. Some automobiles are marketed using non-price competition. BMW and Mercedes are virtually the same price. These two compete globally by highlighting style, luxury engineering and features. They rarely compete on price or specials, as these tactics would lessen the premium perception of the products. Price competitive products sell products that often cannot be differentiated. Some examples of products in pure price competition markets may include agriculture products, fish, and beef. I think however even this generalization is changing…you pay more for a Chiquita banana, a Dole pineapple, Washington State apple…why? because marketers have tried to add value to these products using brand differentiation. One example where both strategies are used to gain an advantage and where the non-price strategy can dominate is the diamond industry. I am working with the Diamond Trade Commission this year and it has been truly interesting. Although the DTC can control diamond prices because they can control the amount of raw stones supplied each year and the firms that receive the stones, DTC is constantly looking for ways to add value to different grades of stones. Of course clarity and color will always have an affect on price, marketing is becoming the real determining factor. This season previously less desireable “brown” stones have been repositioned as fashionable. New patented cuts making the stones more brilliant are commanding higher prices. One cut featured on “Sex in the City” pushed the patented new cut and it increased sales signifiantly. In conclusion although diamond prices are controlled by supply and grade they can also be marketed using non-price strategies.

Starbucks and Sazaby in Japan Starbucks, which began as a specialty coffee-bean purveyor in Seattle more than thirty years ago, gave Japan’s specialty coffee industry a real jolt when it established its first shop in Tokyo in late 1996. In just several years, the company has achieved a cult-like status, revitalized an entire industry, generated local competition, and inspired a new coffee culture that has extended the coffee drinking demographic significantly. Starbucks uses an energetic, hands-on style and straightforward corporate governance to manage its fast-paced growth, and has made employee satisfaction a key ingredient in its hugely successful blend. Other primary drivers of the “Starbucks experience” include offering customers high quality coffee, excellent customer service, a stream of innovative and appealing products, a savvy local partner with a similar business culture and values, and an inviting, nonsmoking environment. By combining the parent company’s sophisticated supply chain for coffee bean sourcing with its local partner’s understanding of the Japanese market, Starbucks Coffee Japan has become the clear market leader, poised to open its 700th store by the end of 2006. Howard Schultz, the parent company’s chairman and chief global strategist, had long been interested in the Japanese market, but a meeting with a blue-chip Japanese consulting firm in the early 1990s proved very discouraging. Japanese consumers would not accept a nonsmoking environment or drink from paper cups in the street, said the consultants, adding that Starbucks would have to keep stores no larger than 500 square feet to save on rent. Furthermore, the consultants believed that no Japanese person would walk down the street carrying a Starbucks beverage because it was considered impolite in Japanese culture. Schultz and Starbucks did not adopt any of the recommendations the consultants made, choosing instead to offer a Starbucks experience similar to what had worked in the United States. They met with several potential Japanese partners, but it was at a meeting with Yuji Tsunoda, a senior board member of Sazaby, that Starbucks Coffee Japan was born. Tsunoda had visited a Starbucks in 1992 and been impressed by the quality of the coffee and the excellent customer service. He identified immediately with the vision and values of Starbucks, and subsequently proposed forming a partnership, sensing that Starbucks could greatly increase Sazaby’s customer base. Meeting with Tsunoda convinced Schultz that Sazaby was the partner he had been searching for. The two companies had similar business cultures and a similar view of how to serve Japanese customers better. The board of Starbucks Japan has four members: two directors from Starbucks Coffee Japan, one from Starbucks Coffee International, and one from Sazaby. A managing directors committee consisting of the CEO, COO, and CFO who operates in concert with the board, making swift decision-making and rapid implementation possible. Tsunoda, who is CEO of Starbucks Coffee Japan, said: “In a typical board meeting at Sazaby, even people who had questions didn’t bother to ask. Our Starbucks Coffee Japan meetings are much more dynamic, the U.S–based members tend to focus on what the company has done and make concrete suggestions for improvement. The Japanese members talk knowledgeably about the realities we are facing in the market and the long term.” (Tsunoda, 2005) Tsunoda also notes that Sazaby learned a lot about disclosure practices from Starbucks because of U.S. (SEC) requirements and because Starbucks Coffee Japan had to make sure foreign board members received all materials beforehand so they could fully participate in discussions and decisions. “We shared a lot of information and ideas as questions would come from non-Starbucks Coffee Japan members,” he says. “This has made our meetings longer but significantly increased our effectiveness.” Starbucks overall theme is to provide a third place outside of work and home where people can relax and enjoy top-quality coffee and coffee-related products. Starbucks Coffee Japan trains employees to thoroughly understand what Starbucks represents, and believes its employees represent the firm’s most valuable asset. David Chichester, Starbucks Coffee Japan’s chief financial officer, says: “The culture is so important at Starbucks that all executives also go through an orientation during which they spend several days or more actually working at the store level to get the feel of the Starbucks experience and culture.” Starbucks culture is actually very similar to the old Japanese traditional business mentality where members of the company are part of a family. Since Sazaby operates in the same fashion, the creation of the 50/50 joint venture went very smoothly. Starbucks provided the complete supply chain of top-quality coffee, from purchasing to roasting to packaging, a feat that would be very costly for any other company to reproduce or copy. Sazaby, on the other hand, had insights into the Japanese consumer and the right connections and ability to pinpoint new store locations. Starbucks Coffee Japan successfully went public in October 2001 and now operates as a separate entity from Starbucks Coffee International. Starbucks Coffee International has sent over staff to help explain operating techniques, policies, and procedures. The basic services and goods have not been altered, although counter heights and merchandise packaging were changed a little to suit Japanese consumers. Early on Starbucks Japan fell into the red in fiscal 2002, posting a net loss of ¥454 million primarily because of too rapid growth opening new shops faster than its cash flow could handle. In less than a decade, Starbucks Coffee Japan has been able to basically reinvent the retail coffee market in Japan. The company did this by combining its own dynamic corporate style, brand name, global supply chain, and extensive expertise in producing quality coffee with partner Sazaby’s understanding of the Japanese consumer and insights into how to establish unique products and services. Despite a host of aggressive imitators and very tough economic environment, the company continues to grow the contemporary coffee house category.

When I first heard that I was being posted in Japan all of my creative colleagues said, “Wow, how exciting…you get to go where the creativity is so fresh…I wish I was going there!” Well that creative perception of Japan has all but evaporated now. What has happened to creativity in Japan’s advertising? Where has it gone? Over the past several years there has been a lot of finger pointing… Who is to blame? Of course the easiest target is the economy…sales are dropping and the competition is becoming more fierce… ”Our communication must work harder!” is the most bantered about rallying cry. Some creators blame the 15-second format…the sacred reach and frequency must be maintained… I admit I find that challenging too. Where is the excuse for our press advertising’s demise? Some agencies blame the pool of available creative talent. One interesting fact…this is the only country where there is not a creative “Hot Shop” as we call them in the West… I’ll come back to this one later. I like this one and I have some sympathy for this excuse… Japan is different…That is why we can’t win a Cannes… and globally. Then there are those who say our work is so popular in Japan...it works at home…I question that… Tokoro Jogi was used in over 26 different advertisements since I arrived, maybe more…they are all popular… Did he enhance the brands that he endorsed, do you remember the brand, did he set the brand apart from the competition…? I think the only thing he may have accomplished is make the brand “shitashi mi yasui.” Have we just become lazy? I have seen internal creative reviews where everyone begins with, who should we use as the spokesperson? Yikes…imagine losing a pitch because the celebrity that the competitive agency suggested was like better by the client…what was the idea? We don’t have one yet…whoops. That’s enough excuses to tackle in one blog. Let me try to answer some of these criticisms and although many may disagree with my solutions I will offer some… Ok let’s start with the economy… Yes it’s true clients are becoming more timid and less likely to focus on one selling message in a TVC since the media time costs so much. Since one of BBDO’s founders developed the idea of “brainstorming” in the late 1930s business has been trying to wed creativity to commerce. Unfortunately the very nature of business tends to stifle creativity as the very competition it fosters establishes one of the biggest blocks: the fear of making a mistake. But the economy is bad almost everywhere you look and creativity is flourishing in some of the most unexpected places like Brazil, Thailand, Portugal, even Russia is starting to show signs that creativity in advertising is alive and well…somewhere. 15 second discipline. Also reach versus quality of reach…a great idea can certainly live in a 15 second format…I also think fewer 30 second spots with a strong idea is worth more than twice as many 15 second spots with no idea! Lack of creative talent. There are plenty of good creators at production houses but they could not create to a strategy if they had to…in fact they don’t have to. Many production house creators just won’t create to a sound strategy…they believe that it would spoil the opportunity to be creative…it would be too difficult. Anyway they are not responsible ten months down the road when the competition has overtaken a brand’s positioning and precious share points! Japan is different…we can’t win at Cannes This is true everywhere…Brazil and Thailand’s best work could not win at Cannes but it works phenomenally well at home Well at last year’s ACCJ awards I didn’t even see good work worthy of winning awards here at home! I do feel strongly that Japan can win at Cannes…if we go back to where it was in the 80’s. The spots during the 80’s were refreshing and memorable…perhaps Japanese creatives should go Retro.