Public Relations in Japan
This is the fifth in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing (if you came here from somewhere else, read this, this, this and this first). Developing a marketing communications strategy carries over to religious, charitable, environmental, non-profit, social and governmental agencies, or any organization or group that has a particular cause to promote, needs to […]
This is the fourth in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing (if you came here from somewhere else, read this, this and this first). There is a lack of understanding (or training) in marketing basics within many companies. How can you execute Marketing 4.0 if you never learned Marketing 1.0? Consider the military… Anyone who […]
This is the third in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing (if you came here from somewhere else, read this and this first). Marketing is the process involved to sell a product and brand. It addresses how a product or brand should be perceived by the customer to be more desirable (positioning); where and how […]
Continuing from my first article, this is the second in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing. Following are the six reasons I believe Japanese companies struggle with marketing. 1. Language In the Japanese language, there is no direct translation for the word or concept of Marketing. It is spelled phonetically via five katakana characters (separate […]
This is the first in a series of columns about Japan Inc.’s ultimate global challenge: marketing. Japan is the world’s third largest economy; it is an influential country and will continue to be a valuable contributor to the global economy. In the 1950s, Japan competed largely on low prices, low wages and selling cheap imitations of western goods. Recognizing the […]
Many small and mid-sized subsidiaries of foreign B2B companies in Japan don’t have large budgets for communication activities. Although there is a trend toward recognizing communications as a strategic function here, too, more often than not, this awareness is still lacking. It’s not uncommon for sales people to think that communications equals advertising, which in turn equals a waste of […]
Japan is different. Yes, we have all heard this sentence before. And for many of us, make that too often before. Yet when it comes to public relations, a smartly localized approach can produce superior results—especially in Japan. The reason is—you’ve seen it coming—that the market has quite a few peculiarities. Interestingly enough, many international companies don’t localize smartly and […]
