Marketing Talks

This episode offers a comprehensive review of the novel "Orbiting Classroom" (Sora Wataru Kyoushitsu) by Shin Iyohara, focusing on its core themes and narrative structure.

It highlights the story's s…

This episode explores the concept of a "critical core" strategy through the case study of the Japanese home center, Handsman.

This strategy involves adopting seemingly irrational or inefficient pract…

This episode explores the significant impact of effective logistics on a company's retail success, using P&G's historical collaboration with Tupperware as a key example.

It explains how optimizing lo…

This episode explains the "Jobs to Be Done" (JTBD) theory, which focuses on understanding the underlying progress customers want to make in specific situations, rather than solely focusing on their a…

This episode examines a Japanese eyewear manufacturer, Charmant, and its implementation of general-purpose robots in its factory through the lens of Job Theory.

It highlights how the company adopted …

This episode examines how the Ureshino tea region in Japan transformed its product from a freely available commodity into a high-value, premium experience.

Initially undervalued despite its quality, …

This episode discusses marketing concepts related to how consumers decide what to purchase, focusing on two key "entry points."

The first is the Category Entry Point (CEP), which describes the specif…

This episodet examines how Brand Generated Content (BGC) and User Generated Content (UGC) can be strategically combined to revitalize a brand.

It explains that while BGC allows companies to control t…

This episode provides a summary and review of the book "Imitation and Creation: A Creative Guide for Ages 13 and Up" by Kunitake Sasou, arguing that creativity is a learned skill accessible to everyo…

This episode examines how the NTT West-operated open innovation facility, QUINTBRIDGE, leverages the SECI model to foster knowledge creation and collaboration.

It explains the four stages of the SECI…

This episode describes a new approach to product sampling, referred to as "Sampling 2.0," exemplified by the AIICO sampling vending machine.

Unlike traditional methods where sample distribution is a …

This episode explores how an organization's culture, often seen as mere atmosphere, can become its valuable brand asset, providing a significant competitive advantage.

Using SmartHR as a case study, …

This Japanese case study explores JAL's "Goshoin" collection, which are stamps designed to resemble shrine and temple seals, available for purchase at different airports served by the airline.

It hig…

This episode discusses brand association, defined as the sum of a person's memories, images, and feelings linked to a brand. It highlights how strong brand associations make a product more likely to …

This examines the successful rebranding efforts of the M. League, a professional Japanese mahjong league, which aimed to change the public's negative perceptions of the game.

It focuses on two key st…

This episode analyzes the shift by Aoyama Trading, a major suit retailer, from focusing on ready-made suits to prioritizing custom-made options, using this as an example of how a change in the produc…

This episode explores Peter F. Drucker's management philosophy on marketing.

It argues that the definition of a business is determined not by the company itself, but by the customer, specifically by …

This episode examines the idea that creative thinking and uncovering insights are not simply innate talents, but rather follow a discernible "framework" or "model."

It introduces the concept of "insi…

This analysis explores the case of "Ohitorisama no Ie," a housing product by Base Home, highlighting the importance of questioning traditional assumptions in marketing and business.

It suggests that …

This piece examines how Mizuno developed the CUSHIONREVO PRO baseball cleat by applying innovation from another industry.

Traditionally, baseball cleats prioritized lightness and a barefoot feel, but…