Year in Review 2013

Anything that falls short of “Wow” with all that “wow” entails is an understatement at the time of defining the year in simple terms.

This year is full of learnings and professional development filled with great surprises.
Although with “downs” quickly turned into “ups,” 2013 was especially fantastic on the life side of things with of course the usual healthy mix of work intermingled heavily at all times.

Around March I discovered that I was going to become a father again later in the year. This was a pleasant surprise and everything that happened from that moment onwards took new meaning. It all went with a sense of urgency, a healthy sense of urgency filled with love and renewed passion for all things, passion I applied to every moment.

In April I traveled to London for Internet World 2013. This was a fantastic event where I discovered new knowledge and created new business relationships. I was also blessed with the longest sunny week in London which apparently doesn’t happen very often over there. I also reconnected with a friend I had not seen in a long time. This set the tone for a year filled with lots of international travel.

A week in Hong Kong in July followed London. I spent a good amount of time learning a great deal of Big Data and behavioral marketing there. Australia and the Gold Cost were next just to prove that a weekend escapade to Australia from Japan is possible. That is, if there is a three-day weekend. Later in the year my work took me to Hong Kong again for more business and learning.

In all I have been outside of Japan 4 times this year and this is a record in all my 14 years in Japan, especially so considering that in general I dislike flying.

My 2nd daughter Mine was born in November and with her my latest life of the last four years makes sense. With her I discovered more than ever than following my heart is not just something nice to do, but my human duty.

This year 2013 is a great year filled with great events and feelings, a great year to remember.

Kohaku Utagassen 2012

The 2012, edition 63 of Kohaku Utagassen ended with the win of Shirogumi.

Shirogumi won just barely and in a show that from the start set a rather strange retro tone.

Hamasaki Ayumi playing a medley of songs from ten years ago started a retro flavor that continued throughout the whole show and for both teams.

In this 63rd edition of the show, all performers were confined to one scenario that resembled a tunnel which was kept stable for all. With the exception of choreography, the singers did not have many possibilities of individualization and as a result all performances where rather plain and almost forcibly standardized.

In a year when women performed their best and sold records in high numbers it was quite puzzling to see some of the things that happened in the 4.5 hours of performances. Why were there artists like Nakajima Mika, Yuki, Ayaka and Koda Kumi in the show when they clearly were not top selling artists in 2012? Why was the whole Enka category so weak? and why was Missia in the show when she clearly did not exist in 2012?.....and why sending her to perform from a desert in Namibia?

On the side of the men things were slightly different and equally puzzling with songs being performed not by non-existent performers, but by current artists who appear to have benefited by the retro tone. This comes as no surprise since they never had a chance to win in the first place. Their overall performance and track record of 2012 was quite weak and there was clearly no real winner in their team. They all had to relate to old songs to make an impact forward.

Good performers from Akagumi with great performances this year were: AKB48, Momoiro CloverZ, Yui, Ikimono Gakari, Carry Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume, and Sakamoto Fuyumi.
Good performances from Shirogumi: Arashi, NYC, Golden Bombers, Sato Kazuyoshi, AAA, Naoto Intiraimi, and Tachi Hiroshi.

In summary, the overall retro trend helped the men and hadn’t it been for it Akagumi would have won rightly as they deserved.

Year in Review 2012

If there’s one word that defines the year correctly, clearly and precisely is the word Happiness. While in the overall framework of happiness however, the year started not so much on a happy tone, but progressed upwards along its way, the way I pursued.

In the earlier months of 2012 I was working for the wrong people after forcing myself into a work relationship I didn’t want to have. Around that time the biggest event of the year, Social Media Week New York took care of this initial bad move and it was from then on that things started to move on the upbeat side of the happy spectrum.

It was in New York, in the night of Valentine’s day and on top of the Empire State building when I decided that I wanted to do better. It was then that I realized that my life is precious enough to waste it doing what I didn’t want to do so, I started a genuine change by once again going after my dreams and the pursue of happiness.

Things were not easy, but everything done from the end of February onwards was done with and by the heart. I pursued the work relationships I wanted to have, created the kind of business I wanted to create, worked with the people I have always worked with and later on in the year established the advertising agency I always wanted to run.

Adrian Roche KK, born in October is the kind of agency that works driven by passion and genuine admiration for what advertising is about, having the real intention to deliver success for clients. By all and every means, my company is the biggest and most significant professional move in my career and a significant bundle of happiness.

Spring was great, Summer was better and Fall - Winter 2012 are even greater in all aspects of life. At the end of 2012 I am happy and find myself left with once again an important lesson (re)learned, never betray your heart. Life is short, don’t waste it, and never postpone your pursue of happiness.

Social Media Week

Social Media Week came and went very fast. It extended from February 13th to February 17th in many cities around the world. I had the extreme pleasure to attend the whole week in New York and went there from Tokyo. While one may say that Tokyo has nothing to envy New York in many respects that hold the statement true, in this particular topic there was certainly quite a lot to envy.

All New York sessions were packed with leading content and advise to put knowledge into action right away. Knowledge that made people like me discover that Japan is still behind when it comes to social media marketing when compared to the US.

The dominating discussions were centered on engagement and how to conquer audiences with content that is not brand centric. Let me pause for a second and spend time on the audience, yes we learned in New York not to ever assume who they are and what they do and how to go about identifying your people. We also learned that big data plays a big role in everything we do, just think about it, between 2003 and now we created more data than in the previous 20,000 years and that tells us quite a lot about how big this thing has become.

In all, Social Media Week was a fantastic opportunity to learn and share thoughts with people from a very vibrant industry in one of the most vibrant digital markets in the world. As trends shall be making their way to Japan in what should not be a very distant future, I am starting now with new, more creative ways to generate engagement for the people who matter, the behaviors that matter and the channels that matter.

Kohaku Utagassen 2011

The 2011 Edition 62 of the Kohaku Utagassen saw the ladies (akagumi) win after seven years of losses to the guys (shirogumi).

Akagumi won rightly and fairly beating the guys on every count from the beginning of the show. Starting with a mature and solid performance of Ayumi Hamasaki, the ladies set the tone right. The first half of the event was a landslide in their favor with heavy winning hitters such as AKB 48, Manachan and Kana Nishino. In a 4.5 hour show that extends from 7:15 to 11:45pm, by 8:45, the ladies had a 100,000 vote advantage over their counterparts.

The second part of the show balanced things out slightly with the guys trying to make a desperate catch up in vote count. All efforts started to fall short when the ladies kept counting wins consistently with great performances throughout the remaining part of the event. Kara, Perfume, Girls Generation, Kumi Koda, and the return of Ayaka, where just a few names on stage that consolidated the ladies’ lead. A brilliant performance delivered by Lady Gaga pretty much called the show in favor of akagumi, but the ladies did not stop there. Sachiko Kobayashi increased the lead with a beautiful performance. The tone was once again strengthen by Yumi Matsutoya and her impeccable “Haru yo Koi.” Along the way all topped with classic songs by the classic faces of Seiko Matsuda (in a duet with her daughter Sayaka Kanda) and the great voice of Sayuri Ishikawa, the show was unequivocally called in final favor of the ladies who ended up winning by a margin of about 20,000 votes.

Shirogumi was not in a tremendously bad shape, but they were badly beaten and apart from Exile and their Rising Sun followed by SMAP and their SMAP Aid, there wasn’t anything to keep in mind as being a great determining factor at the time to vote.

Learnings from the 62nd edition

The issue of the earthquake and its aftermath was always present and while it could not have been possibly ignored, the two teams played it differently. The winning ladies referred to the inescapable reality in a soft, refined and tasteful way that almost never showed any images of destruction or suffering. They did it with music, with music that appealed to the heart, with music that made us all look forward and expect a better future when all wounds are healed. The guys had a different approach that ended up playing against them with constant images of destruction and suffering, with an almost exaggerated presence in the affected areas and an approach that positioned them as looking backwards, stuck in a moment they can’t progress from.

In the year where all TV rolled to Digital, the audience participation from home and out of home made a great impact at the time of counting votes. This year’s Kohaku was won and lost by the power of people expressing themselves with a remote control and a mobile phone and this ladies and gentlemen is what has made this spectacular event in Japan better and more exciting.

Social media and social CRM ahead of ad:tech Tokyo 2011. A conversation with two international agencies.

As ad:tech approaches the topic of social media in Japan per se and its relationship with CRM programs are picking up steam. While immersed in the market it is difficult to notice the particular aspects of the two and how they relate to the local industry. More importantly how they differ and at the same time overlap with international trends. In search of answers I went out and knocked the doors of two international agencies with offices in Japan and spoke with two industry colleagues. Jeff Lippold, Digital Strategy Director with Euro RSCG Japan and Satoko Ozeki, Digital Strategist with Ogilvy One. In my search I was expecting an industry pulse checkup, but was greeted with extreme passion and excitement about what is happening now and what is likely to happen in our local industry.

On my quest I approached my guests with a 1st basic question to start the dialogue. What’s the state of the communication industry in Japan in lieu of the latest social growth and developments in the country?

Jeff tells me that we have seen a major shift this year. People are now much more open towards the idea of using their real names when joining social sites and participating in on-line conversations. This has created a major case in favor of Facebook which is now poised to dominate the Japanese market with its long-standing model of networking. He wonders “How many friends in Mixi add others?” The answer is perhaps an easy guess for a platform notorious for promoting interests over individuals.

Satoko shares the excitement by saying that finally the foreign social players have come into play changing the Galapagos reality that has not only characterized the mobile-phone market for many years, but also impacted the local social media and kept it isolated from global trends. In her words “The black boat carrying the media has arrived.” and I must say, it is obviously here to say.

My dialogue continued with a 2nd important question. What excites marketers in Japan these days?

Influence. The ability to influence people via social media and to gain traction through the social power appears as a clearly defined trend. Of course this is not new and the same applies to pretty much every market these days. However Jeff tells us that relevancy is amplified in Japan by the power of corporations participating in the social media and that the current status of the space has created opportunities for B2B activities of social nature that in a recent past did not exist. “if you don’t have well-known institutions participating in your dialogue, you don’t have a share of voice” adds Jeff while I think that his statement in hand with a changing perception in the role of corporations and their regained credibility in recent years is nothing but a key to succeed for marketers in Japan today. I confirm my perception when Jeff adds “if you think about it, podcasts never took off because there was no real participation validated by big names.” His closing remark ” As business get involved in platforms like Facebook, there’s more legitimacy and this is what is going to continue to drive growth in Japan.”

Satoko gives a different view in line with the economic reality of Japan. Today, while challenges exist in the global economy, we still retain the 2nd largest buying power in the world mainly powered by demand of luxury goods. This together with the well-established technological platform we enjoy these days means that we don’t have to educate consumers to do a particular thing. They already know and in some cases they have already known certain things for a while even though they did not have a particular reason to learn them. All things considered, and added to this reality the fact that we are in a homogeneous society with widely adopted standards in terms of education an behavior, we can market faster and perhaps more effectively than in other markets. In other words, or in her words, “marketing can be planned more effectively with better expected results than in other markets.”

Looking ahead I asked a 3rd question. Perhaps one, if not the, main question everyone who has read this far wants to know. What is the immediate future of our industry as seen by you and your agency? Yes, this the typical question many people are likely to ask this time of the year. What happens in Japan in 2012?

A re-rationalization of overall spend that allocates more budgets and activities to the digital side of the communication strategies clients plan or ask the agency to plan for them is something that pops to Jeff’s mind. This will likely be followed by the allocation of discretionary budgets to digital. Budgets that in previous years were allocated to other activities.

Satoko expects further growth in the channels of influence and sees more clear chances to influence audiences building upon the maturity acquired by the social media so far. While all platforms, especially the foreign ones will continue to gain ground, there is already a big, diverse audience that can be marketed to. This alone can be characterized as a big trend and is something that will bring more growth and expanded maturity to all digital communication efforts with more carefully thought-out campaigns and better digital/social planning.

My dialogue concluded with one final big question. What’s your take on social CRM? Big question with a few takes and possible answers. In a country that has been collecting data for a number of years I was particularly curious to learn the view of the two agencies.

Jeff sees that the whole key to running a successful CRM program in Japan resides on having the right ways to integrate social in it. As we stand now, many CRM programs in Japan are in a nice box, but they need to be socialized. What this means is that people who have given their names and are participating in a CRM program have to be communicated in specific ways that enable them to participate in certain social activities. In other words Jeff says “We should expect a social connection from CRM out to social.” This in his view is the first step towards integrating CRM with social media and actually creating social CRM programs.

Social platforms are established and they already carry a CRM capability asserts Satoko and in today’s Japan market and especially when it comes to building and/or converting CRM efforts into social engagement, “we must look at the nature of the social platform” she adds. We know what people are doing in certain networks, we can clearly target them, we can figure out what they’re talking about and can actually listen to some conversations so, we can therefore target individuals much more effectively and these are individuals that are likely to be interested in giving us their names to participate in a one-to-one engagement mechanism. CRM from her perspective is about creating, developing and converting users with the power of the self-segmentation characteristics the social media already offers.

Fascinating topics that are most definitely going to be part of many physical and social-media conversations in the days ahead prior, during and after ad:tech Tokyo 2011. We should expect the event to help us delve into the views of agencies and participants and deeply explore many views that along the lines of Jeff’s and Satoko’s are crafting the digital-communication reality of Japan as we speak.

Living in Tokyo

Living in Tokyo must not be a fearful experience full of hard rules attached. I must admit however and before anything that I go about life in a way that has raised eyebrows to say the least. Eyebrows raised perhaps by the way I defy the social rules most people consider written in stone. In any case though, my personal take at the core of the experience is that the more freedom you add to your life, the more you get to have the kind of life you want to have here.

As a foreigner in Tokyo I used to agree with the belief that one must be better than anyone else, behave better than anyone else and go by the rules of the locals better than anyone else in order to succeed. OK, I do for once agree with one thing, I think I have something to offer that is better than anyone else's and in fact this is what has granted me the right to live in Japan permanently. Beyond this point however, I don't believe in that I must live by the local rules in a much stricter way than anyone else's. Nor do I believe that a certain expected behavior should prevent me, or anyone else for this matter, from doing things in a special way.

I work my ass off for the most part doing 6-day weeks and spending some 10 to 12 hours at work, but don't get me wrong, work has nothing to do with having my ass glued to a chair and looking at a screen for that amount of time. Nor does it have to do with taking a train to work and doing 9:00 to 6:00 at a particular location. Working my ass off and defying the rules has to do with the new world; a new world that incidentally is proving my behavior right after the East-Japan earthquake of 2011 and its nuclear aftermath.

I wake up at about 7:30 or earlier, much earlier sometimes to find myself checking E-mail and working at home, coffee shop, park or wherever I feel like doing so. Get to work to my clients and do work on site and/or off site while using my cloud tools. At any given time whatever I do from wherever I do it goes to the cloud and I'm always in synch with my work no matter where I am or whatever happens in between tasks. Lunch is usually with good wine. Dinner is usually wherever happens, sometimes at home. Always in the company of good business and often interrupting the day for a regular trip to the gym about twice a week, this is my typical life. All put together I spend about 4 hours or less at a desk and many more hours maximizing my day without ever touching a train during rush hour.

So, some may say I take Tokyo as a playground and they are right. I do consider it a playground where I am an individual of unique ability which I gracefully provide to as many people as possible. I live in Tokyo, a place where there are no rules I fear, where I am exercising the new way of working, and where achieving happiness doing what I like and love can too be a realizable dream. I'm just a part of the new Japan.