HIP (Hard-Working, Innovative, Passionate) People Place
A noble purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation and encourages perseverance.
n Gary Hamel
In an effort to develop future business leaders in Japan, where I am a university lecturer, I publish a blog in Japanese. Though I initially wrote about the work of other scholars and executives, I thought the blog would be more interesting if I could interview management leaders directly. My only concern was securing cooperation. Successful scholars and business professionals are extremely busy.
To my pleasant surprise, most have made time for me despite their often impossible schedules. I am delighted, indeed, moved. Not only have I enjoyed the privilege of being able to dialog with these individuals, I have found their talks inspirational. Each has exhibited exuberant passion and demonstrated the value of sheer hard work. Thinking about how much I have benefited from the interviews, I decided to establish this English blog to share them with a wider audience than Japanese readers. I am certain they will enlighten you. I hope they will inspire you.
Jonah Berger, PhD,
The Wharton
School at the University of Pennsylvania
Professor
of Marketing
1. Please explain the cutting-edge technologies and
methods in the field of social-medial marketing citing concrete examples.
Word
of mouth is 10 times more effective than traditional advertising. People
don’t trust advertisements because they know companies are trying to sell them
something. But they do trust their friends.
So interpersonal communication has a huge impact on how people
behave. The movies, restaurants, and
products people talk about on social media have a big impact on what other
people buy. So companies are shifting
from spending money on traditional advertising to social media and offline word
of mouth. Not only are such campaigns
cheaper, they’re much more effective in driving behavior. I’ve helped companies like Coca-Cola, Google,
and Samsung apply these principles to drive some amazing results.
2. Can
you introduce companies or case studies that are particularly noteworthy for
their use of social-media marketing?
Coca-Cola
has done a great job on social media.
They are authentic, fresh, and drive an emotional connection with their
consumers. They don’t just see social as another advertising channel. They
understand why consumers use social media and how to interact with them on
these platforms.
3. Is
there a formula for successful social-media marketing? If so, please explain it
with a concrete example demonstrating its application.
Successful
social-media marketing depends on understanding consumer behavior. Why people
share things in the first place. Many companies think that just having a social
media presence is enough, but the different platforms are technologies, not
strategies. If you do not understand how to use them effectively, a great deal
of resources will be wasted.
As I talk about in Contagious: Why Things Catch
On, there are six secrets to building successful word of mouth. Six, key,
evidence-based principles to get people to talk and share. I’ve put them in a
framework using the acronym STEPPS: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public,
Practical Value, and Stories. Each principle is based on rigorous academic research
about why some products and brands get more word of mouth and why online
content goes viral. By leveraging these
six key STEPPS, and using them to craft contagious content, companies and
individuals can help their products and ideas catch on.
Take the hundreds of people that waited
online for the new iPhone to be released. What did they do when they finally
got the phone? They took a picture and shared it with all their friends. And if
you think about why, the reason is because it makes them look good. Being one
of the first people to get something that not everyone else has makes you look
high status and in-the-know. It gives people Social Currency. The better something makes people look, the
more likely they are to share it.
4. What
is your outlook on the future of social-media marketing? How do you think it
will develop or evolve? In anticipation of this evolution, what should
companies and business professionals be doing to prepare?
The
future of social-media marketing is customer insight. Without it, companies are
doomed to fail. Too many companies see
social media as another advertising platform. They think if they just put their
ads on YouTube people will share them. But without understanding why people
share in the first place, many companies have lots millions.
5. From
your standpoint in America, what advice would you give to Japanese companies in
general on effectively using social media?
Focus
more on the psychology and less on the technology. Understand WHY people use
social media in the first place and use that insight to build effective
campaigns. It’s not enough to just get more followers. The key is engagement. How
many people are sharing your content or engaging with the brand in an authentic
way.
6. As
you know, the Cool Japan Initiative included in Prime Minister Abe’s economic
revitalization measures aims to export Japanese cultural products to the rest
of the world. What are your suggestions for fully exploiting social-media to
achieve this aim targeting U.S. markets and consumers?
The
world is much smaller than it used to be. What is popular in Japan today can
become popular next week in the United States, but for that to happen, the
cultural products need to leap across the geographic divide though social ties.
Japanese cultural products must move from Japan to Japanese people living in
the US to the broader US culture at large. Gangnam Style is just one recent
example of something that broke geographic boundaries. Billions of views for
just one piece of content. But for that to happen, millions of people have to
decide to share the content. And that’s
where understanding the psychology of sharing becomes key.
7. Are
there aspects of Japan overall, the economy, Japanese firms or cultures that
you are watching in particular? Would you be interested in visiting Japan to
deliver lectures on social-media marketing if you give the opportunity?
I’ve
worked with dozens of companies across the world and I’ve found the challenges
are often similar. How do we grow our customer base? How can we get our new
products or initiatives to catch on? Whether you work for a major corporation
or a small business, a for-profit or a non-profit, understanding how word of
mouth and social influence work are key. I’d love to share these insights with
more Japanese businesses and hope to do so in the future!
Joseph Gabriella
A long-time resident of Japan, I am currently a
lecturer at Toyo University in Tokyo. Before returning to academia, I
spent over ten years in industry as a senior manager of multinational and
domestic companies in Japan in the fields of finance, pharmaceuticals, and
hospitality. In addition to pursuing my passion for education, I also continue
to work as a consultant on a project basis, tackling what I refer to as square-peg
problems, business needs that do not fit neatly into a particular
consulting-practice area. Over the past four years, I have completed projects
for U.S., Japanese, and Chinese for-profit and non-profit enterprises. Active
as a researcher as well, I have published academic papers and books in both
Japanese and English. I welcome your feedback on this blog in my ongoing effort
to improve it.
gabriella@toyo.jp
jjapan1802@yahoo.co.jp
English Blogs
Hope from Japan http://hope-from-japan.blogspot.jp/
Venture into Japan
http://venturejapan.blogspot.jp/
Japanese Blogs
http://world-worker.blogspot.jp/
http://stepover-us.blogspot.jp/
Yuzo Sugimoto
A graduate of Yokohama National University, Yuzo completed his MBA at Pepperdine University. After acquiring ten years of experience in public finance, infrastructure privatization as well as public-relations utilizing mass media, he returned to his undergraduate alma mater to study for a Ph.D. in Economics. His research focuses on eco-friendly businesses and the marketing strategies of entertainment and fashion businesses. Yuzo has published numerous book in Japanese combining education and entertainment. Titles in his edu-tainment series by Garyusha Press include V is for Victory: Secrets of Victoria’s Secret’s Success, What Lady Gaga teaches us about business, An Invitation to Victoria’s Secret, and President Obama and Hybrid Vehicles.
(The Institute for the International Education of Students, Tokyo）
© 2014 Joseph Gabriella, Ph.D., MBA. All rights
reserved.
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