http://traintracks.jp/ ja http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=367 2012-01-26T12:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column I would like to talk about a new business that has been getting much attention lately, one related to the ceremonial functions industry (coming-of-age events, weddings, funerals, festive events). The marriage business aspect of the ceremonial functions this time is actually the divorce side of things. In a word, the business in the limelight today is on holding divorce ceremonies! The number of annual divorces in 1947 right after World War II was 79,551couples, but currently it has increased to three times that, 251,383 (Statistics: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 2010(Japanese only)). Divorce ceremonies is a business that truly embodies trends in contemporary society. So, what kind of a ceremony is a divorce ceremony? First of all, a facilitator explains a little about how a kyuro kyufu divorce works (kyuro kyufu is an expression used at divorce ceremonies meaning a “divorced couple”). First of all, greetings by the sakodo (this means the witnesses of the divorcees) and speeches by mutual friends of the kyuro kyufu are conducted, which sounds the same as a wedding ceremony. At a wedding the biggest spectacle is usually the cutting of the cake and the “first bite” of wedding cake. At a divorce ceremony the last thing the kyuro kyufu do together is the signing of the divorce papers, and then the smashing of the wedding ring with a hammer. These two points are decidedly different from a wedding ceremony! You may have some doubts about the demand for what may be a slightly negative business but according to Hiroki Terai – the foremost expert in divorce ceremony planning – he is currently involved in planning over 100 divorce ceremonies at the moment. Moreover, since the Great East Japan Earthquake inquiries have more than tripled. The reason for this is said to be that since the disaster many people are re-evaluating their priorities in life and because of that many couples are realizing that their values do not match their spouse’s. From the perspective of couples joining hands and preparing to start a new phase in life, wedding ceremonies and divorce ceremonies serve the same purpose. Demand is on the rise perhaps because couples can still come together and be positive about life. As an aside – as your author is in her mid-20s and marriage is starting to creep into my line of sight I never thought that I would be reading up on divorce ceremonies before reading my first Zexy! (Japan’s leading wedding publication) You never know what life is going to offer. Just in case I think I’ll add divorce ceremonies right next to Zexy in my bookmarks list – in a folder entitled “just in case”… http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=366 2012-01-24T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column I am writing this article very close to the parliamentary elections. Based on a series of polls, all media in the country unanimously predict that the big victory goes to the left coalition led by socialdemocrats. The conservative government, that led the country for two mandates, has been involved in series of scandals mostly disclosed by the media. Things in the media are really different here comparing to twenty years ago. Prior to the democratization of Croatia in the 1990s, during half a century of communism, journalists should have been on tiptoe with any criticism to the government. Now they can do whatever they consider is right. At those times, all major newspapers and electronic media were state-owned and controlled by the authorities. Now they are privatized and free to unnerve the political power. Croatian media landscape is largely dominated by TV as a main source of information. Since cable networks enter the market slowly, most people stick to six national programs. The result is that the majority of people still consume same information from same sources and that national TVs are key to distributing information to wide audience. During the last two years, the audience share dominance of the only state-owned public broadcaster Croatian Radio-Television has been for the first time threatened by two private TV houses, one owned by Central European Media Enterprise (CEME) and other by Radio and Television Luxemburg (RTL). Newspapers in Croatia are also largely owned by two mostly foreign media conglomerates: the partly German-owned Europa Press Holding (EPH) controlling approximately 43%, and Austrian Styria controlling 46% of the market of 4.3 million residents. The consequence is that the advertising money has a significant influence on the content. Print media, although declining in circulation, still have big impact among opinion makers, especially the two most influential dailies, Jutarnji list and Vecernji list, both published in Zagreb, the capital of the country. Print media prefer interviews done in person as opposed to via the e-mail, and since the Law allows it the interviews are very often authorised by PR professionals. Like in democracies all over the world, the old media are strongly challenged by Internet platforms. Two thirds of 2.5 million Internet users in Croatia are on social networks, mostly on Facebook and Twitter. Due to the high penetration of social media, all PR clients want to use advantages of Facebook or Twitter although many of them do not know what is realistic to expect from social media, what benefits they can exactly bring and how to meassure the results. PR in Croatia is a young but quickly growing industry. Majority of PR proffesionals are former journalists or from other backgrounds, since the first PR university course is launched only eight years ago. More than half of PR professionals work for corporations, 20% for state or local governments, 10% for PR agencies and a very small number for institutions in culture, education and NGOs. Corporations along with in house PR departments engage PR agencies as invest the most in communication, as opposed to the public institutions that invest very little in communication. PR is not a highly respected job in Croatia, and the whole profession is trying to avoid term public relations and prefers using "communication consultants" or similar. It is because in the short 20 years history of PR in Croatia all kinds of activities were called PR and we have seen enough examples of unsatisfactory and unethical approaches. However, in recent years the profession is changing for the better due to the rising quality of university programs and effort of the professional associations and many collegues. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=363 2011-12-23T11:30:00+09:00 traintracks Column Lessons from experience Here are a few tactics we’ve learned along the way that we like to impart to multinational brands and companies to achieve successful communications in the Middle East and Africa region: On a busy day in Dubai, this may feel like capitalism, but it’s not a democracy. Understand the Government’s policies and point of view about your industry sector and relevant issues, at both national and regional levels. Then tailor your messaging to show your support for and contribution to national development. Behave like a diplomat, not a salesperson. Position your business activities as responding to the initiatives and policies of the region at the highest level, helping to build up and stimulate Middle East industry and development. Help grow the region and the region will hope your growth. Make your Arabic team members, customers and partners the heroes. Loosing case studies from the rest of the word will not work – find local case studies and make heroes of them. This is a proud race of people and they don’t like companies coming in, make money and then disappear on them. Offer local support and customer service to win the hearts of the region. There are many groups of people (staff, partners, channel, suppliers, customers and the public) that are made of three broad ethnic backgrounds. Avoid any at your own peril. Your staff and channel partners has to include all three if you intend to market to all three. Well conceived and implemented Corporate Social Responsibility programs across the region can help multinationals embellish their perception while cultivating good faith with local government officials and consumers. Increasing government and social attention to environmental protection issues offers opportunities for MNCs to demonstrate their goodwill and supportive positions. Focus on the differences. While Middle East consumers want quality, reliability and low prices similar to their counterparts worldwide, there are tremendous differences in nuances and expectations of companies and brands. Ignore these at your peril. Be seen in the news. Commercial priorities are driving competition and changing the style of news reporting. There are an increasing number of media and outlets to choose from, so to have a coherent message that the target is receiving, choose your media targets wisely. In an increasingly commercialised business environment, a strong media presence conveys a sense of leadership and wider presence. Localize deeply: Yes, you will certainly need local language websites and collaterals (some of our clients market in up to seven languages in this market), but smart foreign companies take a long look at business practices, processes and models too, and adapt to local culture and tastes where it makes business sense. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=361 2011-12-22T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column As another year draws to a close the Internet, printing presses and broadcasts around the world are rapidly filling up with predictions for 2012, some positive, some negative, and of course some that are complete nonsense. For my last column of the year and TrainTracks' last newsletter of the year I think we can end on a positive note with a few meandering thoughts - some serious, some not - about where things are now and where they might go. Any discussion about the state of Japan right now still touches on the rebuilding efforts that have continued since the Tohoku Earthquake. It is fairly obvious already that many of the affected regions are going to be rebuilding or feeling the aftereffects in one way or another for many years to come, but if you have been following the TrainTracks newsletters and our columns then you probably know how remarkably Japan has already recovered. Much of this recovery can be attributed to the incredible support the whole world has shown us. In fact, everyone here at TrainTracks had a chance to experience some of that support firsthand through a number of unique and touching corporate social responsibility (“CSR”) projects that several of our clients created. Economically things are looking surprisingly bright – with the tremendous efforts of the people here Japan has already pulled itself together. Media advertising spending has already surpassed expectations for the year. Additionally, while the post-earthquake momentum will inevitably diminish with time, the continuing pro-Japanese sentiments and consumer support of Japanese products and travel have already resulted in an upward trend in GDP growth that no one would have expected just one year ago. In spite of the European debt crisis and a high yen, unemployment figures are moving in the right direction and the worldwide demand for eco-friendly vehicles has given Japan’s crucial automotive industry a boost. The events of 2011 have also resulted in a renewed focus in Japan on some important technological trends. Disruptions to business operations and supply chains coupled with worker displacement following the Tohoku Earthquake was a boon to software and solutions providers for telecommuting, virtual collaboration, optimization and cloud computing. The threat of power shortages in the summer – which were ultimately avoided thanks to the power saving efforts here – resulted in a relaxation on the ultra-conservative dress codes and mandatory nine-to-five corporate face time (Super Cool Biz! ). While the country still has a long way to go to truly achieve the flexibility and efficiency that telecommuting and virtual offices make possible, it was still a good start with surprisingly upbeat summer news coverage. Finally we have the media trends for 2012. I think it is fairly obvious that things are changing rapidly for the media both in- and outside of Japan. For me though there are three big picture items that are already hot topics, that will either start or continue to gain momentum and change the landscape here (and that are just plain interesting to me personally). Before you start guessing let me just say that it is not newspapers in Japan –the last few years has seen the death of numerous high profile American newspapers but in Japan for at least the next twelve months do not expect much change. This is a topic fit for another column another time, but for now apart from a slow decline in circulation do not expect to see what happened in the US since 2008 repeat itself here – at least not just yet. So what are my three media trends for 2012? Facebook, mobile games, and e-books! Let us start with facebook – facebook is going to conquer the social networking scene in Japan in 2012. Twitter and mixi can come up with all of the useless partnerships and ventures they like – by the end of the year facebook will leave them in the dust. What this means for the landscape is that more and more Japanese companies are going to be looking for ways to monetize facebook – so expect a boom in boutique firms offering facebook development services. The next is the boom in mobile games, which anyone who followed the 2011 Tokyo Game Show (“TGS”) will be familiar with. When Gree took up nearly as much floor space at as Sony did this year the world took notice. What does this mean for the gaming media landscape – more shovelware (crappy pirate- and ninja-themed mobile games, J-Pop game tie-ins) and a shrinking console game market – I like console games and do not like shovelware so this makes me sad, on a purely personal level of course. Finally there is the e-book market in Japan. While I actually do not think this is going to be in any way as big as the abovementioned two trends, it is going to be the beginning of a trend with the potential for far-reaching consequences. Assuming that the publishers here can finally get their acts together Kindle will be ready to take off and catch up with Sony’s PRS-650 reader (already available here), which will finally start the e-book revolution in Japan. Once this happens and the aging population warms to digital publishing – which will take more than one year – then I think you can expect a dramatic change in the media landscape, including the traditional Japanese newspaper industry. So that is the end of my meanderings thoughts for this issue, and for 2011. I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s and are looking forward to 2012 as much as I am! http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=357 2011-11-29T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column The Middle East The Middle East is an area that carries many stereotypes and myths. Before doing business in the Middle East it is imperative to learn about areas such as business culture, business etiquette, meeting protocol, and negotiation techniques. Through such knowledge, stereotypes are broken and barriers to communication reduced. When doing business in the Middle East, it is wise to bear in mind the great diversity within the region. However, a common religion, language, and culture make the highlighting of general traits and features for the region valid. Dubai has emerged as a leading regional commercial hub with state-of-art infrastructure and a world-class business environment. It has now become the logical place to do business in the Middle East, providing investors with a unique and comprehensive value added platform. With its strategic location, tax-free living and consistently strong economic outlook, Dubai is the ideal base for multinationals targeting markets in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Asian Subcontinent and the Eastern Mediterranean. These regions have a population of over 2 billion people and a combined GDP of US$ 6.7 trillion. Accessible through its ultra modern airport, that offers connections to over 140 destinations, Dubai is also a thriving tourist destination and attracts a large number of skilled professionals. Its robust economic cluster of technology, media, finance and healthcare hubs makes Dubai a viable and attractive proposition for any business. The Arabic business opportunity It’s not just there for the taking, of course. Consider the logistics challenges of this vast region. Even in the affluent GCC (Gulf Cooperative Countries of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman) distribution systems and retail chains are still modernizing. Managing supply chains is testing. Finding, training and retaining good staff is an ongoing problem. Arabic product quality is coming under increasing scrutiny, both domestically and abroad, and some business practices remain questionable by international standards. The top Five Middle East trading countries ranked in the top 50 (out of 178) on the 2010 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. Much has been written about the importance of business contacts and good relationships with national and local government officials. The clichés about the importance of government and business connections are true – although wasfa is now just one of the elements of success, which also include technology, management best practices, powerful branding and marketing, and managing relationships with communities and the media. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=358 2011-11-29T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Before the Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March, many foreigners were unfamiliar with the city of Sendai, and some had not even heard of it at all. Once media reports and photos of the disaster began to emerge, however, Sendai (being the most significant city in the area) quickly became a household name. One of the things in particular that caught my attention was the footage taken from a security camera at Sendai airport showing the tsunami gradually engulfing the runway, tarmac, and finally reaching the terminal. However, I had also heard that several areas of Sendai had not suffered a lot of damage, so when I was told I would be visiting Sendai on an overnight business trip I was not sure what to expect. Would I see a city crippled by the devastating effects of the earthquake, or would things have returned to normal by now? As a company, TrainTracks felt obligated to show support for the Tohoku region and those affected by the earthquake, so when the opportunity to promote a charity concert being held to raise money for relief efforts came up we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the rebuilding efforts. The event would be taking place in Sendai, so it was necessary to reach out to the city`s local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations in order to get the best coverage. I was sent to Sendai with a colleague, and while he met with representatives from these media organizations I was to observe and learn the intricacies of Japanese business meetings. Two days and over a dozen meetings later, I had figured out how to bow properly, learned the art of exchanging business cards, and mastered phrases like “chodai itashimasu”. I also learned the importance of establishing personal connections with the media; rather than simply distributing an electronic copy of the press release and other information to our contacts, we felt it was essential to travel to Sendai and meet with them in person, as having face-to-face meetings would allow for much easier communication between parties and establish a personal connection which could help to facilitate future cooperation. My less-than-stellar Japanese meant that I could not understand much of what was being said during the meetings, but they were still interesting nonetheless. In between the meetings, we managed to find time to enjoy an extra large meal of gyuutan (cow tongue), a Sendai specialty. It was an extremely busy trip though, and two long days of traipsing up and down the city had taken its toll on my feet; by the end of the second day I was yearning to get on the shinkansen back to Tokyo simply so I could sit down and relax for a while! During my short time in Sendai I kept an eye out for signs of the earthquake and tsunami. Many nearby towns and villages had suffered long-lasting damage, but in Sendai itself there was very little evidence that an earthquake had taken place. Considering how normal everything about the city seemed to be, it was hard to believe that such a terrible disaster had occurred only six months earlier. Even looking out the window on the train to Sendai, the countryside close to the city showed no signs of damage. Maybe it was impossible to see the evidence when rushing from meeting to meeting, or maybe I simply was not looking hard enough. I like to think, however, that perhaps the fact I saw nothing is a testament to the resilience of the people who live there. All in all, my first business trip in Japan, as well as visiting somewhere so close to the heart of the disaster, was an interesting experience. Sendai is a lovely city, and I hope to return in the near future for a more leisurely visit! http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=355 2011-11-28T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column College graduates will start looking for jobs soon, so recently many students have been　asking us to describe our job. I always try to meet with them whenever possible, but there is one question they often ask which frustrates me. That question is “who is suitable for this job?” As you know, marketing and public relations jobs do not require special credentials. Furthermore, there are no examinations, so it could be said that anyone is suitable for these jobs. Of course, companies are looking for people who are independent and have excellent communication skills, but I feel like these are not always required. I saw some very interesting research which was conducted by Dunkin' Donuts of America and the job search website “Career builder” during National Coffee Day. According to the research, people involved in marketing and public relations are the second largest consumers of coffee among all careers. The number one consumers are scientists/researchers. I remember that coffee has the effects of relieving fatigue and reducing sleepiness. Based on this, people involved in marketing and public relations are people who are required to be able to work for long periods of time (and thus need coffee) so therefore are also people who are capable of consuming lots of coffee. To those who work in marketing and public relations, what do you think about this? I feel it is not entirely incorrect… http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=353 2011-10-26T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column I have a lot of foreign friends through work relationships. Many of them are executives who have plenty of business experience in Japan and we often talk about life and business in Japan. Interestingly, all of them tell me that they would like to visit Korea. At first, I thought they were just using flattery as a diplomatic gesture, but I wondered why almost all of them said the same things. At last, I discovered it is related to their culture and life in Japan. Foreign business people often say that it is difficult to do business in Japan because the Japanese have complicated thought patterns and an unclear work style. When they say “yes”, it is difficult to recognize if they truly mean “yes” or actually mean “no”. They are polite, kind, and react positively during discussions, only to reject the proposal later on. This confuses many foreign business people. I thought it was a matter of their English skills, but it seems there are other reasons for this. Compared to the Japanese, Koreans are less difficult to work with because they do not hide the true meaning of what they say. As I have worked in Japan for several years, I recognize their attempts at flattery. I think that for foreigners, the Japanese way of business looks two-faced and complicated, and that they do this in order to secure their own interests. Moreover, I think foreign business people have not realized that the unique Korean opacity is a more serious problem. Either way, for future business to move forward, there is no doubt we must move toward the “Global Standard”. From now on, I believe that we have to make an effort to increase transparency in business negotiations. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=352 2011-10-25T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Like many North Americans, I have always assumed that one dollar (in my case, the Canadian dollar) is roughly the equivalent of 100 Japanese yen. This assumption proved to be true the first time I visited Japan in 2007; if something cost 1500 yen, I could expect to be paying around $15, give or take. However, things have changed quite drastically since then as the value of the yen against the dollar has ascended to historically high levels. This first became evident to me when I was looking for a place to live in Japan; having come across a nice-looking guesthouse room for \60,000 per month, I checked the exchange rate to find out exactly what I would be paying in Canadian dollars. I was shocked to discover that instead of paying an amount close to $600, I would actually be paying nearly $800! Aside from making it expensive for foreigners to visit Japan, the strong yen has produced other undesired effects. The Japanese economy relies heavily on the export of products such as automobiles and electronics, and the surging yen has made it much less profitable to manufacture these goods in Japan. The expensive cost of production caused by the yen’s strength has made it much more difficult for Japanese products to compete with similar products from nations like South Korea. In order to cut down on costs and remain competitive, many companies have started to scale back the production of certain products and shift production to other countries where goods can be manufactured at a competitive price. Unfortunately, as companies adapt to the current conditions in this manner it is inevitable that Japanese jobs will be lost. The Japanese government has already spent trillions of yen in an attempt to weaken the currency and is planning on spending even more, but for the time being the yen’s strength continues to remain at record levels. Not all of the consequences have been negative, however, and many Japanese are seeing the yen’s strength as an opportunity for personal gain. In recent months, many people have opened foreign currency bank accounts and exchanged their yen for other currencies such as the US dollar, Euro, and even the Brazilian real. Their hope is that the yen’s value will fall against these currencies so that they can exchange the money back into yen at a profit. As of March, the value of money in foreign currency accounts exceeded 5 trillion yen and continues to increase. It should be noted, however, that these investments are risky and have the potential to become losses should the yen’s value continue to increase. Given the current state of the yen, it is imperative that its value be watched closely and appropriate measures be undertaken as necessary to prevent further damage. For the sake of Japanese companies, people’s investments, and my rent bill, we can only hope to see a weakening of the yen in the coming months. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=349 2011-10-11T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column In a related article on the media landscape in Japan this month I talked a little bit about some changes that are going on in Japanese television. By that I do not mean which of the so-called ‘talents’ have gotten caught up in a scandal or launched yet another TV show indistinguishable from the one before it. The changes going on now actually have some potential to breathe some life into the stagnating and over-repetitive program lineup here. To start let me tell you that I actually enjoy Japanese television. This is not simply for the ridiculously over-the-top game shows that people around the world have fallen in love with, some really entertaining shows have actually popped up here and there over the years. Unfortunately there simply are not enough channels to keep me interested – I grew up in North America and had cable since I was in elementary school so I love being able to choose from dozens or even hundreds of channels. My new apartment in Japan unfortunately does not even support the option of connecting to cable or satellite – instead they give a free, standard-definition package of three or four channels in addition to the thirteen terrestrial broadcast channels we are receive for free in Tokyo. There may be a glimmer of hope for dedicated television and movie junkies like me though – Japan (other than some disaster-stricken areas in Tohoku) recently switched over to 100% digital broadcasting. While this has not had much of a noticeable effect yet for me personally, it does offer some interesting possibilities for the future. With an all-digital broadcasting system it means that people must now either have a digital-ready television set, or some kind of set-top device – a cable box, digital tuner, satellite receiver, etc. – in order to watch terrestrial broadcasts. This also means that households now have the capability to receive more channels – a number of the formerly satellite-only BS (broadcasting satellite) channels now are terrestrially broadcast digitally. While still not everything I had hoped it would be, as of today SkyPerfect TV has launched a new BS service that was formerly only available to SkyPerfect satellite subscribers. If you are not familiar with their offerings in Japan, it is the closest thing to a full channel lineup that you can get here, with everything from niche channels offering Japanese dramas, mixed martial arts fighting, and period dramas to globally recognized channels like BBC World News, the Discovery Channel and FOX. This does mean that for the many households who only had access to the very limited selection of BS channels, they will now be exposed to a greater selection of (in my humble opinion) premium content. If you subscribe now in fact, you can get the new channels free for an entire year. It is still pretty unclear how the networks, particularly the cable and satellite broadcast networks, will utilize the new mandatory digital landscape in Japan. I can tell you one thing though – I am ready and willing to pay for the channels I want to watch, so hook me up please! http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=347 2011-10-02T13:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Nintendo 3DS (“3DS”) system sales have been slow. While total domestic sales of the Nintendo DS system is about 32.54 million units, the 3DS has only sold 1.52 million units (Enterbrain, Inc., August 16, 2011). To help boost sales of the 3DS, Nintendo even dropped the price from 25,000 yen to 15,000 yen after only six months. Why has the 3DS failed to sell well? I think there are two factors – product features and the pricing strategy. First of all the biggest selling feature, the 3D technology, has not been widely accepted by the public yet. The percentage of 3D TV sales accounted for just 6.8% of total TV sales this May (BCN). 3D has just not yet become an attractive product feature for consumers yet. The 3D features of the 3DS are in same boat. Next, in terms of its price setting, 25,000 yen is simply too expensive for a portable game device. If you compare it with other portable devices like the PSP (16,800 yen) or the Nintendo DSi (15,000 yen), you immediately notice the price difference of about 10,000 yen. When compared with normal game consoles like the PS3 (24,980 yen), and the XBOX360 (19,800 yen), you can really see how expensive the 3DS is. Social gaming is also in vogue these days especially in Japan, and you can play most of those games for only a few hundred yen, and many are even free. This pricing strategy has disappointed and turned off many potential 3DS consumers. If the hardware does not sell well, software for the system does not get released. This troubles gamers like me. Nintendo has created so many legendary games in the industry; as a great fan of theirs I really wish them the best of luck with the 3DS. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=348 2011-10-02T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column It has been almost two months since Google’s original SNS “Google+” was released. Despite the fact that it is an invitation-only system, 25 million people have already subscribed. It looks like it is doing very well so far. If you consider the fact that the biggest SNS – Facebook – took 3 years to reach this number, Google+ looks like it is doing very well indeed. In response to this surge in momentum, some media forecast that Google+ will be the second-biggest SNS in the US in only a year. I received an invitation to the service and actually do use it myself, but compared with mixi and Facebook which have fan and community pages related to your interests, I feel there is less of a "fun" element. So for now I still use Google+ less frequently than the other SNSs. However, there are merits for Google+ as a beginner. It is easy to manage public and private information. In my previous column I mentioned that Facebook has the same functionality, but now I think the functionality of Google+ is superior in this respect. The biggest reason for this is that Google+ has a grouping system called “circles”. Actually, Facebook also has a similar function to select the level of information disclosure, but Google+ allows you to subdivide your contacts into smaller groups like friends, colleagues, business associates, family, and so on. Other users never know who you put into which groups. Like real life, you can decide to use the “circles” to separate your contacts into friends, work and family. Moreover, if you use Google+ Hangouts, you can do free group video chats with the other members of your circles. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, telecommuting options have increased in Japan. This seems like it could be useful as an effective communications tool for staff. Facebook does not let you share information only with specific people you want to share with, but Google+ makes it possible. You can choose any individual or group to make the information visible to. Since Google+ was launched on June 28, 2011, it grabbed the hearts of 25 million people in about one month. While some said it would be difficult to become popular in Japanese SNS market without anonymity, Facebook has been gaining in popularity and even being used by businesses here at long last. Will Google+ be able to grab Japanese hearts too? All I know is that from now on, I’m not taking my eyes off of Google+. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=345 2011-10-02T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Amongst many things, if you follow Rugby Union, enjoy fresh King salmon or want to get married in some exotic offshore destination you will no doubt have at least a passing acquaintance with New Zealand. For those who love and play rugby, the focus is very much on our nation as we host the 2011 Rugby World Cup this month with the final in Auckland on October 23. And just as Japan has suffered, nature has also been unkind to New Zealand with a devastating earthquake in February that killed 181 people, 27 of them Japanese citizens. Perhaps the tragically-high Japanese death toll in the Christchurch earthquake reflects the close relationship that exists between our two nations perched at opposite ends of the world’s biggest ocean. Japan also has a common love of rugby and we very much enjoy the exuberant nature of the Japanese team’s play, as coached by one of New Zealand’s most loved rugby sons, John Kirwan. It was gratifying to hear the huge cheers of support from Kiwis when Japan scored their try against the All Blacks in their Rugby World Cup bout. So we have much in common and that is also true of the media landscape. The Christchurch earthquakes and the international rugby festival have served to throw a global spotlight on New Zealand that we are not often used to.. But in commerce, our country is well recognised as innovative and entrepreneurial perhaps attributable to our global isolation. In fact, New Zealand has one of the world’s highest ratios of trade and industry media reaching out to businesses ranging in size from SMEs through to our largest telecoms and industrial companies. The large number of trade magazines enables PRs and communications specialists to specifically target industry decision makers. And editors of trade media are hungry for content. So a good story that is specific to a trade or profession or an industry, and is one that has less than broad interest, can usually find a happy home in the trade media. The general business media in New Zealand very much focuses on companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange. There are several reasons. Newspaper and magazine budgets are under huge pressure and journalists are an endangered species simply because numbers have been cut to suit the publication’s financial cloth. You’d think this might help PRs place more stories. However, space is also under pressure and with fewer pages at their disposal, business editors are narrowing their focus in areas where there is investing public interest – on the stock market. Export-related stories are popular with the business media because of New Zealand’s export focus. Media recognise the importance of exports to the country and while foods and commodities are central there is growing awareness of intellectual property (IP) as a top foreign exchange earner for the country. PRs who can articulate a pitch that demonstrates a significant IP export story get a good hearing at the business news desk. Having said that, there are opportunities in regular specialist sections or features and the PR must stay in tune with what’s coming up to take advantage of these opportunities. In addition, we have a range of business publications that focus on particular sections within business. These are predominantly in the areas of entrepreneurship, marketing and communications but also in food and beverages, health and fitness, primary industry and science and technology. In fact, because of New Zealand’s role as a ‘market garden to the world’, there is strong media interest in foods and commodities. The interest spills over from business and trade media in to lifestyle consumer publications and TV programmes and online in terms of a wide range of food related events and articles. For this reason too, there are cyclic opportunities as media examine the foods and fashion and lifestyle options of the upcoming seasons. The pitch There are some ‘technical’ considerations to pitching to New Zealand journalists. English is predominantly spoken but Māori and New Zealand sign language are also official languages. Media material is almost always produced in English; however Māori is sometimes used in accompanying translations. However, an understanding of Māori protocol is very important for visitors to our nation. Overseas, New Zealand government trade offices are well briefed to assist in this area. Sign language is increasingly making its presence known - something PRs might consider if producing a VNR. When the Mayor of Christchurch was holding media conferences following the 22 February earthquake, a sign language translator was routinely at his shoulder. By the way, video news releases are not commonly used in New Zealand but television will accept raw, broadcast-quality footage if they are unable to send a camera crew. New Zealand journalists, like those in most domains world-wide, have a healthy cynicism and are probably less respectful of the role of PR than in more industrialised nations. It’s therefore important that any pitch is well supported by facts and figures rather than opinions, with sources properly identified and independent backing for any assumptions. Journalists are probably very similar the world over. We have our foibles in New Zealand but we do have a healthy relationship with media. Any PR who can deliver good solid story angles that are relevant, timely and preferably exclusive will get a good response to the pitch. http://traintracks.jp/ 2011-10-02T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks News http://traintracks.jp/ 2011-08-23T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks News http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=338 2011-08-23T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Last month, the results of Japan’s 2010 census were announced. It showed significant growth in the over-65 senior population. This is an increase of 3.62 million from the 2005 survey, bringing the total number of seniors to 29.29 million people – the highest ever. With the total population of Japan at 128,056,000, the senior demographic now stands at 23.1% – the highest level in the world. Lately the catchphrase “digital senior” has been garnering attention in senior-related circles and industries. It refers to seniors who feel at home using digital devices and the Internet. Up until now they had been a small minority but recently their numbers have rapidly increased. According to a nationwide survey on Japanese information behavior from the University of Tokyo’s “Graduate School Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies”, the number of seniors who “frequently use email and the Internet on PCs or cell phones” has grown tremendously from only 4.5% in 2000 to 48.8% in 2010. With the growing numbers of digital seniors, many senior-targeted online services have begun, like the seniors information site “yokalife”, the SNS site “slow-net”, the ecommerce site “LION wellness direct”, the content-sharing site “Nippon Archives”, and so on. Many of these have adopted interesting ways of increasing ease of use and clarity for seniors such as by using larger, more readable fonts and employing simpler designs. It is often said that seniors are the biggest consumer demographic in Japan. With their large population and growing digital affinity, the day is near when marketing effectively to seniors will require online communications as well. But, I really am not looking forward to the day when I get an email from my dad full of emoticons. I’d probably be too embarrassed to reply... http://traintracks.jp/ 2011-08-23T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks News http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=342 2011-08-19T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column This summer, I went to Naeba to attend the 2011 Fuji Rock Festival. Including Fuji Rock, there are more than 100 summer music festivals of all sizes held across the country, and they have become a familiar part of the Japanese summer season. However, ever since the record attendance of the 2006 and 2007 seasons the number of attendees has dropped or remained about the same. With the downturn in the economy already casting a shadow over the attendance numbers, to add insult to injury, this year we had the Tohoku earthquake and nuclear disaster. The business of summer festivals is facing financial difficulty. Even so, by attending Fuji Rock in person this year I was able to gain a glimpse into the viability of summer festivals in the future. First, the events have been run smoother and smoother every year, and the attendees are learning how to really enjoy their time in the unique festival atmosphere. Second, new technology is creating new opportunities. With smart phones, there are more chances to enjoy the festivals, by learning more about your favorite new artists while they are still on stage. Take YMO, for example, who led an unheard-of techno boom over thirty years ago. It may be that middle-aged people like me are easily excited by things like this, but when young people look up YMO with interest in their smartphones it makes me happy! Finally, the event drew 120,000 people over the three days, and it still a valuable communication tool. A place like Naeba surrounded by greenery is the best place to think about the environment and energy issues. I figuratively take off my hat to the volunteers who tirelessly separated trash and cleaned up the grounds in the rain. I would also like to express my appreciation for everyone who helped make the Fuji Rock Festival successful this year. Countless lives were swallowed up in aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake this year, so I think that everyone at the event must have shared the same feelings as I did. I hope that summer festivals will become more than just a place to see your favorite artists, but a place to share music and interests and discover new things. And I hope that the festivals will continue to mature positively in the future. http://traintracks.jp/ 2011-08-01T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks News http://traintracks.jp/ 2011-08-01T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks News http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=330 2011-07-26T19:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column In July, the governing Labor Party in Australia unveiled its plans to introduce a carbon tax that imposes a penalty on this country’s top 500 polluters. It is proposed that the new tax will take effect on July 1st 2012. The prospect of this highly controversial and historic legislation has sparked a ferocious debate between the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott. From a public relations point of view the introduction of the carbon tax has been something approaching a disaster and at The Wilkinson Group we can nominate two main reasons: first the lack of a well thought through strategy by the Labor Party and second, the effective 'attack dog' tactics of the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. Without the strategy the Labor Party has been unable to anticipate the issues and therefore control the ebb/flow of the debate. We could expect Gillard to really hate Abbott, deep deep down. As public relations practitioners, we have watched as he has consistently scattered her key messages and debating points into confusing and contradictory smithereens. It means she has consistently been the tail on the dog – playing catchup. Both former Prime Ministers Paul Keating and Bob Hawke had the brute debating strength to stay in front of the pack. Another former Prime Minister, John Howard, too had a particular knack of staying ahead with the support of some brilliant backroom strategists. But not this PM. A lot of this is about setting the agenda in the media cycle. In an article on The Weekend Australian Magazine in November 2009, one of former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s minders made this prescient point: “There is not a media cycle anymore, there is a media cyclone. There is so much news out there that if you don’t maintain discipline, whatever you are trying to say gets scattered and atomised. “The modern news cycle feeds on disputes and inconsistencies, so you either feed the beast with the opposition or the beast feeds on you,” he says. “So we are very focused on maintaining discipline and consistency, but that’s not a reflection on our governing style, it’s a reflection of the modern media cycle. Ignore that at your peril.” Prime Minister Gillard has continually failed to set the media agenda; on the school buildings and pink batts debacle; on the live export trade ban; on the boat people and so far on the Carbon Tax. We can’t yet see how this is going to play out, but as public relations practitioners and in particular as Crisis PR strategists we can make some more well-founded predictions. Without a strong and well thought through strategy a political party cannot control the media agenda, and without an ability to control the media agenda it’s struggle street. Even with a proposal that should succeed on its merits there is a real risk of losing the lot. For more blogging on this go to http://www.wilkinson-group.com.au and search 'Gillard'. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=329 2011-07-26T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column On July 1st a trendy bar in downtown Tokyo was bustling with members from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan enjoying their yearly Canada Day celebrations. It was there in the midst of the evening's activities that I had the chance to be introduced to their energetic new Executive Director, David Anderson. After the event I asked him to tell our readers a little about the evening, the effects of the Tohoko Earthquake on Canadian businesses in Japan, and about the relationship between Japanese and Canadian businesses. - In Canada, how is Canada Day Celebrated? On July 1st of this year, Canada celebrated its 144th birthday since becoming its own country in 1867. Celebrations were held across Canada, as well as all over the world by Canadians wishing to celebrate the country’s big day. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce held a social gathering at a bar in Akasaka Mitsuke, Tokyo that really took on a Canadian theme with video displaying the best of what Canada has to offer, a diverse playlist featuring all Canadian artists, as well as offering Moosehead beer at a reduced price! We were also lucky enough to have received a number of prizes from CCCJ Members to give away at the end of the night. In Canada, celebrations are held in communities across the country, where Canadians gather together with family and friends, often enjoying a barbecue during the day, followed by fireworks at night, but perhaps the biggest party in the country is held in the Capital city of Ottawa. Every July 1st, Canadians of all ages flock to the Capital, where the government of Canada hosts a grand scale celebration, including free music concerts, air shows and a number of other activities to celebrate Canada. Should you ever be in Canada on July 1st, the party in Ottawa is not one to be missed! As the Executive Director of the CCCJ, please tell us how the Tohoku Earthquake affected Canadian business in Japan. The CCCJ conducted a survey of Members a month after the tragic events of 3/11 and we are extremely relieved to report that none of our Members lost any of their employees to the tragedy. As an immediate reaction to the devastation and developing nuclear situation in Fukushima, a number of companies moved employees out of the Kanto area to Western Japan, or out of the country altogether, but we are happy to report that most have returned. As to the business condition forecast of Member Companies, most responded that they expect either a slight decline in business over the short term, or business activities to remain fairly stable despite the disruption. As was reported in our most recent issue of our magazine, The Canadian, a number of Canadian companies have been active in the recovery and rebuild in the Tohoku area. - How do Canadian businesses see the Japanese market? There are roughly 110 Canadian companies with a tangible presence in Japan, the majority of which represent the ICT, Manufacturing and Service sectors, totaling over C$ 7 billion in capital stock. Japan and Canada have always had a strong economic relationship, however, over the past 15 years; bilateral trade figures have remained relatively stable, while Canada’s relationships with other markets flourish. Japan was Canada’s 3rd largest trading partner up until 2008, however as of 2010, Japan has dropped to our 5th largest partner. As an overall view of the Japanese market, Canadian businesses respect Japan as a technological and manufacturing leader, while also being a major consumer of our natural resources. - Do you have anything you would like to express to the Japanese market? I feel that Japan and Canada have very complementary economies; Japan is a world leader in technology, R&D and manufacturing, while Canada has advanced technology and manufacturing expertise as well. Both countries can benefit from cooperation and partnerships in these sectors. Also, Canada is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, is a world leader in energy reserves and production and will continue to be long into the future. Japanese investment is welcome in Canada, representing a secure and stable supply of resources to the Japanese market. Although our trade and investment relationship has not been growing as rapidly as other bilateral economic relationships, great opportunity for development exists. The CCCJ supports the current discussions between the Canadian and Japanese governments on the possibility of an Economic Partnership Agreement, seeing this as an opportunity to generate more excitement and interest from the business community of each country. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=326 2011-06-30T11:30:00+09:00 traintracks Column There has been much talk in the domestic Japanese and Japan-focused international media over the last couple years of Japan’s Galapagos syndrome. The term was first coined in relation to mobile phones in Japan, which at one point had evolved so far that they were completely unlike mobiles phone anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately now the term is used in a less brag-worthy manner, referring to Japan’s slow but steady draft away from the international community. Geographic barriers can cause organisms to evolve apart until no longer the same species – speciation – there is a similar fear that if Japan drifts too far it will be dooming itself to permanent economic malaise as a hermit nation. Japan has a long history of being cut off from the world – the sakoku policy of the Edo Period being the starkest example. The number of Japanese studying abroad has dropped by over half since 2000. Foreign managers are becoming less and less influential, sometimes even treated with a condescending attitude. It is now rare for non-Japanese spokespeople to attract public interest – Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn is a rare exception. Media are much more interested and attentive to native-speaking public figures like Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani. The number of shut-ins is on the rise, and young Japanese are consuming less foreign media such as music and video. A survey last year by the Sanno Institute of Management found that over two-thirds of white-collar workers never want to work abroad! While it is completely untrue that the youth today are lazier than their counterparts from previous generations, they have been pessimistic, disillusioned and confused. The inability of Japan to recover since the collapse of the bubble economy coupled with the negativity of the domestic media and politicians was largely to blame for this. There may be light at the end of the tunnel though. Some forward-thinking and creative companies (unsurprisingly successful as well) like Fast Retailing are bucking the trends and embracing the world – now in the process of making English their official company language. Pop culture here has gone crazy for Korea – K-pop music has invaded the airwaves and Korean soap operas are broadcast daily. Almost every variety show on television now includes a half-Japanese celebrity in their cast. How the Galapagos Syndrome will develop now in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake is still unknown. Now the whole world has shown incredible support for Japan, and the Japanese people have demonstrated tremendous strength and resilience. Japan has pulled itself together in its efforts to recover – pro-Japanese sentiments are strong and consumer support of Japanese products and domestic travel is all the rage. One has to wonder now – will Japan’s recovery result in an acceleration of the Syndrome, or will the international community save Japan from speciation? I believe two things are going to happen. One – the international community will remain committed to Japan and continue making new connections to its society and economy. Two – Japan will realize it is still one of the most loved and respected nations in the world, and how important the rest of the world is to future recovery. For Japanese companies to succeed in the world they need to fight this inward-looking trend. For foreign companies to succeed here they need to address the trend with understanding and agility. http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=320 2011-06-23T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Electrical shortages are expected this summer as a result of earthquake damage to Japan’s power plants. Accordingly a wide variety of energy-saving goods and “Cool Biz” fashions are getting a lot of attention and many companies are coming up with creative ways to save power. The articles we introduce below are about these goods and company efforts. Although the original articles are all in Japanese we hope our summary is enough to give you a basic understanding of the power saving movement here in Japan. Sharp sales increase for power-saving products With consumers nervous about the threat of electrical shortages this summer, power-saving product sales have increased sharply. Many people are finding ways to combine two or more products to enhance their effects. According to the store manager at one famous Japanese electronic retailer, the sales of LED lights are about 2.5 times what they were before the earthquake. http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/gunma/20110524/CK2011052402000086.html (Japanese Only) Competition over the sales of power-saving goods is heating up in Japan’s hottest city Before the summer season even started in Japan power-saving goods were already a hot topic due to worries about the power grid. Now cool pillows and electronic fans have come under the spotlight in Kumagaya city, a city known for the highest temperature ever recorded in Japan. http://www.excite.co.jp/News/product/20110525/Kilamek_sales_news_VJX88KkyA.html(Japanese Only) Folding fan sales increase Since the Fukushima nuclear power plant disasters, power-saving goods have attracted much attention. One result of this trend is that orders have been rushing in at Hiroshi Matsui’s Edo Fan Shop, which sells a traditional Japanese craftwork – folding fans. http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/tokyo/20110601/CK2011060102000017.html(Japanese Only) Goya seedlings popular as energy-saving measure Online sales of goya (bitter gourd) seedlings have been good, especially in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The goya seedlings can be grown as a curtain to prevent the indoor temperature from rising and help to reduce air conditioning use. These "green curtains" are not being bought just by schools and companies anymore, personal purchases have boomed as well. http://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/article/2011-05-24_18228/(Japanese Only) Triumph International Japan introduce "casual everyday" Underwear maker Triumph International Japan announced that it had given permission to come to work in casual clothes as one of its power-saving measures. This policy applies to all 300 employees in its Tokyo office and is in effect until September. http://www.iza.ne.jp/news/newsarticle/business/manufacturer/508655/(Japanese Only) Company OKs coming to work in tank tops – and pays 2,000 yen bonus A creative web design company, famista, has approached power-saving in a very unique way. It announced “tank top power saving” where the staff are reimbursed up to 2,000 yen per month from the purchase of tank tops. http://www.fashionsnap.com/news/2011-05-30/famista-cool-biz/ (Japanese Only) Eight big auto companies take Thursday and Friday off to save power Eight major automobile makers have decided to switch their weekends from Saturday and Sunday to Thursday and Friday. This applies not only to the factories but office workers as well. While three companies including SUZUKI have retained regular weekend holidays in part, TOYOTA and the remaining four companies have switched completely. While there are concerns that this could hinder communications with vendors and overseas offices, companies hope to cut their electric bills by 15%by operating during weekends when electrical demand is low. http://mainichi.jp/select/biz/news/20110603ddm008020195000c.html (Japanese Only) Reward given to families for excellence in power-savings – prefecture prepares commemorative gifts Hiroshi Ogawa, governor of Fukuoka Prefecture announced in a press conference on June 8th that through July to September this year plans to reward families who cut their electricity usage from last year with commemorative gifts and discounts from participating businesses. With the fear of electrical shortages looming as summer approaches, he hopes to raise spur interest in lowering domestic electrical consumption and encourage power-saving. http://www.nishinippon.co.jp/nnp/item/246151(Japanese Only) Japan Rail announces its power-saving plans; draws up new energy-saving train schedule The East Japan Railway Company released its new energy-saving train schedule on June 7th and its power-saving plans, in response to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Electrical Use Order". The new train schedules have been separated into three groups, each with an explanation of the measures. For example, for routes that have more than four trains per hour (in one direction) on the Tokaido, Sobu Express, Sobu Local, Chuo, and Nambu lines (just to name a few) power will be saved by reducing the number of trains running per hour between 12 and 3 p.m.. http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2011/06/07/092/(Japanese Only) http://traintracks.jp/en/column/detail.html?clid=319 2011-06-23T00:00:00+09:00 traintracks Column Content sharing sites are flourishing - one popular video-sharing website, "Niko Niko Doga" has posted a budget surplus three terms in a row, and the illustration sharing site "PIXIV" is getting record numbers of posts. The Internet has reminded users who could not share their creativity or never realized the appeal in doing so of the joy in self-expression and content creation. As the number of general public who create content as a hobby increases, a new recognition of the "hobbyist creator" has begun in the production industry. A lot of users with fairly high level of creative ability are being regarded no longer as "amateurs", instead being respectfully treated as "professional amateurs". It is now becoming common for those in the web industry to contact and build relationships with content creators that pique their interest. Moreover, some web companies and agencies are aggressively approaching asking skilled users for help with their projects using incentive contracts - the websites "nanapi", "C-team", and "NAVER" for example. NAVER gives incentive payments to users who enhance the value of their site. Until now there were companies which used the help of general users to produce large volumes of article for affiliates and SEO purposes. However, these sites had a tendency to specify not only the quantity but the quality of work such as writing, illustrations, movies and web skills - leading them to seek out "hobbyist creators". Nowadays, by producing excellent work anyone can grab the public's attention. By taking advantage of this users now have the chance to have their works not only viewed by more people, but to receive incentives and job requests. As such, unlike in the past now even the average individual can become involved in the content creation industry. Thanks to the freedom of communication being made possible by the Internet, if you keep improving your skills there are plenty of chances to become a content creator.