午夜剧场

After graduating from university, I joined the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan. That same year, the bank collapsed and was nationalized. I decided to change jobs with the hope of studying marketing—a field I was interested in—and eventually helping to rebuild the bank. I was fortunate enough to be hired by Mercedes-Benz Japan, where I learned the fundamentals of marketing and business. Three years later, I heard that the bank was building a new business model targeting mass retail customers, so I returned. My wish came true, and I was put in charge of all marketing, including mass advertising. We saw responses so massive they overwhelmed our call centers, and sold tens of billions of yen in financial products through a single direct mail campaign. I experienced the true thrill of marketing: how a single, well-thought-out concept can achieve a thousandfold effect when delivered through the right media.

Later, I moved to UNIQLO, where I was in charge of internet communications. At the time, UNIQLO was in the midst of global expansion. By using the internet to transcend borders and time zones to disseminate information, we received an overwhelming response from users worldwide. This work served as a foothold for UNIQLO's global branding.

In 2010, I established Unit One Inc. Through a fortunate connection, I worked with the team at MUJI to develop the "MUJI passport" membership app. It has been used by tens of millions of people in Japan alone, and we were able to create a standard for retail business utilizing apps. Additionally, since 2015, I have been involved in product planning and communication development at BALMUDA, launching high-quality creative work and strong products like kitchen appliances that provide wonderful experiences. Sales, which were 3 billion yen at the time, have now grown to exceed 10 billion yen.

Except for my first year after graduation, I have worked consistently in marketing for over 20 years. Marketing is a proposal from a company to society. When product, creativity, and social relevance align, it is a technology that can change lives and create new cultures. In the post-COVID world, as individual lifestyles and mindsets shift, I want to consider what happiness the world seeks and what kind of business is truly needed, and continue to engage with society through marketing activities.