Paper short abstract:

This study seeks to understand the practical barriers to achieving brand orientation across an organization. Its findings suggest that the degree of differentiation, the organizational balance of power, and a strong dependence on a corporate brand impede the implementation of brand orientation.

Paper long abstract:

This study seeks to explore the practical obstacles to achieving brand orientation across an organization as a whole. In recent years, the implementation of brand orientation—defined by Urde (1999) as "an approach in which the processes of the organization revolve around the creation, development, and protection of brand identity in an ongoing interaction with target customers with the aim of achieving lasting competitive advantages in the form of brands"—has received increasing attention. Research has found that brand orientation has a positive influence, not only on brand performance, as in brand equity, but also on financial performance. In practice, however, it appears to be harder for most firms to implement brand-oriented strategy throughout the whole organization than the literature suggests. Nonetheless, we know little about why it is so difficult to achieve brand orientation and how to avoid related difficulties. To address this research gap, this analysis employs a single case study of Shiseido, a major, long-established Japanese cosmetics company which has been trying unsuccessfully to implement brand orientation for a decade.

In-depth interviews with managers and employees suggest three hindrances: differentiation and inconsistency between departments as to performance objectives; power imbalances between departments; and an organizational culture which had been more focused on the corporate, "Shiseido" brand rather than a number of individual product brands. In Shiseido, problems with differentiation and departmental power imbalances are particularly significant in the design department, which deals with package design, advertising, and shop shelf design. The department had maintained high independence and held strong power over other departments, which led to the communication to customers of a brand identity inconsistent from the original. Our findings suggest that the degree of differentiation and the balance of power within an organization have influence on the penetration of brand orientation in the whole organization. It also hints that strong dependence on a corporate brand has a negative effect on product brand orientation.

Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates challenges of the Japanese retail industry related to a fundamental shift in consumer's attitudes towards higher price-sensitivity and value orientation. Private label strategies of major retailers are analysed to discuss how Japan can regain retail growth and productivity.

Paper long abstract:

In the aftermath of East Japan's earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the country's economic growth came to a halt, and the situation has not significantly improved since. An increase in consumption tax in 2014 had a big negative impact on consumer spending, and progress with reflation from Abenomics appears to have stalled. Consumer confidence continues to be at a low level, and market analysts have low expectations towards GDP growth. This situation is also reflected in the food and consumer packaged good market which shows only little growth.

Much research focused on the question how structural reforms can help Japan to find back to its path of economic growth. However, the discussions have put relatively little emphasis on the fundamental shift in Japanese consumer's attitude and behaviour that is observable in the recent years. In particular, the traditional view of Japanese consumers being very brand conscious and paying premium price for superior quality and convenience stands against a growing number of consumers who are more price-sensitive, spending time at home rather than going out and use different purchase channels to look for the best value. In order to respond to these changing consumer needs, various retailers including department stores, large-scale supermarkets and convenience stores increasingly put efforts in the development and promotion of private label goods. The Japanese private label goods market still lags behind globally in terms of market penetration, but recent statistics show a clear trend in positive sales growth.

The purpose of this research is to highlight recent retail consumer trends and to investigate private label strategies of major Japanese retailers. The research highlights a shift from the traditional use of private label goods as a means to cut production and marketing costs while offering quality similar to national brands, to a more comprehensive approach that uses private labels as an essential tool to better position the company strategically against competitors and offer a unique brand experience. Insights from this paper may provide a better way of understanding necessary improvements in the Japan retail industry to regain productivity and growth.

Paper short abstract:

Ethnography has been gaining popularity in industries such as marketing and design. This paper explores how and why ethnography appeared in the Japanese business scene around the late 2000s, and highlights the "feedback loop" between mass media and firms' business affairs.

Paper long abstract:

The focus of this paper is to discuss the consumption and usage of ethnography, the chief methodology of social/cultural anthropology, in Japanese industry. Nowadays, ethnography is not exclusive to anthropology. As an investigative method, it has been gaining popularity in various industries such as marketing, design and engineering, to name but a few. On one hand, ethnography as a "new" technique - not new, per se, but relatively new for business people - is regarded as a most promising technique, which uncovers hidden needs and leads to exciting new products and services. On the other hand, depending on the context, ethnography can be an authoritative source for a firms' advertising.

Through recurring interviews with ex-managers and researchers of various firms, as well as business magazine reporters, this paper explores how ethnography was introduced to, and spread through, the Japanese business scene, in the decade following 2000. The way ethnography was introduced to the business community is rather convoluted and far from straightforward. (1) The explanations of ex-managers of companies that were first to adopt ethnography, described as "early adopters", were really only focused on business issues. (2) The researchers at the companies' laboratories were not just interested in the practicalities of ethnography, but started their research from an academic interest in the field. Researchers value academic networks, and they assert that ethnography entered Japan though endogenous developments in academia. (3) Recognising this trend, the mass media (more specifically, reporters from business magazines), sought other examples from various companies that they then reported on. These were companies that were doing consumer research and work in the field. These companies, described as "followers", did not know the English term "ethnography", but recognised the trend through being reported on and proceeded to employ this in the PR. One could see this as a "feedback loop" between mass media and firms' business affairs. The implication of the discussion here, could also be seen as an example of how business trends are formed and take hold.