Marketing in japan section 2 part 2 of 3

Marketing in Japan:Section 2

Part 2 of 3: Marketing in Japan best practices and business insights.

Table of Contents:Page Name: Page Number:Business Practices 3

5 Steps to Marketing In Japan 4How to Launch a Product in Japan 11Tips to Marketing In Japan 28Symbolism in Japan 44

Business Insights 57Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions 58Business Facts 78Business Etiquette 98Business Differences: US vs. Japan

123

Work Cited 135

Marketing In Japan:Symbolism- Colors

BlackKuro

BlueAo

WhiteShiro

GreenMidori

RedAka Others

Compiled By author from japanese.about.com tofugu.com ehow.com

黒白緑赤

青


Black Represents:

Formality And Elegance:

Started because of the popularity of Western black tie

events

Death, Destruction, Doom, Fear And

Sorrow:

When used alone, it signifies mourning

and misfortune, and is often worn to

funerals

Dignity And Formality:

Used for the robes of Buddhist monks, as

well as for montsuki ( 紋付 ),

the kimono that bears the family

crest

Black Is A Powerful

And Foreboding

Color In Japanese Culture

黒



Whi

te

repr

esen

ts:

Purity and cleanliness in traditional Japanese society, it

is seen as a blessed color

Used at weddings and other joyful life events

Appears on the Japanese flag

Godly and Pure:

Sacred places are strung with shimenawa( 注連縄 )

Sacred places are decorated with white shide ( 紙垂 ), or

strewn with white pebbles or sand

白White Has Been An

Auspicious Color In

Japan For Much Of Its

History



Energy Vitality Heat Power

Love And

Intimacy

Sexual Desire

Life Force

In People

Energy In

People

赤


Red has been a powerful color in Japanese society, representing strong emotions

rather than ideas


It’s The Color Of The Sun In: • It’s seen on the Japanese flag

Associated With Authority And Wealth:• As attested to by red-sheathed samurai swords and ornamental combs

Has Ties To Religion:• As demonstrated by the red torii ( 鳥居 ) of Shinto shrines• Shrine maidens are traditionally clad in red hakama ( 袴 )

赤



Purity and cleanliness in

traditional Japanese culture

Largely because of the vast

stretches of blue water that

surrounds the Japanese islands

Considered a feminine color

Worn by young women to show

their purity

Calmness and stability

It’s a relaxing color

青


Represents:


• Mostly sometsuke ( 染付け ) porcelainCeramics:

• Mostly the aizuri-e ( 藍摺り絵 ) woodblock printsFine Art:

• Flourished in Shikoku during the Edo period

Formed The Basis For The Indigo

Dyeing Industry:

青


Blue is Used For:


Green shows Fertility and growth in traditional Japanese culture

Midori means green and vegetation

The color green

represents youth and

vitality

Green can also represent

eternity because

evergreen trees never lose their

leaves or stop growing

Green is fresh and youthful different from the negative

western connotations

of “green-eyed jealousy”

緑



Other Colors:

The following symbolizes the rank and authority of the Japanese royalty and aristocracy:

Yellowish-brown Orange Purple Chairo Daidaiiro Murasaki

Compiled By author from tofugu.com ehow.com japanese.about.com

茶色橙色紫

Marketing In Japan:Symbolism- Numbers

Luck

y N

umbe

rs: • 8 (Hachi): its written as 八

in Kanji• 八 is considered 末広がり Suehirogari from its

shape which widens toward the end• Suehirogari is to

become more and more prosperous as time goes Lu

cky

Num

bers

: • 7(Nana): comes from Western culture• Japanese likes to choose

7 in any occasion

Compiled By author from discover-jp.blogspot.com

Marketing In Japan:Symbolism- Numbers

Unl

ucky

N

umbe

rs: • 4 is pronounced

yon or shi • Shi has the same

pronunciation with 死 which means die

• People are in the habit of not using 4 in hospitals and congratulations occasions

Unl

ucky

N

umbe

rs: • 9 is pronounced

kyu or ku • ku has the same

pronunciation with 苦 which means pain or suffering

• 49 yonjûkyu/shijûku is a super unlucky number because it means die with pain

Unl

ucky

N

umbe

rs: • The number 14 is

bad luck • It sounds like the

word shuh-shuh, which sounds like the word for death

Compiled By author from discover-jp.blogspot.com

Marketing in Japan:Hofstede Cultural

Dimensions-

Power

Distanc

e

Individ

ualism

Masculin

tiy

Uncerta

inty A

voida

nce

Long T

ern Orie

ntatio

n

Indulg

ence

5446

95 92 88

42

Japan:

Compiled By author from geert-hofstede.com


Dimensions- Power Distance:The extent that less powerful members of institutions and

organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally

This dimension deals with the fact that individuals in societies are not

equal – it states the attitude of the culture towards

these inequalities

Japan has a intermediate score of 54, which makes

it a borderline hierarchical society

They are conscious of their hierarchical

position but they are not as

hierarchical as other Asian cultures


Power Distance:


Dimensions- Individualism:

The degree of interdependence a society keeps among its members

It has to do with whether people’s self-

image is defined in

terms of “I” or “We”

In Individualist societies

people are supposed to

look after themselves and their

direct family only

In Collectivist societies

people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care

of them in exchange for

loyalty

Japan scores 46 on the

Individualism dimension


Individualism:


Dimensions-

Reasons why Japan isn’t as collectivistic as other

societies:

They do not have an extended family system which forms a base of

more collectivistic societies such as China

and Korea

Japan has been a paternalistic society

Younger siblings had to leave home and make

their own living with their core families

Oldest son inherited the family name and assets

from his father


Individualism:


Dimensions- They are

Individualist by Asian standards

Or

They are collectivisti

c by Western

standards

Japanese in-group

is depended

on the situation


Individualism:


Dimensions- Masculinity:

What motivates people, wanting to be the best (Masculine) or liking what they do (Feminine)

A high score (Masculine) indicates that the society

will be driven by competition, achievement

and successSuccess is defined by the winner / best in field – a

value system that starts in school and continues

throughout organizational life

A low score (Feminine) means that the dominant values in the society are

caring for others and quality of life

A Feminine society is one where quality of life is the

sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable

At 95, Japan is one of the most Masculine societies

in the world


Masculinity:


Dimensions- Expression of

Masculinity in Japan that are seen in

every aspect of life:

The drive for excellence and perfection in their

Material Production- Monodukuri

Material Services- Hotels And Restaurants

Presentation- Gift wrapping and

food presentation

Notorious workaholism

Working hard and long hours makes

it difficult for women to climb up the corporate

ladders


Masculinity:


Dimensions- Uncertainty Avoidance: The way a society deals with the fact that the future can never be

known: Should we try to control the future or just let it happen?

This brings anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this

anxiety in different ways

The score takes into account:

How members feel threatened by an

ambiguous or unknown situation

As well as the created beliefs and institutions that they use to try to avoid those situations

At 92 Japan is one of the most uncertainty avoiding

country on earth

Uncertainty

Avoidance:



Dimensions- Fr

om c

radl

e to

gra

ve, l

ife is

hig

hly

ritua

lized

and

they

hav

e a

lot o

f ce

rem

onie

s:Every school year, they have an opening and closing ceremony

that is conducted the same way everywhere in Japan

etiquette books suggest in great detail what people wear and how

people should behave at weddings, funerals and other

social events

School teachers and public servants are hesitant to do things

without precedence

In corporate Japan, a lot of time and effort is put into feasibility

studies: all the risk factors must be worked out before any project

can start

Managers ask for all the detailed facts and figures before making

any decision


Uncertainty

Avoidance:

This high need for

Uncertainty Avoidance is one of the

reasons why changes are so difficult to

realize in Japan


Dimensions- Long Term Orientation:How societies have to maintain some links with its own past while

dealing with the challenges of the present and futureSocieties prioritize these two existential goals differently

Normative Societies- Scores are low, prefer to

maintain time-honored traditions and norms while viewing societal

change with suspicion

Pragmatic Approach:

Scores are high, they encourage

thrift and efforts in modern education

as a way to prepare for the future

At 88 Japan scores as one of the most

Long Term Orientation

oriented societies


Long Term Orientation:


Dimensions- In corporate Japan, long term orientation is seen in:

All of these examples serve the durability of the companies:


Long Term Orientation:

The high rate of

investment in R&D even

in economicall

y difficult times

Higher own capital rate

Priority to steady

growth of market

share rather than to a quarterly

profit

Companies are not here to make money every quarter for the

share holders

They are to serve the stake holders

and society at large for many

generations to come (e.g. Matsuhista)


Dimensions- Indulgence:

The extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised

The degree to which

small children are socialized is a factor of

this dimension

Without socialization we don’t

become “human”

Relatively weak

control is called

“Indulgence”

Relatively strong

control is called

“Restraint”

Japan has a low score of

42,it is a culture of Restraint


Indulgence:

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<http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/5-steps-to-marketing-in-japan/>. "10 Cultural Contrasts between US & Japanese Companies." Freshtrax by Btrax. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

<http://blog.btrax.com/en/2010/12/15/10-cultural-contrasts-between-us-and-japanese-companies-a-personal-view/>. "Discover Japan!" : Luck and Unlucky Number. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://discover-jp.blogspot.com/2006/11/luck-and-

unlucky-number.html>. "Here’s What You Need To Know When Marketing To Japanese Consumers."VoiceBunny Blog. 2015. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

<http://voicebunny.com/blog/heres-need-know-marketing-japanese-consumers/>. "International Business: Marketing in Asia by the Numbers: Numerology Affects International

Business." DeseretNews.com. 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705394498/Marketing-in-Asia-by-the-numbers-Numerology-affects-international-business.html?pg=all>.

"Japan Business Etiquette, Culture, & Manners." Japan. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/japan.htm>.

"Japan: It's Better in Color - Tofugu." Tofugu. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.tofugu.com/2012/06/28/japan-its-better-in-color/>.

"Japanese Colors Vocabulary - Learn Japanese Colors Vocabulary." About.com Education. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://japanese.about.com/od/japanesevocabulary/a/Colors.htm>.

"Launching a Product in Japan: 5 Action Points Dos & Donts."� MarketingSherpa.com. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/5-action-points-dos-donts>.

Mathers, Cassandra. "What Is the Meaning of Color in Japanese Culture?" EHow. Demand Media. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6658499_meaning-color-japanese-culture_.html>.

Martinuzzi, Bruna. "Doing Business in Japan: 10 Etiquette Rules You Should Know." American Express, 5 Aug. 2013. Web. 1 Mar. 2016. <https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/doing-business-in-japan-10-etiquette-rules-you-should-know/>.

"What about Japan?" Japan. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. <http://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html>.