Despite knowing how unique of a market Japan can be, many foreign brands enter the region with a familiar digital playbook: Google Search, Meta Ads, and maybe YouTube. This would work in other territories, but Japan doesn’t behave as a typical Google/Meta-first ecosystem.
Continue reading “Local Japanese Marketing Channels You Can’t Afford to Ignore”
The US, EU and Southeast Asian markets are fast-moving. If you’ve had firsthand experience in these territories, then the Japanese customer journey can feel painfully slow in comparison.
As a foreign brand in Japan, you may interpret this stark contrast as weak intent among your target audience, or even poor performance of your campaigns. But you’re likely misunderstanding the market.
Continue reading “Why the Japanese Customer Journey Takes Soooo Long”
We’ve previously discussed strategies to maximize marketing success in Japan, and there’s always been a common thread: Trust. No matter the platform, no matter the approach, if you can’t win the trust of Japanese consumers, you won’t go very far.
In Western markets, if you have a robust enough budget and solid brand awareness, you can go a surprisingly long way with reputation as a secondary priority. But in Japan, trust is the #1 predictor of success.
Continue reading “Winning Trust in the Japanese Market for Long-Term Success”
If you’re advertising on platforms like Google or Meta, you’ve probably enjoyed using free-flowing UTMs and multi-touch reporting. In Japan, however, major platforms like LINE and Rakuten operate inside closed ecosystems. Thus, the challenge is clear: traffic is easy, but conversion attribution is frustratingly difficult.
Continue reading “Conversion Attribution Guide for LINE and Rakuten in Japan”
In Japan, a website serves the dual function of sales medium and, more importantly, a trust signal. That’s why it’s imperative that foreign brands understand how crucial Japanese UX is to their success in the far-East region.
Continue reading “Japanese UX Patterns and Metrics to Optimize Trust, Performance”
Nearly every aspect of marketing in Japan requires you to rethink everything you thought you knew. This certainly applies to how you should interpret Japanese marketing KPIs (key performance indicators).
The reason is that what we deem as “success” in Japanese marketing can look very different from what you’re used to. While click-through rates and impressions look healthy in reporting, the market may be telling a different story in pure sales.
Continue reading “Japanese Marketing KPIs You Shouldn’t Overlook”
Have you noticed how hyper-personalized ads have become? How about the way consumer interaction has gotten a little too automated? This is all the effect of AI implementation. In Japan, however, authentic hospitality is a cornerstone of the market culture. Because of this, AI in Japanese marketing should seek to complement the human touch, rather than replace it entirely.
Continue reading “AI in Japanese Marketing: Culturally-Conscious Innovation”
Are you struggling to achieve a high Google Ads click-through rate (CTR) in Japan like you did in other territories? This is actually more common than you think. Many global campaigns that perform well elsewhere tend to underperform here.
Continue reading “How to Improve CTR on Google Ads in Japan”
From trade shows to pop-up events, live experiences still carry enormous weight in Japan. Where many foreign brands struggle is in the follow-up. Bringing the momentum from in-person experiences to the online space can be tricky.
Continue reading “Event Marketing in Japan: Bridging Offline to Your Digital Funnel”
In our previous post, we gave an overview explaining the basic principles of Phygital Marketing—the strategy of blending offline and digital marketing. In today’s post, we’re going to dig a little deeper into specifics. For this, we’ll discuss two specific channels that, together, have proven invaluable to Japanese marketing: Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising and social media.
Continue reading “Social Media + OOH Advertising in Japan: An Effective Strategy”
