Advertising Aspirants and Marketing

Cherry blossom season is here. That means weekends are for hanami. I'm thoroughly enjoying lazy daytime drinking.

Just a little while before this. Around the time when people say "Spring is almost here," I went to an izakaya in Tsukiji. There were herring, rockfish, Spanish mackerel, and saury. Finding the fish called "haru tsugu-uo" (spring herald fish) is a pleasure. When it comes to "haru tsugu-dori" (spring herald birds), the Japanese bush warbler is standard, and for "haru tsugu-kusa" (spring herald plants), it's the plum blossom. But an acquaintance told me, "In Akita, gibasa (a type of fish) is the plant that heralds spring."

"Gibasa" is the common name for Akamoku, a one-year seaweed. It's widely distributed throughout Japan, but in Akita Prefecture, where fresh vegetables are hard to come by in early spring when snow still lingers, it's been cherished since ancient times. When blanched in boiling water and pounded with a knife, it becomes slimy and creamy. Akita locals really seem to love this kind of stickiness.

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Now, likely due to delayed job hunting this year, I still meet many students even at this time of year. Questions I often hear include: "I want to do marketing at an advertising agency," or "At an ad agency, I can do marketing across various industries without specialization, right?" How would you respond?

I usually say, "If you really want to do marketing, you might be better off going to a manufacturer, for example." I don't mean to be mean, but it seems unexpected—the students often look completely flabbergasted.

According to the Japan Marketing Association's definition, "Marketing is the comprehensive activity undertaken by companies and other organizations with a global perspective, seeking mutual understanding with customers, and creating markets through fair competition." The American Marketing Association defines it as: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." Classically, it is organized into the "Four Ps" of Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Regardless, marketing fundamentally means "comprehensive activities for market creation."

Unfortunately, advertising agencies primarily handle only the "advertising domain," which constitutes half of Promotion. While they may assist with product development, the final decision—such as whether to base noodle soup on pork bone or chicken—always rests with the client. Opportunities to influence pricing or distribution policies are also limited.

In contrast, a manufacturer's business division handles all these roles. They can truly execute "marketing" as a comprehensive activity.

When we're babies, we're all potential doctors or ministers—full of every possible dream. Even after growing up and choosing, say, science or humanities, about half the world's options still remain. But when it comes to job hunting, suddenly we're told, "Insurance? Food? Steel? Logistics? Pick one!" and we get stuck. I totally get why someone might think, "I can't narrow it down to just one thing, and an ad agency lets me work across various fields, so maybe that's good."

But unfortunately, you can't do "a little of everything" at an ad agency. Instead, you can fully immerse yourself in "advertising" – which is just one-quarter of the marketing field, and then half of that. You can dive deep into "advertising" in the broadest sense, not limited to just CM production or media buying.

Honestly, back in my senior year of college, when Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi told me, "There's no such thing as marketing at an ad agency," I brushed it off thinking, "You must be joking." Luckily, I found "advertising" incredibly enjoyable, so it worked out. But it took me a while after joining the company to finally grasp what he really meant.

I sincerely hope all university students can navigate their job search without regrets. I'm rooting for you.

Next time, I'd like to share the story of copywriter Takuya Isoshima.

Enjoy!