Innovation in the Digital Age ―Seeking the Key to Realization

Innovation and Organization
―How to Win in the Digital Age, as Seen by a Marketing Pioneer

Summary: Tetsuji Hirose "Innovation in the Digital Age: Exploring the Keys to Realization"

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Japan's largest international marketing conference, "World Marketing Summit (WMS) Japan 2015." We published a two-part interview with speakers visiting Japan: Professor Robert Walcott of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and Professor Emeritus Andy Soltzner. Tetsuji Hirose, Director of Dentsu Inc. Marketing Solutions Bureau and President of Dentsu Consulting Inc., who conducted the interviews, reflects on the messages conveyed by both speakers.

"Every company is unfinished. The soil for innovation determines the future."

The World Marketing Summit (WMS), held in Tokyo for the second consecutive year, focused on marketing and innovation in the digital age. It featured passionate discussions among global business leaders, centered around Professor Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing. Professors Walcott and Soltzners, who visited Japan as speakers, teach alongside Professor Kotler at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. They have also founded consulting firms, engaging directly with the practical challenges companies face.

Professor Walcott founded the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN), providing a space where people from diverse backgrounds can inspire each other to spark innovation. We often get stuck in insular thinking or fixate solely on direct competitors. However, he emphasized the importance of external stimulation, stating, "Analyzing competitors as benchmarks leads only to imitation, not innovation. A broader perspective—such as how to leverage expertise from other industries for your own business—is crucial."

Professor Soltzners has long dedicated himself to the science of sales. Today, the functions and value demanded of sales are undergoing significant change due to the adoption of technologies like marketing automation and the progress of digital transformation. Regarding the diverse challenges sales organizations face—such as organizational structure, methodologies, compensation, and talent acquisition/development—his positive observation stood out: "No company executes all of these perfectly. Conversely, this means every organization has room for improvement and the potential to boost sales."

Professor Walcott also emphasized the importance of a "Can Do" spirit, an open environment that incorporates young employees' opinions, and a foundation where diverse talent, including women, can thrive. It seems that precisely because we are in an era of advancing digitalization and demanding innovation, the nature of corporate culture and corporate ethos is being called into question.