What is the 'One-Person Dentsu Inc. Work Method' revealed by Jun Miura?

For this installment of "A Book to Consider the Next Step," let's look at "How to Create 'Non-Existent Jobs' by Jun Miura (Bungeishunju)." The book's obi (advertising strip) states, "Jun Miura's One-Man Dentsu Inc. Style Work Techniques Revealed," which certainly grabs your attention.
While Miura Jun's official website profile lists him as "illustrator, etc.," it seems the "etc." part of his work now overshadows the illustration. As you likely know, he's more famous as the mastermind behind numerous trends: "My Boom," "Yuru-chara," "Iyage-mono," "Tonmatsuri," and more.
How did Mr. Miura orchestrate these trends? This book reveals his tactics, now systematized and made public.

 

Booms are meticulously planned and executed

At first glance, it might seem like Miura-san is just freely sharing his personal interests and preferences. However, in reality, each and every one of these trends has been developed based on meticulously crafted strategies.

This book reveals that Mr. Miura is not only a unique creator but also an exceptionally skilled marketer.
Mr. Miura's work originates from creating things that didn't exist in the world.
For example, the "yuru-chara" (cuddly mascots) that became a huge boom and gained widespread acceptance. These are mascots created by local governments themselves, but originally, neither the name nor the genre existed.

Fundamentally, a "character" must, as the word implies, have distinctive traits. This genre already had many major players like Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty, making it an extremely competitive market. Minor mascots with "weak characters" simply couldn't compete.

Therefore, to create a new world where minor mascots could exist with pride, the entirely new genre of "yuru-chara" was established.
The name "Yuru-chara" itself expresses this new genre by combining the contradictory words "yuru" (loose/relaxed) and "character."

Next, Mr. Miura embarked on mass collecting these mascots. He traveled to regional areas and product fairs, amassing an overwhelming number. Through this effort, he deeply explored the new genre he had created and became genuinely immersed in it.

He then began disseminating information. Mr. Miura personally pitched serialized magazine features on "yuru-chara" to multiple publishers simultaneously and organized events like the "First Yuru-Chara Show," executing a multi-platform media strategy single-handedly. Despite a very low budget, he aimed for multiple touchpoints with his target audience.
Edgy information like this could also generate buzz on social media.

People with high information sensitivity interpreted it conveniently for themselves (= misunderstood)

The accumulation of these tactics ultimately succeeded in igniting the "yuru-chara" boom. However, this book states that "the true nature of the boom is 'misunderstanding'."
It explains that once awareness of "yuru-chara" grew, information-savvy individuals interpreted it conveniently for themselves (i.e., misunderstood it) and started talking about it freely, which is how the boom took off.
Therefore, it is crucial not to define "yuru-chara" as a fixed concept.

By leaving room for interpretation, people from various backgrounds can conveniently personalize the concept through their own misunderstandings, sparking buzz.
These methods were utilized not only for "yuru-chara" but also in numerous other trends Mr. Miura initiated, such as "Iyage-mono," "Tonmatsuri," "Gomu-hebi," and "Cliffs."
To summarize, it breaks down as follows:

Step 1: Categorizing a previously nonexistent genre
Step 2: Naming by combining contradictory words
Step 3: Mass collection of named items and personal deep-diving
Step 4: Cross-media dissemination centered on magazines
Step 5: Observing how people's misunderstandings lead to personalization and buzz

This book refers to this as the "One-Person Dentsu Inc. Work Method." ("One-Person Dentsu Inc." apparently means doing everything an advertising agency does, all by yourself.)
In essence, this method boils down to identifying blue oceans, generating new value through innovation, and permeating that value into the market while engaging both media and users.

The business components of "Innovation × Marketing" are becoming increasingly complex due to technological evolution.
Yet observing Mr. Miura's activities reveals that its origins are remarkably simple and down-to-earth.
The "method for creating value from scratch" revealed by this master of creating spectacular booms was packed with such vital insights.