Attention Japan's PR industry! Passionate, deep-rooted, and above all, intense!
In Japan, December brings various year-end announcements like "Kanji of the Year," "New Words and Buzzwords Awards," and "Hit Product Rankings." When a PR project I've worked on gets nominated, I find myself reflecting, "Well, maybe I contributed a little to trend development this year." Conversely, years when I'm completely absent from these lists lead to self-reflection: "I guess I didn't try hard enough."
That sense of reflection at year's end is important, isn't it? Ignoring that autumnal-to-winter mood, the event crowning the pinnacle of domestic PR cases—the Japan Public Relations Association's annual "PR Award Grand Prix"—exudes an intense, tropical-like heat, or rather, stifling warmth. Yes, those with good memories might recall I mentioned in a recent column that the "PR Award Grand Prix" was being held with a major overhaul.
(As for the "Repositioning Techniques: Try Changing How You Use Them" I mentioned last time, I'll cover that next month!)
Gradually reformed since last year, the award's judging criteria now closely mirror those of the world's pinnacle, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Experts rigorously evaluate strategy, ideas, and the tangible outcomes of campaigns. Furthermore, entries from advertising agencies and client companies—previously scarce—have increased significantly: 39 entries the year before last, 57 last year, and this year saw 107 entries, nearly double the previous year. To add to that, many entries that had competed in international awards also participated, making the judging process extremely fierce, I hear (Oh, I was in charge of the talk session this time, so sorry about that. I heard that secondhand. lol). After the awards ceremony, Mr. Koichiro Shima of Hakuhodo Kettle, who chaired the judging panel, mentioned that the intensity of the discussions was on par with international competitions.
Rumor has it this might actually be tougher than international awards?
Ultimately, this year's winners were: 10 Bronze, 4 Silver, 4 Gold, and finally 1 Grand Prix.
Compared to international awards where gold typically accounts for about 10% of entries, this year's results show a much narrower gate: Bronze or higher for 18% of all entries, Silver or higher for 8%, and Gold or higher for 5%.
Below are the 4 entries that won Gold this time.
"Kinki University Catfish" Research and PR Integrated Communication Strategy
Entrant Company/Organization: Kindai University
LOVE THERMO #WarmWithLove
Entry Companies: Dentsu Public Relations, Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Isobar; Project Owner: Panasonic
Morinaga Confectionery "Go, Club Activities! Back to My Alma Mater in Jelly" Campaign
Entry Company: Dentsu Inc., Project Owner: Morinaga & Co.
Calbee Frugra's Breakfast Revolution
Entry Companies: Hakuhodo, M3 Company; Business Entity: Calbee
I won't go into detail about each one this time, but they all delivered solid results, and I found myself thinking, "I wish I could have been involved in these" (Oh, if you'd like an explanation, please contact me separately).
Applause for the resolve that fostered widespread empathy and even changed social norms
And the winner of the fierce competition, taking home the Grand Prix, is this one.
A PR program for deregulation enabling smartphone receipt digitization and eliminating the long-term storage obligation for originals
Inoue Public Relations, Business Entity: Concur Inc.
Hmm, that's a long title. Everyone teased them about it at the awards ceremony, but maybe that's part of the technique to win over the judges.
But seriously, the presentation was clear and easy to follow. While the title sounds complicated, it actually addressed something incredibly familiar to businesspeople. As they listened, a feeling of "Yeah, that's so true!" swept through the room. Right? Expense reports are a real hassle at most companies, aren't they? Some companies even require attaching receipts to special forms with glue. This entry promoted deregulation to push for the digitization of these paper receipts. Until now, only paper receipts were officially accepted in Japan, but starting January 2017, photos taken with smartphones can be used as originals.
Individuals might not fully grasp the impact, but the figures presented at the start of the presentation instantly made it clear and personal.
Until now, companies of all sizes were obligated to store these paper receipts as supporting documents (proof of monetary transactions) for a full seven years (!!). For a listed company, this translates to storing 9,000 boxes of receipts, costing a staggering ¥500 million annually. Whoa. Now let's translate these figures to the individual level and Japan's economic market.
● Time individuals spend on expense reimbursement
・Japanese businesspeople spend 52 days of their lifetime on "expense reimbursement"
・Within that, the time one businessperson spends "gluing receipts" amounts to 12 days (Shock!)
● Amount Japanese companies spend on expense processing
・The cost of storing paper receipts in Japanese companies is approximately ¥300 billion annually (Keidanren estimate)
・Labor costs for tasks like "sticking receipts" amount to about 600 billion yen annually (lol)
・Tax audit costs: 100 billion yen (Above figures estimated by Concur)
Okay, I can do the math in my head. Um, all together... one... one trillion yen!!! (°◇°)
Is that really how much social cost Japan is wasting? Professor!!
I couldn't help but sigh. Are Japan's strange customs holding back the international competitiveness of Japanese companies??
Right? I couldn't help but agree. So, the result of pushing for deregulation to change these rules is the recent acceptance of digitizing receipts and such, right? Thanks a bunch! Inoue Public Relations. Their approach involved collaborating with third-party organizations like the Japan CFO Association to skillfully uncover Japanese companies' frustrations through surveys. They then used these findings to lobby the government—essentially continuing government relations—while also sometimes teaming up with competitors through competitor relations to effectively shape public consensus. The director's strategy was brilliant!
Are we standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the client, fighting alongside them?
And actually, the business owner, Concur, is amazing! The result of this deregulation is a bridge to attract customers to their own expense and travel management service. President Shinso Mimura here is also incredibly appealing to PR professionals. What he advocates is "PR-driven management." That is, placing PR activities at the core of management and determining business strategy from the PR program. There's absolutely no "Well, since this service just launched, should we announce it now?" or "Hmm, maybe we'll postpone it to next time." Instead, they first establish a schedule like, "Releasing this content at this exact timing will undoubtedly deliver this level of business return!" Then, all decision-making and business advancement aligns with that schedule. Their stance is incredible: fully grasping the immense influence PR can wield, they aim to harness its power at 100% during the optimal moment!
How fortunate it would be to build lasting trust and continue working with companies like this. The number of such partners will likely become a key benchmark for comparing PR agencies going forward.
I had so much more I wanted to share just from this case study, but space constraints mean I'll stop here. And I've decided: In 2017, I'm moving beyond "hit-and-run" tactics to become what's called a "ground game specialist" – someone who maximizes the depth of engagement with companies! Will you love me for the long haul?
Shinmeikai "Strategic PR" [43]
