A project with substance

Sometimes I get an overwhelming urge to go to Hong Kong. Thoughts of things like "sweet fish skin" eaten with congee, or "curry beef tendon noodles" that taste like the ultimate version of curry-flavored cup noodles, come to mind. But really, my true love is Cantonese cuisine. Though we call it simply "Cantonese," it's actually broadly categorized into four types: "Guangzhou," "Hakka," "Chaozhou," and "Shunde." Among these, my favorite is Chaozhou cuisine, rich in seafood. Near the site of Kowloon Walled City, once called the "Eastern Den of Iniquity," there's a restaurant I remember fondly. Inside, there was a small food stall where you could simply point at the ingredients to get the dish you wanted. Fourteen years ago, when I first visited, the "Jinhua Shao Cai" (steamed Chinese cabbage) I ordered was incredibly delicious. It had a truly deep, rich flavor.

By the way, this sensation of "depth of flavor" is quite difficult to explain precisely. Professor Toru Fushiki of Ryukoku University describes it as "not a single taste, but a complex, intertwined, comprehensive sensation." For example, we perceive more depth in mirin than in sugar because the former is composed of multiple sugars like glucose, maltose, and trehalose, whereas the latter is almost entirely sucrose. This results in a richer, more layered sweetness.

Indeed, that "Jinhua Shao Cai" had a complex, multi-layered umami from ingredients like Chinese cabbage, Chinese ham, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp. That's likely why it felt "rich."

But back to the topic at hand. When developing ads or products, I'm sometimes asked, "Does a concept have to be just one thing?" The answer is both "YES" and "NO," though it's a bit complicated to explain.

If you think about it, it's obvious: the final concrete strategy encompasses multiple concepts. For example, what is Starbucks' "concept"? If it were a simple memory test in college, answering "Third Place" (a third place to belong, beyond home and work) would probably get you credit, but that's not entirely accurate. In reality, Starbucks falls under numerous concepts: "coffee shop," "chain store," "Seattle style," and more. In that sense, "third place" alone cannot be considered the sole concept of Starbucks.

Business management textbooks explain that multiple subjective ideas combine to form a concept, and multiple concepts combine to form a model. Behind every product or service, there are always multiple concepts.

On the other hand, what makes Starbucks uniquely Starbucks is the "third place." Guided by this guiding light, the concept of a "coffee shop" was also redefined. For example, uncomfortable stools became sofas. The "chain store" concept was also redefined, and the franchise model—a natural move for profit—was not adopted. Rather than multiple concepts connecting in parallel, everything was reevaluated through the key "third place" concept. There is a hierarchical relationship here. Whether it's advertising or product development, if the question is "Is there only one central perspective for overturning conventional wisdom?", the answer is "YES."

When you think about it, that "Jinhua Shao Cai" was, above all, a dish designed to savor the sweetness of Chinese cabbage. The Chinese ham, shiitake mushrooms, and dried shrimp were all perfectly seasoned to enhance the cabbage's flavor. Simply piling on umami would have been vulgar, but everything was re-edited toward the clear purpose of the "cabbage."

Whether it's advertising or product development, truly great concepts must be like that "Jinhua Shao Cai" – multi-layered, perfectly harmonized, and deeply rich.

Ah, I really want to go to Hong Kong.

Please, help yourself!