NIKKEI National Company Song Contest Fukoku Life wins top prize from 174 entries
The results of the "NIKKEI National Company Song Contest" (Special Cooperation: JOYSOUND (XING) / Sponsors: Epson Direct, Origami / Support: All Japan Manufacturing Spinning Top War Association / Cooperation: HANJO HANJO, monopo, School of Passion), hosted by Nikkei Inc., were announced on December 4. The awards ceremony was held on December 13 at the Keidanren Kaikan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
In recent years, "company songs" have gained recognition for their effectiveness in revitalizing organizations, boosting sales, and attracting talent, regardless of company size. Major corporations have commissioned famous musicians to create new company songs, and the "contest" has been held for two consecutive years, showing a growing trend.
This contest aimed to support Japanese companies by encouraging the use of company songs as a tool for internal and external communication. It solicited heartfelt company song videos from businesses nationwide.
Submissions reached 174 songs, approximately six times the number from the previous two contests.
Entries were published on the official website, with the Grand Prize winner decided by public vote. Additionally, four judges selected their respective Jury Awards.
In a public vote held in November, Fukoku Life Insurance's "Fukoku GOGO" won the top prize.
Celebrating its 95th anniversary in 2018, the company is now working on its 100th anniversary project, aiming to greatly expand the circle of "sympathy" for the company. For this entry, they created a video featuring a rock version arrangement of their company song "Now is the Time to Leap Forward!", originally created for their 55th anniversary, to express the company's enthusiasm for the future.
During the public voting period, four judges (singer-songwriter Ai Kawashima, Xing President Yasushi Mizutani, All Japan Manufacturing Spinning Top Battle Association Honorary Advisor Kenji Midorikawa, and writer/journalist Masazumi Yumikari) selected the judges' awards based on the criteria: "Does it convey the company's message?" "Does it convey the company's appeal?" and "Is it music that resonates?" Kawashima selected "Plat-in (Osaka Prefecture)", President Mizutani and Mr. Midorikawa selected "Otokomae Tofu Shop (Kyoto Prefecture)", and Mr. Yumikari selected "Aisin Seiki (Aichi Prefecture)".
Additionally, awards such as the "Memorable Music Award," "Teamwork Award," and "Lyrics with Memorable Quotes Award" were also presented. At the ceremony, representatives from each winning company received their certificates with smiles.
Special collaborator Xing, which initially planned to offer JOYSOUND karaoke distribution only for the Grand Prize winner, decided to also distribute the company songs of the three Jury Awards winners along with their original videos (starting sequentially from late January 2020). This decision was made due to the high quality of all winning entries.
Related Article: The Passion Behind the "Company Song Contest" That Ignited the Boom[November 8, 2019]
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