The Power of Company Songs to Energize Local Businesses ~ Roundtable Discussion with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Entering the Company Song Contest ~

The NIKKEI National Company Song Contest (commonly known as the Company Song Contest) solicits company song videos from businesses and determines Japan's best through web voting and judging by special judges.

Co-organized by the Nikkei Inc., JOYSOUND (XING), and Dentsu Inc., the second edition of this contest recorded 193 entries (110% of the previous year) and a cumulative 680,000 votes (180% of the previous year), despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies from across Japan submitted corporate song videos expressing their unique sentiments.

This time, we held a roundtable discussion with three participating companies. Hiroki Tano, President of Hoken Office (Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture); Yoshihide Sato, President of Able (Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture); and Naho Kato, Director of Pokapoka Nursery School (Hachioji City, Tokyo), were interviewed by Dentsu Inc.'s Kohei Morimoto about the significance and impact of regional companies participating in the company song contest.

The Feelings Embodied in Three Distinct Company Songs

Morimoto: Today, I'd like to hear from the three companies, all deeply rooted in their communities, about the power of company songs and the changes sparked by participating in the contest. First, could each of you share the background behind your company song and how you came to enter the contest?

Tano: Insurance agency work can easily become overly personal. To establish our service as "Team Hoken Ken Office," we adopted the motto "Complete Peace of Mind." We felt conveying this through song would be more enjoyable and effective than the president explaining it to employees. That's why we created the company song we submitted to the first contest. Later, to commemorate our 20th anniversary, we re-captured our company's spirit in song, resulting in our current entry, "What's Truly Important."

Morimoto: The gentle melody is really memorable. What kind of feelings went into creating it?

Tano: While we provide support for our customers' "just in case" situations, what's most important to them is living peaceful, everyday lives without those emergencies occurring. We wanted to convey the feeling that we hope people can express their important feelings to their loved ones and live lives where they cherish what's important to them. With that in mind, we asked singer-songwriter Hideki Nishiura, originally from Osaka Sayama City, Osaka Prefecture, to write the lyrics and compose the music.

Morimoto: So a professional wrote the lyrics and composed the music. The video is also very well-made; it was truly moving. Poka Poka Nursery also has a professional compose their song, right?

Kato: In our case, the company song doubles as the nursery song. We collected words from our nursery teachers and staff, and a professional trumpet player who is also a parent of one of our children composed the music. It turned out so well that we searched for a place to showcase it and found the company song contest.

Morimoto: You contacted the organizers asking, "Is it okay if it's a nursery song instead of a company song?"

Kato: Yes (laughs). We got the okay that a nursery song was fine, so we rushed to arrange the music and choreograph a dance, then filmed it at Hachioji Civic Hall (J:COM Hall Hachioji).

Tano: The director's rap was incredibly impactful. It really inspired me to want to do something like that too (laughs).

Kato: Thank you. We created this with the hope of bringing a little joy and positivity to the childcare industry during the pandemic, when events like the annual performance couldn't happen and life felt stiflingly restricted.

Morimoto: You could really feel everyone enjoying themselves. What about you, Sato from Able?

Sato: Our company anthem was created 20 years ago. Back then, I faced many challenges in running the business. I wrote the lyrics with the intention of returning to the essence of humanity, embracing "dreams," "hope," and "love," and aiming together for our "ideal island." I believe we were able to overcome the hardships of the Great East Japan Earthquake because the company anthem united us.

Kato: The video shows many scenes of employees singing together, and it seems like they're quite accustomed to singing it regularly.

Sato: We play it daily instead of a closing bell, and we explain the lyrics' meaning during new employee training, so it's probably ingrained in us (laughs). We sing it together at every social gathering too. Since we couldn't hold gatherings during the pandemic, making this video was a precious chance for employees to sing the company song together again after so long.

A Sense of Unity Born from Video Production During the Pandemic

Morimoto: Beyond the singing, I think each company's unique character shines through in the videos. How was the video production process?

Sato: Since it's a song we hear every day after work, there wasn't a single employee who didn't know it, and I was genuinely moved all over again that everyone could sing it immediately. With the pandemic making it hard to hold events that fostered a sense of unity, it was wonderful to feel us all coming together as one.

Kato: We had a tight schedule—shooting just one week after finalizing the arrangement and choreography. Everyone practiced individually, and the first time we all performed together was on the actual shoot day. We wanted all staff to appear, so we even brought the kindergarten kids to the venue and put them to sleep in the green room... (laughs). During the actual shoot, we asked the production company staff to babysit while we filmed.

Morimoto: That's a tough schedule. How did the staff react?

Kato: At the nursery, we don't usually wear flashy makeup or dress up, so everyone enjoyed changing into heels and doing "Instagram-worthy" makeup. And since we had such limited time for video production, it really highlighted our amazing teamwork and showed us each other's hidden potential. We also filmed the staff putting the children to sleep, so we'd like to make a behind-the-scenes video as a memento for them.

Tano: Making-of footage is a great idea! We also set aside a full day for all employees to film, but since we cut out people with less-than-flattering expressions (myself included), I thought making a behind-the-scenes video would be nice.

Morimoto: The president getting cut? That's novel.

Tano: I appeared in a scene working seriously at the office, but my face was too serious and ruined the mood, so it got shelved (laughs).

The company anthem sparked revitalization in recruitment and community activities

Morimoto: What changes did participating in the company song contest bring about, both inside and outside the company?

Kato: Beyond strengthening staff unity and teamwork, expressing what we value through song helped refine our childcare philosophy. As a bonus, several people applied for jobs after seeing the company song video.

Morimoto: That's amazing. Did it actually lead to hires?

Kato: Yes. While the childcare industry continues to face recruitment challenges, I believe the company song played a significant role in helping us hire several people.

Tano: We're also seeing recruitment benefits. Some applicants watch the video before applying, and we feel more candidates who align with our company culture are applying.

Morimoto: Absolutely. Sometimes, having someone listen to a company song that distills our philosophy and spirit conveys things instantly better than a lengthy presentation using materials. Since Nikkei and I often discuss wanting to contribute to solving talent shortages and recruitment challenges through company songs, it's wonderful to hear they're having this kind of effect. How about the external response and impact?

Sato: It's powerful for conveying our corporate philosophy and culture externally too. We sometimes play our company song during meetings with clients or financial institutions and explain the meaning behind the lyrics. There's no better tool for helping them understand the spirit driving our company's activities.

Tano: Since entering the company song contest, opportunities for insurance companies and customers to hear our song have increased dramatically. When visiting clients, conversations like, "That phrase is great, isn't it? Sing a bit for us," or "What's the next song going to be?" sometimes arise.

Kato: It became a way for nearby businesses, city hall, and parents to learn about what we do. Also, our nursery school's YouTube channel subscribers have increased, and video views are growing rapidly. Some staff members didn't even know how to turn on a computer before, but now they're challenging themselves with video editing and image processing – our staff's IT literacy is growing by leaps and bounds (laughs).

Having our company name featured in the Nikkei is a source of pride for local businesses.

Morimoto: One major theme and purpose of the company song contest is "creating a space for companies to connect." By companies understanding each other's essence, new connections previously unseen can emerge. We planned this with the hope that this will lead to business development and ultimately contribute to revitalizing the Japanese economy.

Sato: Discussing this with everyone gave me tremendous energy and courage. Realizing the value of our company song, I want to leverage this asset more effectively in our business activities.

Tano: For small and medium-sized enterprises, the company song contest is an important platform to widely disseminate our message. I want to encourage not just us, but other local companies to participate and invigorate the community. Next time, I'll focus solely on our company song to make it to the finals (laughs).

Morimoto: Hey, don't forget to focus on your main business too! (laughs)

Tano: Thanks for the quick retort. That's the Kansai spirit for you!

Kato: Learning about the aspirations of various companies through the contest was hugely inspiring. While the forms differ between companies and nurseries, I believe the fundamentally important things are the same. We too want to follow your example and nurture our nursery song with care.

Morimoto: Thank you, everyone. Finally, could you share again why it's meaningful for local companies to participate in the company anthem contest?

Tano: This time, the Nikkei featured all participating companies. For us small and medium-sized enterprises, just having our company name appear in the Nikkei is hugely meaningful. Our employees were all thrilled and eagerly awaited the publication date. It's a valuable opportunity to spread our company's values both internally and externally, so we definitely want to participate again in the future.

Sato: Having our company name featured in the Nikkei is a source of pride for us. It also served as encouragement for our employees who work hard every day, so we are very grateful.

Kato: Participating in the company song contest was highly meaningful because it spotlighted the vibrant spirit of childcare workers. The reality is that many graduates of childcare schools don't enter the childcare industry. We hope to continue contributing to revitalizing the industry by sharing the joy of childcare and showcasing childcare workers who work with confidence and pride.

Morimoto: Your words are a tremendous encouragement to us as well, the organizers and planners. We'd be thrilled if you could join us again to make the next contest a success. We look forward to your continued support!

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