Behind Hirakata City's First Win as a Local Government in the Company Song Contest

On February 3, 2023, the finals and awards ceremony for the " NIKKEI National Company Song Contest 2023 " (commonly known as the Company Song Contest), which determines Japan's best company song, were held. From a total of 125 entries, Hirakata City won the "Grand Prize" and the "Yasushi Mizutani Award."

To commemorate the award, a special interview was conducted with Kei Sugimoto and Yuki Matsui from the city's Public Relations and Promotion Division. Hirohira Morimoto, the Dentsu Inc. planner who initiated the contest, asked them about the aims behind creating the song, the process of entering the contest, and the reactions received after winning.

【Company Anthem Contest】
A contest to determine Japan's best corporate anthem video, specially supported by JOYSOUND, aiming to invigorate internal and external corporate communication. Twelve finalists were selected through online public voting and judge evaluations. The final rankings were determined by presentations and video screenings at a live event. Launched in 2016. Since 2019, it has been the Nikkei Company Song Contest, hosted by the Nikkei Inc. The contest defines "company songs" as any music embodying the sentiments of those involved in economic activities—including official company anthems, unofficial corporate songs, cheering songs for shopping districts or corporate groups, and theme songs for schools or municipalities.
 

"We want to give back to our hometown through music" – It began with a musician's passionate desire

Morimoto: Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize—a first for a local government.

Matsui: Thank you so much!!

Morimoto: I feel many people were moved by the entry video—its catchy tune that makes you want to sing along, and the children's beaming smiles. Could you tell us about the background behind creating this song, "I Love This Town"?

Sugimoto: It all began with the passion of Kazuhiro Ueda, a member of the folk duo and former "TANEBI," who is originally from Hirakata City. After moving to Tokyo, Mr. Ueda achieved a major label debut and pursued his career energetically. During this time, he reportedly rediscovered the importance of his family, friends who supported him, and the city of Hirakata where he was born and raised. Driven by the desire to "give back to his hometown through music," he repeatedly proposed to the city the idea of creating a theme song for Hirakata City. Initially, it seemed difficult to realize, but after the Northern Osaka Earthquake, former TANEBI members donated relief funds, deepening their connection with the city. This led the mayor to approach Ueda with the request, "Please do this for us," and the official song production project began.

Matsui: To begin the songwriting process, we held a workshop centered around the "Hirakata Producers," a group of citizens passionate about promoting Hirakata. Hirakata residents and the two members of former TANEBI participated, sharing their feelings about the city.

Sugimoto: Even Hirakata City's PR ambassador character, Mikke-chan, joined the workshop via written communication, right? (laughs)

Morimoto: What are the "Hirakata Producers"?

Matsui: It's a community that shares Hirakata's appeal on social media and holds regular meetings to think about and discuss the city. The only requirement to join is "loving Hirakata." Currently, over 200 people from inside and outside the city are registered.

Morimoto: That's a unique initiative!

Creating opportunities for citizens to connect through the songwriting process

Morimoto: So, did the former TANEBI members then write the lyrics and compose the music based on the keywords gathered at the workshop?

Sugimoto: As the next step, we held auditions to select a vocalist from the citizens. We received numerous applications from a wide range of generations, from elementary school students to seniors, and the former TANEBI members judged them. We selected two people for the main version and one person for the dance remix version. Then, we recorded the songs composed and written by the former TANEBI members.

Morimoto: How did citizens react when they heard the finished songs?

Matsui: Everyone involved in the song production, including the "Hirakata Producers," was very pleased. We heard comments like "I was so moved I cried" and "I'm glad to be a Hirakata citizen," which made us city staff very happy too.

Sugimoto: Initially, the excitement centered around those directly involved in the song production. But opportunities for citizens to discover it gradually increased—it was played at community gatherings and during school lunch times, and sung at local cultural festivals and choir festivals.

Morimoto: So many people from inside and outside the city were involved in the song production process. Was there a specific goal behind putting in the effort and labor to hold workshops and auditions?

Sugimoto: As a fundamental policy of the Public Relations and Promotion Division, we value human connections. Our job is to create spaces that connect people. To build connections between citizens and the administration. Even when creating a single video or article, we consciously strive to engage with as many citizens as possible and connect each individual. We believe that building such relationships ultimately leads to creating a disaster-resilient city, enhancing administrative transparency, and fostering a community where everyone can live with peace of mind.

The Summer Festival, held for the first time in three years. With the concept of "Going to meet everyone's smiles."

Morimoto: Could you tell us what prompted you to enter the company song contest?

Sugimoto: A city employee at the time found it and told us, "There's this interesting contest." We had just finished the song, so we saw it as a chance to get it out to more people and applied for the first time in 2019. We didn't win the top prize back then, but receiving the "Best Lyrics Award" was really encouraging.

Morimoto: You've kept entering every year since, right?

Sugimoto: Yes, 2023 was our fourth attempt. We've been able to keep challenging ourselves all this time thanks to the citizens who always send us passionate messages of support and help us with voting.

Morimoto: What do you think was the key factor in winning the Grand Prize this time?

Matsui: At the finals venue, many people commented, "The children's smiles were wonderful." Since this year's entry video was a Bon dance version, we focused on showing citizens, including children, enjoying the summer festival. I think that really resonated well.

Sugimoto: After the pandemic, summer festivals could be held again for the first time in three years. So we adopted the concept of "going to see everyone's smiles." I think many people resonated with the story of how events and festivals that were once taken for granted became precious moments.

Morimoto: How did you create the entry video?

Matsui: I handled the filming and editing. When I heard about the "I Love This Town" Bon Odori being performed at summer festivals in various neighborhoods, daycares, and kindergartens, I went to cover it as part of our PR activities. I managed to capture everyone's smiles and the festival scenes really beautifully! I wanted viewers to feel like they were right there, so I challenged myself to use a first-person perspective.

Sugimoto: Remember when we attached the camera to Matsui's waist belt and it didn't capture anything at all? (laughs)

Matsui: Yeah, it was trial and error at first (laughs). But in the end, I'm glad we managed to capture the smiles of the citizens and the teachers working hard to prepare for the event into one video.

Morimoto: How did people react when you won the Grand Prize?

Sugimoto: The citizens and city staff who helped with the music production were all really surprised. They were incredibly happy.

Matsui: After the finals, we visited the kindergarten that helped us so much with filming and voting for the Bon dance to thank them. The children and teachers all formed a flower path for us. They even said things like, "You're Hirakata's superheroes!" Just being chosen for Japan's best company song was incredible enough, but to get to experience something like this, something you'd never get to do again in a lifetime, was truly heartwarming. We also received congratulations from McDonald's in Hirakata City. About 10 stores in the city played a video message saying "Congratulations, Hirakata City!" on their in-store digital signage. Furthermore, thanks to McDonald's generosity, they printed the same message on the tray mats used during meals.

Morimoto: What a wonderful story. The McDonald's gesture is truly heartwarming. I feel that Hirakata City's achievement as Japan's best must have encouraged other municipalities too.

Matsui: We occasionally get comments like, "That's not a company song!" But since this event officially accepts entries not only from companies but also from municipalities and school corporations, I hope diverse organizations will keep participating and help us build excitement together.

Sugimoto: The Company Song Contest can be a great opportunity to deepen connections with citizens. I highly recommend any hesitant local government give it a try.

Morimoto: What challenges do you want to take on next?

Matsui: I'd love to see "I Love This Town," which was chosen as Japan's best company song, spread widely until it's sung by all 400,000 residents of Hirakata City. Personally, I also want to leverage the production process from this event to create promotional videos for Hirakata City and communicate the city's appeal from various angles.

Sugimoto: Through music production and participating in the company anthem contest, we connected with many citizens, but I want to build even more connections. I want to make this a bright city where everyone has high self-esteem and can overcome anything together.

Morimoto: Using music as a starting point to improve organizations and teams. I truly felt Hirakata City embodies the essential value of the company anthem contest. We want to cherish this connection, so we look forward to your continued support!

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