──Ayaka Asami, what does "researching" mean to you?

October 2023. Web Dentsu Inc. marks its 10th anniversary since launch. We'd like to create a special "serialized feature" to celebrate this milestone. We arrived at the theme of "10" people, "10" perspectives, wondering if we could offer wonderful content under this concept. If we were to put it grandly, perhaps it could be called diversity.

When we want to lose ourselves in thought or try to squeeze out ideas, we need our own unique "companions" (indispensable items). For the great detective Sherlock Holmes, that would be his beloved "pipe" and "violin."

This series invites various individuals to share their own "personal companions for thought." We hope you'll enjoy discovering their unexpected sides while pondering "thoughts about thinking."

(Web Dentsu Inc. News Editorial Department)

Guest for Part 2: Ayaka Asami (Dentsu Inc. Fourth Integrated Solutions Bureau)

──Ms. Asami, you've appeared frequently in Web Dentsu Inc. News, and you're also known as a leading strategic planner through your book "The Textbook for Creating Hits" (PHP Institute).

Asami: I'm flattered.

──Your articles generate significant reader response, and your book "The Textbook on How to Research Hits," which has sold over 20,000 copies, is a massive work exceeding 500 pages.

Asami: You could call it a "heavyweight tome," right? (laughs) As I worked to articulate the vast amount of tacit knowledge passed down among strategic planners, it ended up becoming incredibly thick. It's not meant to be read cover-to-cover; it's designed to be used like a dictionary.

──Well, that's what textbooks are for, after all.

After joining Dentsu Inc. as a new graduate and being assigned to the marketing department, the author spent years being thoroughly trained in proper "marketing research." In simpler terms, it's the "method of research" for creating hits. However, since the things you can research are infinite, it took over five years to become proficient at using research smoothly.
Therefore, focusing solely on the most frequently used and crucial "research methods" for selling clients' products at Dentsu Inc., the steps were simplified as much as possible. Original tools and formats were developed to enhance efficiency. The result was the essential new employee training program for Dentsu Inc.'s marketing division, now published as a book. This definitive guide covers everything from research fundamentals to practical tips for real-world application. It's recommended as the first book for beginners and as a refresher for veterans who never properly learned the basics.

Back issues of Ayaka Asami's serialized articles in Web Dentsu Inc. News are available here.

 

──Reading your books and articles, what intrigued me most was Ayaka Asami herself. Your very way of thinking is, how should I put it... charming. It feels like you view products through this "gentle, considerate" lens.

Asami: I'm glad to hear you say that.

──So, since this ties into the topic of this article, I'd like to start by profiling Ayaka Asami herself. Would that be okay? It's essentially the idea of "examining the examiner."

Asami: Hmm, what could it be? (laughs).

── In a word, I thought Asami Ayaka might be an "anxious person." Of course, this is just a hypothesis I've arbitrarily come up with.

Asami: An anxious person?

── She feels anxious, anxious, and can't stand it about everything. So she's somewhat skeptical of what's commonly said in the world. Then, based on a certain hypothesis, she investigates. Investigates, investigates, investigates relentlessly. But that's where empathy is born. Because in this era, the world and corporate clients alike are full of "anxieties."

Asami: "Anxious people," huh... Now that you mention it, maybe that's true. As a strategic planner, a big part of the job involves confronting my own anxieties, the anxieties of the world, and the anxieties of our clients. To alleviate that anxiety, as the book title suggests, "research" is the only way. But honestly, I just love researching. I'm very curious, and even in my private life, if something catches my interest, I'll research it thoroughly.

──You research things in your personal life too?

Asami: For example, I'm also a member of a project called "Dentsu Inc. B-Team." It's an initiative where we pursue things we instinctively love (the B-side), things not directly related to our main work (the A-side), and through that deep dive, we make discoveries that connect back to the A-side. Because I have severe hearing loss, I chose "Diversity" as my B-side. I started long before many people even knew the term. Because it's something I love, I want to research it. And when you delve that deeply, it actually feeds back into your work.

──That's a wonderful story. In these times, there's definitely a part of us driven by this compulsion: "If I don't research, I'll be left behind." But that "I must research" mindset doesn't create the kind of "happiness spiral" you just described.

Ayaka Asami: As a strategic planner, she has been involved in marketing, management strategy, business and product development, research, and planning for numerous companies. In 2010, she joined GIRL'S GOOD LAB (formerly Dentsu Inc. Gal Lab), the industry's first female-focused marketing team. She researches the evolving insights of women and female consumption trends. She joined Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab in 2011. As leader of the "LGBT Unit," she conducted Japan's first large-scale LGBTQ+ survey, addressing LGBTQ+ issues in Japan and consumption patterns centered around the LGBTQ+ community. Leveraging these research findings, she provides strategic solutions and ideas for companies and executives. Official columnist for Forbes JAPAN. Author of "The Textbook on How to Research to Create Hits: Marketing Research Techniques to Boost Your Product Sales" (PHP Institute). Her core belief is "When the Form of LOVE Changes, Consumption Changes."

Asami: Another thing I consciously do is share the information I gather with as many people as possible. This attracts feedback from experts in the field. For example, I'm currently obsessed with vintage clothing. When I visited a shop specializing in such items, the manager shared fascinating insights. After I shared that information, I received responses from so-called experts and, notably, Gen Z. It gave me a tangible sense of how this market is growing. Then I started wondering: Why is this happening? What draws them to it? That curiosity became fun, leading me to research more, share again, and deepen my understanding...

Asami's series "Grasp in 3 Minutes! Reiwa Women's Consumption and Trends," including the "New Retro Vintage Clothing Boom," is available here.
 

──That's information you can't find just by "clicking on a search engine."

Asami: I love going out into the field myself, seeing things, and drawing out insights. It feels like I'm researching while playing. I was really into street dance throughout high school and college, but the moment I started working, I drifted away from it. When I complained to my dance-loving boss at the time, "Work is too busy! I just don't have time for it!", he said, "That's because you don't truly love dance enough to make time for it." That really made me stop and think.

"Companions for Thought" are things that help loosen up rigid thinking. (Ayaka Asami)

──Before we get into specific examples of "companions for thought," if such a thing exists for you, Asami, what exactly would it be?

Asami: I think it's something that presents you with thoughts you wouldn't have on your own. People inevitably get bound by information, logic, or experience, right? Putting that into words inevitably makes it feel constricted. I'm not sure if it's the right word, but it's this feeling of wanting "material from outside myself."

──Material, huh. I kind of get it.

Asami's favorite vintage shop, "Marvin's" A renowned store located in the basement along Meiji-dori in Harajuku, boasting Japan's largest vintage collection centered around denim. Its museum-quality rare items are truly impressive; just browsing the website is educational. At the shop, manager Kazuhiko Hanzawa shares all sorts of knowledge! For details, click here.

Mr. Asami's personal collection features vintage knitwear from 1970s American brand KENNINGTON. He focuses on collecting Disney collaboration pieces, like knits embroidered with Mickey & Minnie.

Asami: So, I try to absorb as much as possible about materials I like or find interesting. Then, when I'm half-asleep at dawn, doing the dishes, or soaking in the bath, I suddenly think, "Ah! Could that be what it means?"

──That's when the "I want to look into this" phase kicks in. Before you know it, you're caught in a "spiral of happiness," right? I get it...

Asami: "Coming up with an idea" and "putting it into a proposal" are completely different things for me. The way I use my brain, where I use it, even the time of day. If someone tells me, "Okay, deepen your thinking within this time frame," it just doesn't work for me.

──I get it... All I've been saying since earlier is "I understand" (laughs). And so, many people get captivated by Asami-san's magic.

An ultra-rare piece. At Marvin's, I got to try on Levi's® 1942 S506XX, commonly known as the "War Model"! (Permission to publish was granted by the store.) Called the "War Model," it's popular among vintage enthusiasts and is a model Levi's® manufactured and sold during World War II in 1942. Due to wartime material restrictions, available materials were limited and rationed, resulting in a refined shape where all excess was stripped away. "For example, like this denim jacket in the photo, while the standard model had five buttons, this one has only four. Many interesting pieces with unique characteristics like this have been discovered!"

What is Ayaka Asami's "companion for thought"?

──Now, let's get to the main topic. Could you tell us about your specific "companion for thought"?

Asami: It's "conversations with my husband." I think we're quite the chatty couple. During meals, when we're out walking together... It's just ordinary conversation, but when we're on equal footing and I sense what he's feeling or thinking in that moment, it feels like my rigid thoughts suddenly soften and loosen up.

──It's enviable that your partner, your "life companion," also serves as your "companion for thought."

With my husband, Inuzuka Takeshi.

Asami: The official title of "The Textbook on How to Create Hits" is actually much longer: "The Textbook on How to Create Hits: Marketing Research Techniques to Boost Your Product Sales by a Current Dentsu Inc. Strategic Planner." It's a title that brought together ideas from myself, the editor, the publishing producer... and many others.

──I had imagined that. It's really great, isn't it? You can feel the teamwork behind wanting as many people as possible to pick up this book.

Asami: Thank you. Actually, the word "research method" in the title was my husband's idea.

──Really? "How to Research" is such a great phrase. I think a lot of people struggle with not knowing how to research, not just in business. After all, there's just too much information out there.

Asami: Originally, in the draft title I was using, it was "Research." But that would only reach people who already do research. That wasn't right, was it? What would be good... We were talking about it, and my husband just blurted out, "How to Research?" My husband used to be a chemistry instructor at a university entrance prep school. Now he's independent, developing corporate training programs and providing outsourced instructional material creation. Getting such straightforward feedback from someone with expertise I don't possess is incredibly stimulating. It's like inputting raw material for my thinking. It feels like something special emerges precisely because two people from completely different fields have these seemingly ordinary conversations.

The 'Web Dentsu Inc. 10th Anniversary Project' series is being released one after another. Please take a look.