Understanding the Essential Value of "Company Songs" Through Surveys and Data

On January 24, 2024, the finals and awards ceremony for the " NIKKEI Company Song Contest 2024 " (hereafter, the Company Song Contest), which determines Japan's best company song, were held. From a total of 120 entries, the Kansai Geological Survey Association's "Dream-Digging Boring" won the Grand Prize.

Now celebrating its 5th anniversary, the Contest aims to invigorate internal and external communication within companies and organizations, using company songs as a starting point. Indeed, participating in the Contest appears to be sparking positive changes across various companies and organizations, regardless of industry or size.

Mr. Katsuya Teramoto, Head of the Communication Strategy Department at Xing (JOYSOUND), who has been involved in planning and operating the contest since its inception, and Mr. Kohei Morimoto, a planner at Dentsu Inc. and the contest's founder, discussed the theme "How to Leverage Company Songs for Business?" based on participant surveys and data.

※This article is edited from a talk session held at the Company Song Contest 2024.

【NIKKEI Corporate Anthem Contest】
Hosted by the Nikkei Inc. and with special cooperation from JOYSOUND, this is the No. 1 corporate anthem video contest designed to invigorate internal and external communication for companies and organizations. Twelve finalists were selected through online public voting and judge evaluations. The final rankings are determined by presentations and video screenings at a live event. The contest defines "company songs" broadly, encompassing not only official corporate anthems but also unofficial company tunes, support songs for shopping districts or corporate groups, and theme songs for schools or local governments—any music embodying the spirit of those involved in economic activities.
https://shaka.nikkei.co.jp
 

Utilizing company songs for corporate PR, recruitment activities, and enhancing employee communication

Morimoto: This time, we'd like to discuss "How to Leverage Company Songs for Business?" with Mr. Teramoto from Xing, who has been instrumental in planning and running the contest since its first edition. Incidentally, Xing also produced its company song/theme song "JOYSOUND Let's Go!" for its 30th anniversary. Have you noticed any business benefits from it?

Teramoto: Yes. The production process fostered a sense of unity within the company. Furthermore, both internal and external stakeholders who saw the finished song and video have told us it helped them "rediscover the company's history and appeal."

Morimoto: That's a wonderful effect. As Mr. Teramoto just mentioned, the company song contest is a project spearheaded by the Nikkei Inc. with the vision of "utilizing company song videos to invigorate communication both internally and externally."

Let's look at the survey results from participating companies and organizations to see what kind of effects are actually being generated.

Morimoto: First, "How the company song is used." Blue represents the 2022 contest, orange the 2023 contest, and gray the figures from this year. Every year, the most common response is "Using it as a video for corporate PR," which reached 72.5% this time. Also, "Using it for recruitment" was 49.5%, an 8-point increase from the previous year.

Teramoto: Overall, I think the trends are similar to last year. It really shows that today's company songs are being used more for the purpose of communicating information about the company externally, rather than just for internal purposes, right?

Morimoto: Exactly. Next is "Effects of Participating in the Company Song Contest." Out of the 10 questions identical to last year, 8 showed higher numbers than the previous year. What do you think about this?

Teramoto: These are incredibly encouraging figures. Items like "Increased awareness of the company, products, and services," "Increased communication with customers and business partners," "Effective for recruitment," and "Improved employee communication" are all essential for business growth. It's gratifying to see our contest contributing to these areas. Also, by holding the company song contest annually, the voices of participating companies are becoming increasingly visible. Perhaps they're joining with high expectations, knowing the benefits and advantages gained from participating.

Visualizing a company's appeal beyond financial statements

Morimoto: Next, let's look at the free comments. Regarding "effects of participation," there were comments like "It's helping with recruitment" and "It's creating opportunities to communicate with social media followers."

Teramoto: These comments really show how company anthem videos have become a key tactic in the digital marketing era. It seems the contest is playing a role in enhancing that effectiveness. Also, the third comment from the top, "It's become an opportunity to convey not just what the company does, but also its positive aspects to people outside the company," is quite striking.

Morimoto: Yes, I agree. In terms of visualizing the company's appeal beyond what appears in financial statements, the company song might be one effective means.

Morimoto: We also received numerous comments expressing resonance with the contest's purpose.

Teramoto: I think using music as a starting point really brings people's feelings closer together. It makes you realize the power of entertainment, doesn't it?

Morimoto: Yes, energizing companies and society through the power of entertainment is precisely the core concept of this project. I believe this approach is also effective for reaching younger audiences.

We've also received many passionate messages expressing expectations for the future. Many people said they want to participate continuously, not just once.

Teramoto: As mentioned in the fourth comment from the top, the mere fact that companies can conduct PR within the field of the Nikkei newspaper offers a huge advantage. The scale of the PR expands every year, and the feature content is rich and substantial. I'm always impressed by the Nikkei's level of commitment.

Morimoto: That's right. Nikkei raises various issues concerning the economy and society through its daily reporting, but what shows their seriousness is that they don't just stop at reporting; they actively engage in participatory projects that contribute to solving those issues.

Boosting visibility through digital channels like the official YouTube channel and SNS!

Morimoto: I'd also like to briefly touch on the current status of the company anthem contest as a content platform. Beyond Nikkei's unparalleled media influence, recent years have seen growth in metrics from continuous TV exposure and digital initiatives centered around the official YouTube channel. For example, the official YouTube channel achieved 1.79 million total impressions and 8,104 hours of total video watch time. Notably, the viewer demographics show a remarkably broad audience spanning ages 18 to 65+ and both genders.

Morimoto: While the finals typically see the biggest spikes in metrics each year, we actually observed more excitement at the start of voting for this year's contest than during the previous finals. This reinforces a fundamental principle of digital marketing: consistently publishing content year after year is likely driving this sustained growth.

Teramoto: I see, that makes sense.

The Company Song Contest: A Community of Passionate and Action-Oriented People

Morimoto: Looking back on the 5th anniversary, what are your thoughts?

Teramoto: Yes. Looking back at the final presentations and surveys, including this year's contest, I truly feel that the "company song" is content packed with the essence of a company. And I believe that even if it's not professionally made, even if there's no budget, as long as you can pour the company or organization's heartfelt feelings into the company song, you can create "content that moves people's hearts."

Morimoto: That's absolutely true. So many stories emerge from company songs made with genuine passion. Finally, I'd like to ask what you see as the fundamental value of the company song contest.

Teramoto: Company anthem creation can start when the president or executives request it, or when employees voice a desire to create one. While there's a difference between top-down and bottom-up approaches, the very existence of people with that passionate desire to "create" and "share" is itself a valuable asset for the company or organization. I sincerely hope everyone will cherish that asset.

To describe the characteristics of such individuals in a single phrase, I would say they are "a gathering of people who proactively engage in initiatives beyond their core duties to create new value." Alternatively, you could view them as "a community of passionate, action-oriented individuals across various fields."

Teramoto: I believe it's rare to find a place where passionate people gather, transcending the size or industry of their companies or organizations. I hope that the company song contest will spark information exchange, lead to new business opportunities, and foster collaboration and prosperity in various forms.

Morimoto: Regardless of whether they win an award, we find tremendous encouragement in seeing everyone visualize their company or organization's appeal through corporate anthem videos and actively share them daily using various methods. We feel this could spark a positive cycle. We'd be delighted if corporate anthems continue to be effectively utilized for business growth and regional revitalization. Thank you, Teramoto-san!

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like:
・Creating a company song can actually turn your business around.
・Company songs create scenes. The potential of corporate activities born from music.
・30th Anniversary: JOYSOUND's Seriously Crafted Company Song!?
・What makes ads shine for readers? The co-creation power of "Unconventional Producer" Mr. Kikuhara