Top Two Companies in the Corporate Anthem Contest Discuss: What is the Significance of Using Entertainment to Solve Corporate Challenges?

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, and Nojima's "Present" took second place.

To commemorate the awards, special interviews were conducted with Mr. Kenji Tanaka of the Kansai Geological Survey Association and Mr. Kiyotaka Murai of Nojima. Representing the Contest Secretariat, Hirohira Morimoto of Dentsu Inc. asked about the background of creating the company song videos, the reactions and changes after winning, and the significance of utilizing entertainment to solve corporate challenges.

【NIKKEI Company Song Contest】
Hosted by Nikkei Inc. with special cooperation from JOYSOUND, this contest aims to invigorate internal and external communication for companies and organizations by determining the No. 1 company song video. Twelve finalists were selected through online public voting and judge evaluations. The final rankings were decided based on presentations and video screenings at a live event. The contest defines "company songs" broadly to include not only official corporate anthems but also unofficial company tunes, support songs for shopping districts or business alliances, and theme songs for schools or local governments—any music embodying the spirit of those involved in economic activities.
 

 NIKKEI Company Song Contest 2025 Confirmed! Details Here

Beyond being a prime corporate PR opportunity, it's also a chance to fulfill the dream of "singing your own theme song"

Morimoto: Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize and Second Place. Let's get right to it—I'd like to hear from both of you about how your company songs came to be. First, Mr. Murai from Nojima, how about you?

Murai: The story goes back to before I joined Nojima. I'd been active in music since 2003 with a band called theSoul, and we even made our major debut in 2006. However, I fell ill at one point and was thinking about rebuilding my life when I found an ad for store staff at Nojima in a job magazine.

That serendipitous connection led me to start working at Nojima in 2011. When I joined, my band leader, Kentaro Kono, said, "Congratulations. It'd be great if you could sing Nojima's theme song someday." After that, while working as a Nojima employee and continuing my band activities, his words stayed in the back of my mind.

Then last year, I happened to see a company anthem contest on TV and thought, "This is it!" It was a chance to fulfill a long-held dream, of course, but also a potential opportunity for the company's branding and publicity through such significant media exposure. I immediately proposed it to the company. They responded positively, finding it an interesting idea. Leader Kono (Kentaro) took charge of writing the lyrics and composing the music, and we, the members of theSoul, set out to create the company anthem.

Morimoto: So it really was a series of coincidences that led to the company song. What kind of feelings did you put into the song?

Murai: Our company already had a theme song called "First Star," but that was more of a message song intended to convey our company philosophy to employees. This time, we created the song with the wish that not only employees, but also customers, could feel Nojima's philosophy.

Morimoto: In the first verse, "A new family member is joining us" describes meeting a customer who came to buy a refrigerator. Then in the second verse, "They came to see their baby sleeping peacefully" expresses joy at reuniting with that customer. That scene really came to life for me and gave me a lump in my throat.

Murai: When serving customers in-store, we genuinely encounter moments like that. As the only dedicated electronics retailer without manufacturer sales staff, we always prioritize consulting with customers to find the perfect product for them. That's precisely why it brings us immense joy when customers have a satisfying shopping experience and return to our store. We poured that feeling of gratitude into the lyrics, hoping to convey it to our customers and also serve as a reminder for our employees of those special moments.

Tanaka: I listened carefully at the venue too. The chorus repeating "Nojima" is very catchy, and it's a great song where the message just sinks right in. The video footage is also very realistic and effective.

Murai: Thank you. The company song video was created using actual footage of our staff serving customers, gathered from locations all across the country.

Lyric creation packed with uncompromising passion, word by word

Morimoto: What led the Kansai Geological Survey Association to create a company song?

Tanaka: Initially, our goal was to create a recruitment video; composing music wasn't part of the plan. However, after a competition, we ended up commissioning local production company Gahaha. Their president is also a musician, so they specialize in creating original music. Among several ideas they presented, we ultimately decided music was the best approach.

Morimoto: The song's high quality was impressive, but I was also deeply moved by the lyrics that truly conveyed the message.

Tanaka: While we left the music to the professionals, we had some pretty heated discussions about the lyrics, over and over (laughs). I imagine it was tough to synthesize the opinions of amateurs, but we were very particular about conveying our feelings and creating something truly good if we were going to do it. That's why the production took about a year from the initial concept.

Morimoto: The line "The pay's good, like 6 million yen" definitely sparked conversation among the judges, didn't it? (laughs)

Murai: That line really made an impact, didn't it? I still remember it clearly even now (laughs).

Tanaka: Thank you (laughs). In reality, some people earn more than that, and some don't. But we included that line in the rough draft with the feeling of "You really gotta make around 6 million yen, right?" and it ended up staying in the final version. We wanted to maintain a serious tone while also incorporating that Kansai-style sense of humor, so I'm glad people noticed that.

But it's strange, isn't it? There's that line, "That work, your work, is helping someone." At first, it didn't really click for me. In a way, isn't it obvious that work helps someone? But as I sang it over and over, I started to feel, "Ah, yeah, we really are working for someone," and it became my own words.

Morimoto: Music has that kind of power, doesn't it? The scene in the latter half of the company song video where everyone sings with such heart was also very impressive. Did you enter the company song contest after making the video?

Tanaka: That's right. We didn't even know about the company song contest, but Gahaha's president found it and entered us (laughs). He told us afterward, "I went ahead and entered you," and we were like, "Well, it won't get through anyway, so whatever." We never imagined we'd make it to the finals.

It creates passionate exchanges between companies that wouldn't normally interact.

Morimoto: How was the atmosphere at the finals?

Murai: It was fantastic. I enjoyed it like an "adult Koshien" tournament.

Tanaka: I'd watched all the finalists' company song videos beforehand, but hearing them in a big venue really brings out their power. After each performance, I'd chat with my team, saying "Wow, that was amazing!" We were enjoying it so purely, we almost forgot it was a competitive contest.

Morimoto: There was this positive sense of unity, like everyone cheering for other companies' presentations. Nojima's cheer squad singing was incredible, wasn't it?

Murai: Yes, fans of theSoul, who are also Nojima customers, came to support us. They practiced the song multiple times beforehand, prepared merchandise, and cheered with such incredible passion – it was incredibly heartening.

Tanaka: For us, the Kanto Geological Survey Association and the national federation came to cheer us on. Kansai and Kanto don't often get chances to work together, so having so many people come support us was truly wonderful. Thanks to them, the after-party was a huge success. Regardless of position or age, we clicked instantly, like we'd known each other for years. The company song contest became the catalyst for uniting associations nationwide.

Morimoto: After the finals, have you noticed any reactions or changes from within or outside the company?

Murai: Even employees who couldn't make it to the finals watched the live stream on our official YouTube channel and cheered us on. Plus, the results were published in our company newsletter, so many employees got to hear the company song. I often take calls from colleagues during work, and many times the first thing they say is, "Congratulations on the company song contest!" or "That was amazing!"

Also, we became friends with the Gamagori Shinkin Bank team at the venue during the finals, and they gave me a stuffed toy of their original character, "Gama-chan." I even brought it with me today in my pocket.

Morimoto: I've been wondering about that (laughs).

Murai: Later, during a theSoul Instagram Live stream where we reported on the finals, I shared the story about receiving Gama-chan. Amazingly, someone from Gamagori Shinkin Bank watched that live stream too, and that's how a gentle exchange began. I think that's one of the great things about the company song contest – it creates connections between companies that wouldn't normally have opportunities to interact.

Morimoto: What a wonderful story. You never expect someone to actually watch your live stream, right?

Murai: It was wonderful. I suppose it's because we were fellow finalists, so to speak. While it is a competition that determines rankings, perhaps the shared passion of having fought our way to the finals together makes it easier for such intense connections to form.

A circle of shared understanding expanding beyond associations. Hiring driven by company song videos also on the rise

Morimoto: How about the Kansai Geological Survey Association?

Tanaka: We originally created the company song video as part of our recruitment efforts. The response was huge, not just from Kansai and Kanto, but from geological survey associations nationwide. It ended up becoming a way to support colleagues across the country. We also received positive feedback from government officials. For example, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism linked to our video on their homepage. It really shows how the circle of empathy is expanding beyond just our association.

Morimoto: I understand. It's encouraging for those in the same profession, of course, but more than that, I felt it had the power to give us, even beyond the industry, a reason to deeply consider "why we work."

Tanaka: And it's also proving effective for recruitment, which was our original goal. While we're a technical services industry, broadly speaking we belong to the construction sector. Over 40% of high school graduates leave the construction industry within three years of starting. That means roughly two out of every five young people who are supposed to be the future quit within three years. Our concept this time was to prevent that 40% from leaving construction altogether and instead invite them into geological survey work. "You've spent three years learning this—come back to this industry. It's a niche job, but it's work that helps people. Some companies will pay you 6 million yen."

And actually, just from what I know, two people entered this industry because of the company song video. One joined our company. When I asked, "Why did you get interested in boring?" he said, "I saw it on YouTube and thought it looked cool. I think it was something called Kansai something or other," and I was like, "That's me!" (laughs). I suspect there are probably more people like that out there that I just don't know about. The fact that people responded to a video embodying our pride and the appeal of our work and joined us is a major achievement.

Morimoto: Exactly. Since the videos capture the essence of the work, those who joined because of them likely have lower turnover rates.

By setting a company's essence and spirit to music, we can convey it widely and deeply.

Morimoto: Thanks to the generosity of Xing Inc., who has supported the company song contest since its first edition, the winning companies' songs will again be available on JOYSOUND karaoke.

Tanaka: That's wonderful news. I think all our association members will be delighted.

Murai: I want to sing not just our own song, but also the songs of the Kansai Geological Survey Association and Gamagori Shinkin Bank. Maybe I'll livestream it on theSoul (laughs).

Morimoto: That sounds fun. Finally, if you have any future plans for how you'd like to utilize the company songs going forward, please share them.

Tanaka: Actually, we've already created a second video. We believe it's crucial to continuously develop activities like this to raise awareness of the association and attract more people to join this industry. Geological surveying isn't a job that often gets much attention from the public, but it's essential work for protecting everyday infrastructure like rivers and roads. When disasters strike, we rush to the scene immediately and work tirelessly to restore things as quickly as possible.

Through this competition, we realized that our company song and videos are the perfect medium to convey the essence of our work: supporting people's happiness. We intend to continue using these tools to reach even more people with our message.

Murai: As I mentioned earlier, as an appliance specialty store without manufacturer sales representatives, we place great importance on finding and introducing the perfect product for each customer. By conveying this sentiment not just through words but by fusing it with music, we believe we can deliver our message more broadly and deeply to both customers and employees. Moving forward, we plan to challenge ourselves with initiatives like organizing in-store live performances and sharing the song through platforms like YouTube, SNS, and apps, aiming for more people to enjoy it.

Morimoto: We look forward to seeing how this develops. Once again, congratulations on your award!

NIKKEI Company Song Contest 2025 is confirmed! Details here

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