Advancing Women in the Workplace: Gender Equity in Japan
Written By: Julia Yong LaFrance In the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, gender equality in Japan ranked 116 out of 146 countries surveyed. Moreover, Japan was ranked last out of all G7 nations. Disparities in economic participation and opportunity for women in Japan is of primary importance in this discussion. Moreover, without explicit legislation regarding […]
Tips for Marketing to Millennials and Beyond
In Japanese, the terms “yutori-generation” and “satori-generation” referred to the Millennial and Generation Z populations, respectively. However, due to their negative connotations and indistinct categorizations of the two groups, they are no longer used. A need for precise terminology emerges, one that is ultimately fulfilled by the “Millennial vs. Gen Z” distinction. Millennials’ world view […]
It’s time to set realistic PR expectations for the Japanese market
Every company always wants to get more “bang for the buck” in terms of Public Relations budget and KPI results. However, after several years of experience working as a marketing coordinator and liaison between foreign companies and Japanese PR agencies, I have come to find a problematic pattern with many companies who have unrealistic expectations […]
Intern Essay: 10 Unique Facts about the Japanese Market
Written by Kira Merrill. Edited by Marc Wilkinson In Japan, public perception is paramount Japan is focused on public perception and what others think about them. This involves day-to-day life and in the workforce. A big no-no for Japanese workers is blatant lying. In Japan, there are strict laws under the Premiums and Representations Act […]
Intern Essay: The Need for Speed – How a faster loading website boosts SEO rankings
Written by Kira Merrill. Edited by Marc Wilkinson Finding ways to increase search engine optimization (SEO) is very important in gaining more traffic for your website. But did you know that something as simple as loading speed can be one the most important factors in this? This blog will discuss how a faster loading website […]
The Characteristics of a Successful PR Professional
Objectivity is the Key to an Appointment
What are the best KPIs for PR?
Written by Yusuke Kamimura. Translated by Kira Merrill. At ShapeWin, we are often asked by our clients for advice on setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for PR. In the past, we co-hosted a seminar with ASCII, a key tech media, “How to Set Successful KPIs in PR” (1/15/2019). A large number of PR professionals, from […]
Tips and Skills for a Successful Presentation
Written by Takehiko Umeshita. [Japan Article] Translation by Nadia Melikhova. Presentations used to be the exclusive domain of a few PR services in the industry – advertising agencies, consulting firms, speakers, etc. These days, there are plenty of “how-to” books and articles about presentations. There are many opportunities to run small presentations in various places […]
7 common PR obstacles to expect when marketing to the Japanese
Written by Marc Wilkinson. With a population of 126 million and a GDP equal to 5 trillion U.S. dollars as of 2020, one can easily see why the Japanese market is an attractive destination for both established & emerging global companies. While the language barrier might seem to be the first and largest obstacle for […]
Essential writing & editing tools for PR representatives
Written by: Takehiko Umeshita. Translation: Nadia Melikhova. There are a lot of books and publications about writing skills and know-how for writing. For example, some books and magazines specifically teach how to master writing press releases, other explore features on copywriting and improvement of writing skills in general. In today`s business world, writing skills have […]