What everyone gets wrong about branding in Japan

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of branding and market entry in Japan with insights from Ernie Higa.

Japan market entry is hard. Consumer tastes are different, business culture is different, and market needs can be radically different from those anywhere else. Entering the Japanese market is a challenge for even the strongest and best positioned brands. Today we sit down with Ernie Higa, the man behind two incredibly successful market entries, Dominoes Pizza and Wendys, both of which looked like extreme long-shots at the time. We talk about when to localize and when to stay true to the brand, the importance of repositioning, and how to find startup opportunities in Japan today. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it. Show Notes How to determine the kind of startup you can create How to sell to Japanese enterprises even when you are not fluent The importance of focusing on difficult things How Ernie knew that pizza would sell in Japan when all evidence said otherwise How Japanese and US consumers measure quality differently When to localize in Japan and when to stay true to the brand Rethinking pricing and positioning for the Japanese market Why Wendy's could re-enter the Japanese market when others failed Japan's changing approach to shareholder value How…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Romero

Guest: Ernie Higa

Topics covered

• branding
• Japan market entry
• localization
• consumer behavior
• business culture
• startup opportunities

Keywords

• branding
• Japan
• market entry
• localization
• consumer tastes
• business culture
• startup opportunities

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dominoes Pizza, Wendys

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