The Common Ground Between Headbands and Rice Balls: How a USJ Veteran Tackles 'Satoyama Experience Marketing' to Win in Rural Areas (Part 1)
[Work Overview]
This is a true business documentary about how I, at age 54, applied the 'theme park-style marketing' I cultivated over 22 years as a person in charge of merchandise and food/beverage business at USJ to a rural 'Roadside Station' (Michi-no-Eki) with a 460-fold competition rate, achieving 1.3 times the sales in just five years. In an era where it is said we are shifting 'from product consumption to experience consumption,' I reveal the essence of why headbands that people wouldn't buy in daily life sell explosively, and how I transformed ordinary 'rice' into a blockbuster specialty called 'Nose-musubi.' This five-part series reveals a gritty yet reproducible equation for Satoyama marketing.
[Recommended for]
Those who are anxious about whether their skills will work outside their company Middle-senior generation
Those fighting in the field where budgets and people are scarce and idealistic talk doesn't work Regional revitalization/local government officials
Those whose existing products aren't selling and are struggling with how to create 'experience consumption' Marketers/Store operators
[Series Structure]
Episode 1: Career Conflicts and Challenges - Now Available
Episode 2: Data Analysis and Strategic Shift - Now Available
Episode 3: The Core of Marketing Theory - Now Available
Episode 4: Concrete Staging and the Moment of Success - Now Available
Episode 5: Team Building and Determination for the Future [Conclusion] - Now Available
Episode 1: Career Conflicts and Challenges
'Will my skills work outside the company?' The reason why a 50-year-old person in charge of USJ merchandise and food/beverage business broke through a 460-fold competition rate to jump into a 'Roadside Station'.
The 'two questions' that crossed my mind during my smooth daily life
'The rice won't be ready in time!'
On a Saturday afternoon, at a Roadside Station in the deep mountains of Osaka. Against the backdrop of the beautiful mountain range of Nose, a long line of people waiting for 40 minutes had formed in front of a small prefab hut.
Why did I, after passing the age of 50, break through a 460-fold competition rate to jump into this gritty field? This is a five-year record of my challenge to regional revitalization using big-company marketing theory.
At USJ (Universal Studios Japan), I spent my days involved in everything from planning and development to purchasing and operations as a person in charge of merchandise and food/beverage business. The business was going well, and my own career was going smoothly.
However, after I turned 50, two things suddenly started crossing my mind.
The first was, 'Can I give back this knowledge to the region, even if it's volunteer work?' It was the moment when the desire to give back to society the entertainment and business know-how I had cultivated sprouted, as I could vaguely see the end of my life as a salaryman.
The other was a 'quiet sense of impatience' as a professional.
As my position within the company rose, opportunities to work with my own hands, analyze, or create materials decreased. In fact, far better materials would be created if I entrusted them to excellent team members. In the daily routine of giving instructions, reviewing, and stamping approvals, I felt like I was losing sight of the reason for my existence.
'Will my skills actually work in society now, if I go outside the company?'
When I was facing such questions, I happened to see an article about 'side jobs and concurrent positions' on BizReach.
The 3 reasons I passed through the eye of a 460-fold needle
The stage is a 'Roadside Station' in Nose Town, Osaka Prefecture.
Actually, I have always been a huge fan of Roadside Stations. On my days off, I would almost always drive to local Roadside Stations and look forward to encountering the treasures of that land.
'Giving back to the region,' 'testing my strength in the outside world,' and 'my favorite Roadside Station.'
I felt like all the dots connected, so I decided to apply.
The result was a successful hire.
I was surprised to hear later that there were over 460 applicants. Why was I able to pass through that eye of a needle? The reasons I heard later were the following three points.
Understanding the context of public institutions: USJ had a period as a third-sector organization, and I understood the flow of government and public institutions. This is represented by the fact that the speed of decision-making and procedures are different processes from the private sector, and it can take time depending on the timing.
Being a person in charge on the front lines: Being in a position of responsibility for USJ's merchandise and food/beverage business, which is the very core of a Roadside Station.
Presenting a 'story': Instead of planning one-off events, I presented regional revitalization as a single sustainable 'story'—depicting the development of the Roadside Station as the core of regional revitalization.
Thus, while still being a person in charge of USJ's merchandise and food/beverage business, I took the first step into my 'second life' as a producer of regional revitalization.
The first gap I was confronted with at 'Kuri no Sato' It was when I visited the Roadside Station in Nose Town for the first time with expectations and nervousness.
There was a facility with an attractive subtitle called 'Kuri no Sato' (Chestnut Village). As a huge fan of Roadside Stations and a business professional, my heart raced.
'Alright, I'm sure I can eat delicious chestnut rice here all year round!'
However, the reality was different.
This was the starting point of the realistic 'gap' in regional revitalization where my big-company marketing theory did not apply—.
I have compiled these in a magazine, so please check them out here.
(Continued in Episode 2)