Japan crowdsources to achieve stronger national branding

The government body has launched an online platform called Mazer (from the word mazeru, meaing ‘to mix’) that invites suggestions from members of the public in Japan and abroad as to social and national issues that require solutions. Mazer subsequently hosts an ‘idea auction’ for companies interested in developing the solutions.

Ideas suggested so far range from overcoming shyness and raising the standard of presentation skills, to determining specific aspects of popular and culinary culture to promote abroad. The site uses an online translation tool to translate ideas into English in real-time.

In an article featured by media and marketing consultancy CScout Japan, the government body is quoted as saying that Mazer aims to generate stronger ideas through sharing. Members of the public act as both facilitators and watchdogs.

The move can be seen as a positive step in a country notorious for its bureaucracy. The platform is curated by a panel of creative directors such as Naoki Ito, a creative director and co-founder of Party, and Masamichi Toyama, chief executive of the Soup Stock Tokyo restaurant chain.

Jeff Lippold, digital strategy director at Euro RSCG Tokyo, described the project as a “very interesting take on how to tackle a large project”. Lippold noted similarities between the new initiative and the ‘Mystarbucksidea’ employed by Starbucks in the US to improve the quality of its service, but said the model was “uniquely Japanese” in that the creative directors added credibility and structure to the process.

Lippold added that national branding initiatives in Japan led by government officials often lacked a “grassroots feel” and resulted in a disconnect between internal agendas and foreign interest in aspects of national culture.

“Culturally, there is a ‘what do we do next’ feeling,” he said. “[The government] is trying to put Japan on a different footing and to get the country more in sync with the rest of the world.”