The CMO's MO: How Nissan's Mikimasa Hamamatsu fuels brand transformation with innovation and passion

Mikimasa Hamamatsu, division general manager (VP) of marketing at Nissan Japan is no stranger to combining his passion for innovation with a dedication for brand-led transformation.

Under his leadership—where he oversees the company's brand strategy and engagement marketing at a global level—Nissan is advancing its branded house strategy, shifting from its house of brands approach, simplifying brand initiatives and fostering a culture of pride and inclusivity among employees. By combining product marketing with a commitment to employee voice, Hamamatsu’s aim is to place Nissan at the forefront of electrification and innovation in a fast-evolving automotive landscape.

Adding a feather to his cap, Hamamatsu also made his debut on Campaign's Power List in 2024.

In this interview with Campaign, he discusses how strategic partnerships, embracing disruption, and promoting diversity are key to shaping Nissan's future and driving meaningful brand impact.

1. What are the three biggest marketing challenges for your brand right now?

Nissan is focused on establishing its brand as a core business driver through product marketing and communications. This involves simplifying its brand strategy, ensuring its integration into both upstream and downstream processes across various regions.

Additionally, the company is executing a cross-functional internal brand disruption, utilising change management principles to foster innovation. As part of this effort, Nissan is working with key stakeholders, including regional teams, to develop the next phase of its branded house strategy, enhancing the global cohesion of its brand identity. To maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of its marketing investments, Nissan is implementing a new organisational structure that incorporates subject matter experts (SMEs). It is also implementing a new measurement framework to track marketing performance better. In collaboration with regional teams, Nissan assesses value-based pricing and VME (Variable Marketing Expenses) measurement to ensure optimised marketing spend and return on investment.

Cultural transformation is another critical focus for Nissan, as the company seeks to re-establish a sense of pride. This effort includes a cross-functional brand disruption that integrates the voice of employees, ensuring that their perspectives are part of the company’s evolving brand.

Additionally, Nissan promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by encouraging inclusive conversations that lead to better decision-making. The company is collaborating with its HR and corporate communications teams to drive internal communications to improve employee pride and transform the overall corporate culture.

2. What are the three biggest opportunities for your brand?

At Nissan, we are fortunate to have a brand-focused culture that guides our marketing efforts. While short-term challenges can sometimes undermine brand equity, our organisation is committed to a brand-led approach.

The automotive industry is facing a disruptive period, particularly with the rise of electrification. Traditional auto brands are challenged to adapt to these significant shifts, but I view this as an opportunity. We can capitalise on our existing assets and leverage our culture of innovation to meet the dynamic changes head-on. Our ability to innovate will be critical as we navigate this evolving landscape.

Partnerships will also play a vital role in our transformation. Our relationships with agencies and platform partners are key to driving success. Nissan’s scale and shared values with these partners will help us tackle today's challenges and shape the future of our marketing efforts. We recognise that we cannot achieve this transformation alone, and these partnerships are instrumental in achieving our goals.

3. What do you feel separates your brand culture from others?

We dare to do what others don’t and pioneered many innovations in the market. We were the first to commercialise the production of electric vehicles (EVs) decades ago. We are the only Japanese manufacturer to invest in the future of electrification through initiatives like Formula E. Our heritage and pioneering brand culture is a huge asset and an opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the current cluttered and disruptive market.

4. What needs to change in your industry when it comes to working culture?

There has to be more openness to diversity (especially gender equality at the highest level). Although there have been significant changes in the auto industry over the past few years, and Nissan has really embraced this, I think the auto industry as a whole can do better in bringing a more diverse mix of leaders into their organisations in order to tackle the business transformation globally.

5. Tell us about the best piece of professional advice you ever got.

"The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails," this is a quote by American motivational writer William Arthur Ward. Every experience counts. Let it sail but know where your northstar is.

6. How do you inspire the next generation of marketers?

I try to have candid conversations with staff members at all levels, especially the ones who will lead our industry 10 to 20 years from now. And usually these are informal one-on-one meetings and coffee breaks where we focus our conversations on the positives. And it’s less of me ‘lecturing them’ on how to be a good marketer, but asking them questions to let them find the answers for themselves, because I feel that will naturally propel them to be better, instead of being told what to do.

7. Tell us one personal thing about yourself that others might not know.

I am an avid skier. I competed in college as an Alpine Giant Slalom and Slalom skier. Although I never made it to top collegiate level competition, but I still enjoyed spending time in the mountains and appreciating the intricacies of Alpine Skiing. Now a days, I spend my winter season teaching my kids how to ski.

8. Name a brand with an amazing customer experience that you really admire and you think is great?

Amazon. A fantastic customer experience is almost unnoticeable and seamlessly integrated into everyday life. Most of us take for granted just how seamless it is to shop on Amazon. But if you think about it, how can you find almost anything in the palm of your hand? It can be purchased with a few clicks while reading reviews, comparing, etc. And then it’s at your doorstep the next day! So, while these are our everyday norms, I think Amazon does a phenomenal job of being part of your everyday.

9. What keeps you up at night as a CMO?

What can we do better in marketing to drive the business tomorrow. Are we moving the needle and are we demonstrating tangible business outcome through our efforts today and building our brand towards the future?