Testimonial

Hello everyone, this is the Customer Case Interview Team.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Akazawa and Mr. Yoshiuchi from the Marketing Division of Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Co., Ltd., the sake brewery best known for its "Hakutsuru Maru" sake. They have been supporting the company in a variety of areas, from running its official LINE account and campaigns to launching, running, and campaigning for its in-house cosmetics brand, "Rice Blessing," on Instagram. We spoke frankly with them about the challenges they have faced and their thoughts on the actual operations!

Shift from Mass Advertising to Social Media Marketing

Orinas: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. First of all, could you please tell us about your company's business?

Akazawa: Yes. We mainly manufacture and sell sake, but also wine, liqueurs, and other alcoholic beverages. We also operate a cosmetics business and a mail-order business.

Orinas: What are Akazawa-san and Yoshiuchi-san's roles in this project?

Akazawa: I am in charge of advertising and promotion for alcohol in general.

Orinas: What about Yoshiuchi?

Yoshiuchi: I am in charge of the development, PR, and advertising of our mail-order business and our cosmetics business, which currently has three brands. These are "Rice Blessings," "Dramatic Repair," and "Tsuru no Tamatebako," and we are working with Orinas on "Rice Blessings."

Orinas: Thank you. Our first collaboration with your company was the operation of your official LINE account, but what were the challenges you faced before working with us?

Akazawa: The biggest reason is that for many years our entire advertising and promotion approach has been old-fashioned, centered on the four major media outlets. This was a challenge for the entire company, so starting last year we began to think, "We need to strengthen our communication on social media." Our department was looking for a medium that could be used for measures closer to sales promotion, and so we started using LINE, which allows us to offer points and must-buy campaigns.

Orinas: You also mentioned that you wanted to use social media to promote your business while reducing advertising costs.

Akazawa: That's right. To be more precise, we wanted to review not just advertising and media costs, but also operational costs such as material costs, transportation costs, and management of personal information that had been incurred in previous campaigns.

Akazawa: However, none of us had any experience with managing social media, so we felt it would be difficult to manage it on our own. When we were looking for someone who could help us with the management, your company's name came up, so we decided to contact you.

Orinas: You found out about our company through an introduction, right?

Yoshiuchi: Yes. When I told a digital marketing expert that I was looking for a company to entrust with managing my social media accounts, he told me about Orinas, saying, "It's a company that can do the job well."

Orinas: Thank you, that makes us very happy. What ultimately made you choose our company?

Akazawa: Right from the very first proposal, we received a detailed and well-thought-out concept. I also think the enthusiasm of the sales representative was a deciding factor in why we entrusted the project to them.

Monthly Friend-Only Campaigns and Must-Buy Promotions

Orinas: When you first consulted us, you were running a different campaign and were in a state where you were "gathering users for the time being."

Akazawa: Yes. Ultimately, our main goal was to create a campaign that would lead to increased sales, so we needed a target audience that could spread awareness of the campaign to some extent, and we started with a campaign that included stamp downloads.

Orinas: Although you had a certain number of friends registered, your first challenge was figuring out how to keep those users engaged. In working with us, in addition to sharing information such as product and recipe introductions on LINE, we also ran a monthly gift campaign exclusively for friends. What are your honest thoughts on actually implementing these measures, Akazawa-san?

Akazawa: My honest impression is that "SNS is difficult after all." I'm very grateful for their help with that difficult part, analyzing trends in each stream and reviewing them afterwards, and giving me advice like "Let's use this in your next stream." I am very satisfied with the detailed analysis they provide, as well as the prompt and diligent response they provide to my daily routine.

Launched Instagram to Expand Target Audience to Younger Generations

Orinas: Yoshiuchi-san, let's talk about your cosmetics business. I believe you compared management companies when you launched Instagram for cosmetics. What made you ultimately choose our company?

Yoshiuchi: There was a great sense of security in knowing that our company already had a proven track record with LINE.

Orinas: Thank you. What originally prompted you to start an Instagram account?

Yoshiuchi: Our cosmetics brand, "Rice Blessings," is the oldest, and was originally intended to be sold in stores, but it was barely attracting new customers. We felt that the brand concept itself was a better fit for the current situation, so we decided to renew it to give it a boost. When renewing, we also wanted to make it known to a younger demographic, so we decided to use social media.

Orinas: What age group do you want to target in the future?

Yoshiuchi: Most of the customers are in their 30s to early 40s.

Orinas: That demographic is a perfect match for Instagram's user demographic! Were there any aspects of Instagram that you wanted to focus on?

Yoshiuchi: We wanted to convey that our products are made with carefully selected plant-based ingredients, and that these three items save time and produce a satisfying result, which would be great for busy women.

Orinas: We are also conscious of expressing these attractive features and revamped designs through our Instagram creatives. It's only been about a month since you launched the account, but now that you've actually started working on it, how do you feel about it, Yoshiuchi-san?

Yoshiuchi: It's really helpful that they checked even the smallest details, as I feel like it would be difficult for us to operate things properly in our own company. I also feel that it would be difficult to produce images and Instagram's unique style of expression, and other aspects of that kind of presentation in-house.

Orinas: Thank you. Is there anything you would like to see us do in the future?

Yoshiuchi: Right now we are only able to post superficial information about the products, so we would like to go a little deeper and post information that will satisfy intellectual curiosity.

Orinas: So you're saying we should focus more on the content. I'll pass that on to everyone in the company! Finally, would you recommend our company if you had the opportunity in the future? If so, what would you recommend us for?

Akazawa: I would recommend them because they provide prompt and detailed service.

Orinas: What about you, Yoshiuchi?

Yoshiuchi: He has a lot of experience in managing social media, so I can leave it to him with confidence!

Orinas: Thank you very much for today, Mr. Akazawa and Mr. Yoshiuchi.

Finally

We are assisting Hakutsuru Sake Brewery in two businesses with different targets and media: alcohol and cosmetics, and LINE and Instagram. Strategies and operational policies need to change depending on the target and media, but the common thread is "analyzing results and trends in detail, making improvements, and implementing the PDCA cycle." We will continue to conduct detailed analysis and improvements, and we also hope to propose and implement new content, such as on LINE from 2021, so we appreciate your continued support!