Testimonial

Hello, this is the Orinas Customer Case Study Interview Team.

This time, we interviewed Mr. Hirotsu from the Digital Promotion Department of the Furniture Business Headquarters, who has been supporting KOKUYO FURNITURE, the furniture business of KOKUYO Co., Ltd. He has managed their Instagram account (posting, post plan creation, writing, effectiveness analysis reports, photography — from September 2020 to August 2021), as well as handled spot initiatives such as follower-up campaigns and designer collaboration projects.

While there are various challenges in strengthening approaches not only to BtoB but also to BtoC and BtoE (Business to Employee), we asked him frankly about what he felt through these measures and why they chose our company!

Official website: KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

Strengthening Approaches to BtoC and BtoE in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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

Hirotsu: Many people know KOKUYO for its stationery business, but we also have a furniture business. This business mainly manufactures and sells office furniture and provides a comprehensive range of services from consulting to furniture delivery when renovating corporate offices. I am in charge of marketing for this furniture business.

Orinas: We initially worked on Instagram management, but what were the challenges your company faced in the digital marketing and social media fields?

Hirotsu: The challenge was how to reach individuals. We provide support for office renovations for corporations, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand from individuals has increased, so we opened an online shop for individuals at the end of November last year (2020).

Furthermore, when we consider corporate customers to be all employees, not just the people in charge of office renovations, it becomes BtoE rather than BtoB. Therefore, how to approach individual customers was an issue.

Orinas: I see. So in addition to the BtoB you've been doing up until now, you've decided to take a BtoC and BtoE approach. Specifically, what areas did you want to strengthen?

Hirotsu: It all started when I wanted people to take a greater interest in the "working environment." I consulted with your company in September 2020, and we've been working together since then on Instagram management.

Started Using Instagram to Get People in Their 20s and 30s Interested in the "Work Environment"

Orinas: There are many different social media platforms, but what made you decide to focus on Instagram?

Hirotsu: That's right. We wanted to target people in their 20s and 30s, so we decided to start by using social media. We thought it was important to communicate the work environment through images, so we believed Instagram would be the best fit among all the social media platforms.

Orinas: Images make it easier to imagine the space you'll be working in. Have you noticed any results since we started helping with operations?

Hirotsu: I think it's a success that people are now aware that KOKUYO has furniture. Throughout the past two campaigns we've worked on together, we've received many responses like, "I didn't know KOKUYO had furniture."

I Was Attracted to the Fact That They Provide Operational Support with an Eye Toward In-House Production

Orinas: We're very happy to be able to help spread awareness. There are many digital marketing companies out there, so what were the reasons that you chose our company?

Hirotsu: I thought the flexibility of the service was great. I felt that it would ultimately be best to manage social media in-house. Your company told me, "You can discuss and decide how much you want us to do for you." At first, I left the account management to them, but since November 2021, I've been requesting them to do it on a one-off basis. While each company had its own merits when compared to others, I was attracted to their flexible service content and the fact that they were willing to listen to my concerns from an equal perspective.

Orinas: Thank you very much. Your flexibility met your desire to gradually incorporate your company's know-how. Having worked with you on various projects, could you honestly tell us what you think about our company and what you appreciate about it?

Hirotsu: They respond to our detailed requests. I believe the reason we were able to achieve results with the campaign they supported is because they provided detailed advice and set up precise targeting. Thanks to them, we were able to keep CPC low.

Outside of the campaign, I've also entrusted them with Instagram management and photography, and I feel they always take wonderful creative photos.

Advancing B2B and B2E by Sharing Information for Both Individuals and Working People

Hirotsu: With the desire to advance not only B2B but also B2E, we want to share information for both individuals and working people on Instagram. That's why we feature content showcasing both home and office environments. We can take photos of office environments, but it's difficult to photograph home environments. When we rented a house studio to take photos of home offices, we had a stylist arrange the furniture we brought in to make it look like a "dream home office." It's helpful to be able to leave the difficult parts to your team.

Orinas: We've created creative content using illustrations on Instagram before, but recently we've been posting more photos.

Hirotsu: Yes, when we first launched Instagram in September 2020, we experimented by posting various types of content to see what kinds would get a good response. At that time, we also posted softer versions of illustrations that were on the furniture business website.

However, after about half a year of posting, I realized that many people were using the scene images as references rather than focusing on the product itself. That's why I started shooting more in house studios in the latter half of the account. I feel like I've been building the account on the fly.

Reflecting User Feedback from Instagram in Product Development

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

Hirotsu: Our policy of aiming for in-house production remains unchanged, so we would like to be able to leave spot measures such as campaigns to you. You have ideas that we would not have been able to come up with on our own, and it is very helpful that you can help us with everything from brainstorming plans to final reporting.

We would like to use future campaigns as a means of communication rather than simply increasing the number of followers. At the end of 2020, we prepared four Instagram-exclusive colors of office chairs and conducted a survey on Instagram to see which one received the most "likes" would be commercialized. As the results showed, the first and second places were very close, so we prepared and sold both colors. In this way, we hope to incorporate feedback from Instagram into product development.

People have also discovered our official online store for individuals, "KOKUYO Workstyle Shop," through Instagram, which has led to many purchases. We hope to continue posting regularly in the future.

Orinas: Thank you very much. We will continue to propose measures that meet your company's needs. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Finally

This expansion into BtoC and BtoE was a new initiative for KOKUYO. We are very happy to be able to help with this! At a time when interest in working from home is growing, we feel that we were able to carry out marketing that accurately reflected Instagram trends. We believe that the hybrid of working in the office and remotely will continue to accelerate in the future, so we will propose measures that take into account current social trends!

This was brought to you by the customer case interview team at Orinas Co., Ltd.