The thrill of being an evangelist for sei-katsu-sha insight：

As MD of HILL ASEAN, I conduct research into ASEAN sei-katsu-sha, Hakuhodo’s term for consumers that encompasses all aspects of their lives, and use analysis and insights from the results to propose marketing to our clients. In addition, I undertake client work as a planner and conduct training to boost the skills of my colleagues in ASEAN.

All the work I’m involved in shares one value: it spreads the Sei-katsu-sha Insight philosophy—Hakuhodo’s DNA—within and outside the company, realizes it in strategies, and increases the number of our people able to embody it. You might call me an evangelist spreading the word about Hakuhodo’s sei-katsu-sha insight outside of Japan.

Sei-katsu-sha insight is not simply 360° analysis and understanding of the lives of targets. It delves deep to discover desires that lie in the depths of sei-katsu-sha’s minds that they, themselves, are unable to express, then proposes new lifestyle behaviors, habits and perspectives through our clients’ products and services that will give them happier, fuller lives. It’s really exciting to be able to work with clients and my Hakuhodo colleagues to advocate new movements for making people happy to the world, and then see them to fruition. I’m savoring the thrill of being able to take on this challenge not only in Japan, but across ASEAN and around the world.

“The eclectic over the generic”—this is a slogan that’s been passed down at Hakuhodo since way back in our history. It expresses the idea that miracles are more likely to happen with the output of a group of highly idiosyncratic talents than a group of similarly talented types. I’m a firm advocate of this idea. My Hakuhodo Group colleagues are a bunch of uniquely talented individuals who are stimulated by each other’s ideas, which ultimately results in strong output that moves the world.

This process is far from easy. But, when my colleagues and I come up with a worthwhile idea along the way and it is then let loose on the world and actually improves the lives of sei-katsu-sha, the feeling of achievement is indescribable. It’s for reasons like this that I love Hakuhodo and have stayed here all these years.

Roles and titles current when this article was published in November 2021.