Brand Business Mechanism that Supports the Tokyo Girls Collection
May 9, 2018
Mr. Noriyoshi Murakami
President, W TOKYO INC.
Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC) is the largest fashion festival in Japan targeted for young adults. By enhancing girls marketing and influencer marketing campaigns, it aims to boost economic activities and create “a society in which women shine”. Launched in 2005, TGC showcases fashionable “real clothes” that can be worn in everyday life. While traditional fashion shows like the Paris and Milano Fashion Weeks display the latest collection by top fashion designers in the world with supermodels on the runway, TGC attracts 30,000 spectators who are fascinated by popular fashion models wearing trendy yet affordable clothes. It presents a new sales promotion platform as all the clothes can be purchased on the spot via mobile sites and at department stores or retail shops on the following day. TGC is also a powerhouse of entertainment as it delivers live stage performances by top artists such as Namie Amuro and Eikichi Yazawa and works in collaboration with leading creators including photographers, flower artists and stylists.
Let me emphasize that TGC is not merely a fashion show but a dynamic business model that accelerates chain effects among diversified value chains. The financial industry focuses on our multilateral planning strategy that provides optimal solutions and meets the needs of different stakeholders.
Previously, a successful marketing strategy aimed at attracting disposable income. Today, disposable time has come to replace it. As majority of young women spend an increasing amount of time on smartphones, we try to insert information on companies and contents into mobile devices effectively and efficiently. In addition to 30,000 spectators on site, as many as 1.4 million young women enjoy the live broadcasting of the show via LINE app. Extensive media coverage has generated 5 billion yen and TGC has received over 100 million impressions through social networking sites including Twitter and Instagram. As the Nikkei Marketing Journal rightly analyzed, TGC is an “ultimate form of demonstration sales”. By tapping into the latest technology and tools, we continue to be the most influential fashion event in Japan.
We have four main business domains, staring from “development”. We engage in research, product development and casting in collaboration with models, hair and makeup artists, stylists and brands across Japan to turn the companies’ products and services into marketable content. All the products presented at the event will be disseminated boundlessly via multiple communication tools including web news and smartphones. As people are attracted to state-of-the-art original contents, TGC has the upper hand in disseminating products and side events on a real-time basis through 30,000 spectators and to gain 100 million impressions per day.
We spend about 300 million yen for this one-day glamorous show. Based on our brand strategy focused on the girls’ market, we concentrate our resources to offer the best stage, products and contents and to develop multiple business models including IP (intellectual property) business. Our scope ranges from supporting regional revitalization, reconstruction assistance, Cool Japan, “Beyond 2020 Program” promoted by the Agency of Cultural Affairs to the “Old meets New: Tokyo 150 Years” program implemented by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. We succeeded in monetizing the event business, with special focus on regional revitalization projects which disseminate contents on attractiveness and richness of each locality across the country. While women across Japan have equal access to information, there is a gap between Tokyo and other regional cities when it comes to experiencing and participating in events. We thought having TGC in such cities, it would present good business opportunities.
We chose Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture as the first location. While majority of the brand and entertainment businesses focus on Hakata and Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu has limited entertainment options compared to its economic size as a highly developed industrial center. We tied up with department stores, large commercial complexes, shopping streets, railway station buildings, hotels and restaurants to showcase fashion items that could all be purchased in the locality. Our scope of collaboration extended to companies in the prefecture and traditional industries to publicize and sell local specialties and products across the country. This successful program organized jointly by the public and private sectors generated 1.7 billion yen for the regional economy. We will hold the 4th show this year and also expand the cities to Toyama, Shizuoka and Kumamoto as a social business. As part of the Cool Japan initiatives, TGC is now held in Bangkok and Jakarta jointly with the Japan External Trade Organization and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
We are also committed to a social cause and work with the United Nations. When the UN Permanent Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, most noted for his leadership in women and children’s rights, came to TGC, he was so impressed and asked us to work as a platform to advocate for various UN initiatives. We produced an entertaining video content explaining the 17 Goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015. We feel honored to be invited as an innovative business in Japan to the commemorative event of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, to be held at the UN Headquarters in NY this May. We take it as an excellent opportunity to reinforce our brand business and will have our partners, the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Mayors of Sabae and Shizuoka, to make presentations on regional revitalization and SDGs promotion through TGC.