Things to know - Presentation.1
"Love in Japan"
(Jul. 15, 2009)
Originally Lectured by
Mr. Tim Love, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group Inc.
Oct. 16, 2008
The Yomiuri Shimbun Media Reception at Mandarin Oriental New York
On the road to global brand-building
Many marketers are focusing on Japan today. It is the second largest economy in the world. It discovered many cultural differences, while I worked and resided in Tokyo. Learning about the Japanese culture will be helpful in appreciating other cultures for American clients. Only 30% of American people have passports, which means most of Americans have not been outside the country and are not familiar with the cultural differences that exist outside the US.
What is culture?
Understanding culture is complex. Culture is like an iceberg, with many factors of culture that exist beneath the surface and are hard to perceive. Some of the sehard-to-see factors of culture are Religion, History, Customs, and Values / Attitudes. These elements are important in understanding culture and are hard to perceive compared to elements, such as Language, Environment, and Symbols.
Geography and History
From the viewpoint of Geography, Japan is a real island country, isolated off the edge of a continent. Japan has imported Buddhism from China in addition to a native religion of Shintoism. 86% of Japanese people practice these two religions, which make Japan unusual to other countries and makes for some difficulty in understanding Japanese culture.
