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On December 11, 2019, the APU Startup Program held a public workshop on the theme of "Marketing, PR, and Publicity for Venture Enterprises." Now we hope to share information from this workshop that is useful not only for those aiming to start a business, but also for students who want to promote public relations (PR) for their organizations and students who want to expand on their own vision (future plans).
The APU Startup Program was launched and is led by DEGUCHI Haruaki, current president of APU and venture business entrepreneur, in order to support students who are serious about becoming entrepreneurs. The Startup Program provides these students with a variety of opportunities.
At the December 11 workshop, Mr. NORO Eishirou, a PR consultant, was invited to present a talk at one of the group's periodic activities. Mr. NORO spoke on marketing for venture enterprises.
Mr. NORO is active as a broadcast writer and has worked on many famous programs, such as "The Tetsuwan DASH," "Tensai Takeshi No Genki Deru Terebi," and "Unbelievable." Additionally, he holds contracts with more than 140 companies, mainly major advertising agencies, as a strategic PR consultant and has led many companies to success.
Mr. NORO has achieved much success. However, his student years were an unexpectedly dark time.
He took an absence from school on his very first day because "the weather was bad." On the condition that he would aim for Tokyo University, his parents gave him permission to withdraw from university and attend a prep school. After having spent two years in love at prep school, he enrolled in the Aichi Institute of Technology.
Mr. NORO's student years were indeed unique, but when he applied for a magazine project while he was a student at university, his life changed dramatically. The students were at the core of this magazine project, and in carrying out this project they created many "interesting things" in society. Among these “interesting things” may be considered commonplace today, such as credit cards for students and stylish home appliances for those living alone. Up until then Mr. NORO had never done well on tests. However, insomuch as the projects he himself came up with were interesting, they were therefore adopted and everyone around was pleased. At that time, improving his grades was difficult, but he felt that if he worked hard at his job, his efforts would pay off.
First, the most important things for Mr. NORO is to "only do what is fun," "don't do what you hate," and "stop doing what you hate." Moreover, what has been important for Mr. NORO, who has worked all-out since his student years, is speed. Back then he did his job using a cell phone that cost close to 100,000 yen per month. He was recognized by his partners as "a useful fellow who you can quickly reach" and "someone who works quickly," and so he succeeded in getting a lot of work.
Venture business (also known as “start-up”) is said to be as difficult as jumping off a cliff while assembling an airplane on the way down (famous saying by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn). Furthermore, companies that are as quick at their work as assembling an airplane and flying before falling to the ground won't go out of business. Being that quick at your work is what is important. One more thing that is important is "selling the person." The names of many people who are successful now are well known. To become successful, it is important to sell your own name rather than making your company's products or the company itself famous. Thus, if you are going to start a company, having a vision centered on yourself and your own branding is important.
Q: What skills are you glad you mastered?
A: Reading comprehension and the ability to summarize. That is comprehending what it is your partner is looking for. The ability to summarize is for communicating that with brevity.
Q: What should I do to grow my organization here at APU?
A: Think through your reasons for wanting to grow, and after that think about how your organization can be useful. Specifically, thinking about what it is you want to do is important for growth.
Q: What kind of students do you find interesting?
A: Those who can come up with ideas and then communicate those ideas to others. There are a lot of people who can come up with ideas, but those who can put them down on paper are few. I think that people who can show their own ideas to junior high and high school students and can communicate those ideas so the students can understand them are exceptional, and it is fun to watch.
Q: Mr. NORO, what is important for you in publicity and creating strategies?
A: I think about whether this is something I would want to buy if I saw it, whether this is something I would give as a present to someone close to me, such as my family or friends. That is where I place importance. I think those are the sorts of things that have value.
Copyright (c) 2016 Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
