Gyaru ?????!!!!!

As one can see and definitely experiences everyday and everywhere, the ubiquitoius nature of keitai in society is not only Japan specific. And even fads and trends that have once been Japan specific, such as cosplay, have permeated the cultural boundaries of other countries. So, this brings me to the unique world of gal or as they say in Japan, gyaru, and its ketai culture.......

"Gyaru (ギャル) is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal. The term gradually drifted to apply to a younger group, whose seeming lack of interest in work or marriage gained the word a "childish" image. It is now used almost interchangeably with kogyaru and younger generations." So, if you happen to be in the Shibuya or Shinjuku neighborhood, Tokyo, Japan, I would bet you my 'pocket money' that you would have a high chance of bumping into one.

Ok, so your thinking fine...gyaru is merely a fashion sub-culture in Japan that is yet to be seen in other parts of the world......... True, but there's more. Not only is gyaru a fashion sub-culture with its own sub-sub-cultures it has also integrated its own perculiar and very distinct form of ketai writing (mobile phone shorthand).

Introducing........GYARU MOJI!

To explain the wonders and mysteries of gyaru moji, I need to incorporate the help of wikipedia. Gyaru-moji replaces characters with visually similar characters or combinations of characters. It incorporates many hiragana, katakana and kanji which are taken apart and reassembled using different characters including alphabet characters. So, for example Lt wouldn't correspond to the Latin characters 'L' and 't' but instead it would correspond to the hiragana, け ('ke'). Notice that it looks very similar when written. It is unclear why this usage is now seen.....and it may remain to be unclear.

So, what I am wondering now is.....what's next? And upon realizing the fact that there will be a next sub-culture and sub-sub-culture in both the real and technological worlds....I am happy to say....it certainly keeps things interesting and intriguing.

Australian Chris

A Continued Cultural Kick!

Well upon re-reading couple of my last posts I see that I have been on a bit of a cultural kick as of late. Illustrating ideas relating to Japanese culture more so than the strictly mobile CRM related issues. I had a momentary thought which said balance, balance, balance. I should get back to the nuts and bolts of this blog which is mobile CRM related content. However, I took a moment, looked over this ‘illustrious’ blog explanation and re-thought this logic. Aside from being a take on mobile CRM issues, these posts are also about examining the cultural business issues here in Japan. That aspect unto itself deserves an extended examination. If one cannot understand the social or ethnic factors at play here, one most certainly cannot put quality CRM business management systems or decisions for that matter into play. With that, I will turn towards this week’s topic of looking at what some feel it takes to make it here in the Japanese market.

Lately, I have been reading up on a number of books specifically relating to the examination of Japanese culture and more specifically business practices. I am sure this is where a lot of these thoughts and feelings have been deriving from as of late. One particular book entitled Cracking the Japanese Market by James C. Morgan and J. Jeffery Morgan examines these issues and more. There has been one particular section which has stood out for me thus far. It centers on understanding the rules at play. The authors argue that you must develop a philosophical foundation upon which to base your strategy. These components include:

-Presence
-People
-Pioneering
-Piggybacking
-Partnering
-Persistence

Now for the sake of simplicity and ease I will not elaborate upon each point into any great detail for the sake of keeping your attention, however I do wish to add a few points which I feel are pertinent to this blog and this post in particular.

Presence: It is incredibly important for your organization to have a physical presence in the Japanese market. I might add that this is specifically important when relating to the mobile CRM market. This is where you stand the best chance to gain invaluable information about first understanding distinctly Japanese customer needs as well as their ever changing desires.

People: This simply relates to localized hiring and it is important for two reasons. One it shows commitment to the market and two it opens doors with other Japanese companies in terms of building and nurturing both supplier and customer relationships.

Pioneering: Japan is renown for companies which will jump on popular ideas and re-create the service or product with its own twist. Therefore, it should be expected that your product or service will never be alone long. These companies include both large and small with the big companies coming first and the second wave of small to mid-size companies following. Obvious counter strategies include patent protection as well as constant innovation.

Piggybacking: Due to Japan’s long history of complex relationships it has been difficult for foreigners to enter and or build network distribution systems. However, one way to by-pass this obstacle is to engage in ‘piggybacking’ companies with similar products or services with already established distribution networks. The key according to Morgan and Morgan is to leverage people rich companies and existing structures, many of which hungrily need new product and ideas.

Partnering: The notion of partnering with an established Japanese company is an obvious method to gain access to customers, suppliers and buyers. Trust and relationship building which are ever so important to the Japanese way of business can then be forged. Of course one must be sharp in the structuring of the partnership so that theorized advantages stand the chance of becoming a reality.

Persistence: This concept is particularly important in that it shows commitment. Japanese business ethics highly value trust and commitment. Results are often examined with the long view in mind rather than the short. One way to show this is the ‘sticking it out’ mentality within the market. This mettle goes along way in terms of showing the Japanese your particular company or personal traits. It goes even further if your product has any type of CRM twist to it!

Now, if you are still here with me I hope these points do strike a cord for some of you whether you are already in the market or are curious about it. These ideas are of course simply jumping off points to further research however I hope that they have been of some genuine assistance.

Canadian Chris