Cultural Brand Strategist: Managing expectations across borders. Bridging the gap between Western brand identity and Japanese cultural reality, backed by three decades of technical, creative, and marketing leadership.
Unlike other ethnicities in the U.S., the vast majority of us Asians identify by our specific ethnic backgrounds. The day we go by "Yellow" (the official future color code for the Americanization of Asians in the U.S.) so that we fit neatly among White, Black, and Brown people, I say, "Maybe so, sir, but not … Continue reading Being an American with 123 years of Japanese Ancestry in the United States
Ambitious Scale Meets Branding Dilution – Lessons from a Failed U.S. Expansion Source Material: September 2, 2016 article (updated 2021) on oishii-desu.com, cross-referenced with later public outcomes. Shared to protect Japanese brand integrity and help them succeed in the U.S. market without dilution or missteps, not to criticize. Executive Summary Ramla Inc. (founded 1980 in … Continue reading Brand Audit: Ramla Restaurant Group
Brand Audit: Tokyo Table (Toridoll) — Why a Large Japanese Restaurant Group’s U.S. Business Model Dilutes Brand Authenticity and Stalls Growth Independent assessment of Tokyo Table’s U.S. restaurant business model versus authentic Japanese dining execution, identifying root causes of brand dilution, mediocre customer reception, and repeated location failures. Shared to protect Japanese brand integrity and … Continue reading Brand Audit: Tokyo Table (Toridoll)