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.
Yes, that title is a play off of LL Cool J. Working as a cultural brand strategist and being back in Hawaii this September, I got served a Pacific Business News headline courtesy of the algorithm: “L&L Hawaiian Barbecue hires national PR firm as plate lunch competition heats up on Mainland.” It’s a brand I … Continue reading I’m Old School, so I Think L&L Is Actually “Ladies Love Hawaiian Barbecue”
I would not call them pods or capsules, and I think of them more like kennels, ruff (shhhhh, sorry, no barking or growling). Even though I am Japanese American and have been to Japan and experienced everything from regular hotels to numerous love hotels, capsule hotels were a completely new experience to me, so I … Continue reading A Quiet Place: First Cabin International (Capsule Hotel, Waikiki, Hawaii)
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: SomiSomi Soft Serve & TaiyakiIndependent Cultural & Strategic Assessment Greg Taniguchi Brand Audit Executive Summary SomiSomi, founded in 2016 in Los Angeles’ Koreatown by Matt Kim, has grown into a major U.S. chain (33+ locations across California, Texas, Nevada, Washington, and expanding) by popularizing the “ah-boong” format: a Korean bungeo-ppang fish-shaped pastry filled … Continue reading Brand Audit: SomiSomi
Brand Audit: Yoshinoya USA — Why a Japanese Icon Struggles to Replicate Its Global Success in the American Market Shared to protect Japanese brand integrity and help them succeed in the U.S. market without dilution or missteps, not to criticize. ObjectiveIndependent assessment of Yoshinoya’s U.S. operations versus its authentic execution in Japan and Hong Kong, … Continue reading Brand Audit: Yoshinoya USA