Topics that shape the future
- Closer look at research results -

My initial experience that sparked my interest in this research topic was when I was working for a private company that dealt in character-based businesses after graduating from university. At the time, there were many Mac users in the creative industry, and fans would applaud and cheer at Apple's new product announcements. A junior colleague of mine, who was watching this, wondered, "Why are these people so happy?" That struck me. I thought, "It is indeed strange to be so excited about a company announcing a new product, as if it were your own." I wondered why such a psychology arose when surrounded by people who felt an attachment to Macs.

There's another experience I'll never forget. It happened when I was a new employee undergoing store training. That day, a certain product was out of stock in the store. Normally, in such cases, we would process it as an "inter-store transfer," and have the product delivered from another store. However, one of the senior employees raised his hand and said, "Tomorrow, I'll leave home an hour earlier, pick it up at store XX, and then come to work." His reasoning was, "That way, the product can be delivered sooner, which will make the children (our customers) happy and make them like our store even more." Looking back now, I realize this was an action based on the psychology of organizational commitment, but at the time, I was shocked by this offer, which seemed like self-sacrifice, and wondered, "Why would he go that far...?"

These two experiences led me to wonder, "What exactly is the attachment that people feel towards organizations and brands?" This question became the starting point of my research.

Therefore, in my research, I decided to examine brand relationships—that is, the psychological connection between brands and consumers—from two perspectives. One is the "brand as a tool" for self-affirmation. The other is the "brand as a partner" that is there for you like a friend. I believe that the integrated treatment of these two aspects is a characteristic and original feature of my research.

In English, the word for "prop" is "prop." "Prop" is an abbreviation of "property." Therefore, we have named brands that serve as props for self-expression "property-type brands." On the other hand, we have decided to call brands that are like friends "partner-type brands." Combining these two concepts, we have developed the "Property Partner Model" to explain why brand relationships are formed. In this model, three factors are assumed to be involved in the formation of brand relationships: "the self-expressiveness of the brand," "brand salience," and "the relationship of being on equal footing."

"Brand self-expression" is a concept that indicates the degree to which a brand is suitable for expressing one's real or ideal self. "Brand salience," on the other hand, refers to how easily a brand comes to mind in various situations and environments. It could be described as its presence in the mind. Attachment to a brand that lacks presence cannot be formed.

Furthermore, I was able to utilize the university's special research period program for my research on brand relationships. I am truly grateful to Aoyama Gakuin University for providing me with an environment where I could immerse myself in research for a year without attending classes. I went to the lab every day, spending time from morning till night thinking, reviewing, and thinking again. By relentlessly repeating this cycle of moving forward and going back, I was able to deepen my understanding of the logic.

Brand relationships are not a "magic wand" that can instantly create a buzz on social media. Companies need to think about what kind of brand they want to build, rather than engaging in superficial activities, and take the time to slowly build good relationships with their fans. Whether it's a property-based or partnership-based model, building a brand that is accepted by consumers requires not betraying customers and building long-term trust and affection. I believe that how much time you spend building trust will be crucial for brands going forward.

Brand relationships enhance a company's competitive advantage and generate high profits. In that sense, I believe my research is attractive to companies. However, we university researchers are different from consultants who solve problems at the request of companies. Our important role is to consider how to improve society as a whole. It could be said that the mission of management scholars is to find ways for companies' activities to become more effective and efficient, and thereby make consumers happier.

I have a journalist friend who produces news programs for NHK, and he is motivated by a desire to "uncover the truth." Similarly, we researchers also have a strong desire to "unravel the truth" at the heart of our research. It is not the job of a university researcher to deliver information convenient for corporations or to provide convenient methods. Rather, the role of a researcher is to prevent misleading marketing that deceives consumers and to show society how better relationships between brands and consumers can be built. This book is also written based on that idea.

When I left my job to become a graduate student and conduct research, my mentor and supervising professor told me, "Researchers must have a grand theme. It must be immediately clear to others what kind of research you do." Now, I convey this to young people using the phrase, "create a constellation."
When you look at the night sky, you can see many stars. And when stars combine, they form constellations. But constellations only appear because the stars are far apart. It is precisely because the stars are far apart that shapes are created. If the stars were clustered together in the same place, they wouldn't form constellations. So what if the stars were extremely far apart? If they were too far apart, they still wouldn't form constellations.