samantha1170
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Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 1145
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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 Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:58 |
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PROMOTION OF JMQ IN JAPAN ARTICLE
Hi everyone - I found this article today, don't know when it was published, but I'd presume it would have been late 2005...
A Young Man Who Enjoys the Full Trust of Jamiroquai
President of Inspired Inc. KIM Takao
He brought the electric scooter into Japan from the USA
Jamiroquai, the British funk group mentioned in last month's Hiragana Times cover story is a world superstar known to millions of music fans. Last June he released a new album called "Dynamite" and visited Japan for the promotion via his own private jet. KIM Takao (2 , who handled all the arrangements, sits in the back. He is Jamiroquai's Asian representative.
How can it be possible that a young man with no business background is trusted by a super big shot? Takao was born to Korean parents in Japan. He did not go to Japanese schools at all, but instead went to an international school. After that he studied at Pepperdine University in California, USA, that was caught up in a graduation scandal involving Junichiro KOGA, a former member of Japan's parliment.
After returning to Japan, he worked at an investment company, but the venture-minded Takao left the company soon and targeted "Zappy," an electric scooter which was popular in the United States and among celebrities who loved using them. Zappy's manufacturer was listed on the NASDAQ stock market with only this particular product. It was selling well in the USA but was not yet sold in Japan.
In 2001 Takao visited the manufacturer hoping to directly negotiate with them. He recalls, "There were two types of Zappy, one called Zappy 1, which was kept in stock, while Zappy 2 was being newly introduced into the market. I figured Zappy 1 would not be so out-of-date since it wasn't yet on the Japanese market. So, I negotiated with them to purchase Zappy 1s. To get a special discount price from them, I told them I would buy 100 of them and pay cash. They were quite surprised by my offer since they knew Japanese companies are unaccustomed to purchasing in cash. Ultimately, I was able to buy the Zappy 1s at the price I was hoping for."
Takao brought the 100 Zappy's back to Japan, but he lacked business connections, so he plunged into door-to-door sales and built up his sales network from scratch. "By accident, I saw a live Christmas TV program that Kimutaku did on a Zappy 1. Because of that, fortunately, all the products I had brought in quickly sold out even though it was wintertime." Kimutaku is the nickname for KIMURA Takuya, a highly popular Japanese personality. There couldn't have been a better advertisement. Takao hurriedly visited the manufacturer to negotiate for the sole rights to the Zappy in Japan. Despite his youth, he successfully negotiated the contract.
After returning to Japan, Takao started up sales again. One day, a foreign artist promoter suggested to Takao that he give a Zappy to Jay KAY of Jamiroquai, who was in Japan at the time and loved such kind of vehicles. Kim contacted Jay and made an arrangement so that Jay would be interviewed by "mono" magazine in return for the present. Subsequently, Zappy was introduced by the magazine as Jamiroquai's favorite vehicle.
Direct negotiation with Jay KAY on a bullet train
After that the ambitious Takao thought to make a connection with this superstar. He checked Jamiroquai's schedule and found out the day Jay KAY traveled by bullet train. Takao bought the same green coach ticket Jay KAY had reserved and got on the train. However, Takao could not easily find a chance to talk to him as a promotion staff member was sitting next to him. When the staff left for the toilet, Takao moved in and told Jamiroquai that he would like to promote him in Japan. Jamiroquai's last commercial in Japan had appeared eight years earlier.
When the staff member returned, Takao went back to his seat. Unexpectedly, Kay came over to Takao's seat and said, "I'm interested in your suggestion. Let me contact you later." Takao excitedly exchanged contact information with Kay and waited for a reply. "It felt like a very long time until I received a mail from him about one month later. Jay wanted me to come to his home in Britain within a week. I left Japan three days later." Takao was enthused.
Jay Kay lives in a mansion situated in the suburbs of London. His belongings give a taste of celebrity life, including a Ferrari valued at 100 million yen. Takao explains, "I prepared three different contracts. One had my minimum requests written down. The second had conditions both sides would be agreeable to, and the third pushed the limits of what I wanted. I passed the third one first. After reading it Jay Kay unexpectedly signed immediately on the contract and said, "I was moved by your passion, do your best." I was very gratified to hear that. By that time no one had recognized me. It didn't have to necessarily be Jay Kay, I was just glad that I was recognized by an adult. At that moment I firmly made up my mind to meet his expectations."
In this way Takao was able to conclude a contract with Jay Kay to be the exclusive agent of Japan, China and Hong Kong. However, it was not easy to promote Jamiroquai in Japan. Takao asked many leading companies to use Jamiroquai for their TV commercials, but he could not get good results. Some time later Takao's efforts were rewarded. A ring tone company signed up for a TV commercial. Jay Kay was elated that Takao was able to land a business deal within a year. He came to place full trust in Takao.
"I've never been to a Japanese school, I went to an international school, and I graduated from an American university. I have never lived in Korea. I don't have clear sense of where I belong to. So I am easily misunderstood," says Takao, who is single. However, his shrewd, methodical dynamism, as well as a global perspective born out of his international surroundings, has undoubtedly given him the international mindset, creative power and fire that is required for entrepreneurs. His name, Takao KIM, will be known to Japan and the rest of the world in the near future.
Source: http://www.hiraganatimes.com/hp/scenes/kiji/kiji227-3e.html
SAMANTHA
Last edited by samantha1170 on Sat Sep 20, 2008 02:44; edited 1 time in total |
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Samiroquai
Joined: 13 Jul 2005
Posts: 1020
Location: North Somerset and Manchester, both in England
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| Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 19:34 |
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Re: PROMOTION OF JMQ IN JAPAN ARTICLE
What a genius. Cheeky as hell, but well done him. Just one thing...
| samantha1170 wrote: |
| Jay Kay lives in a mansion situated in the suburbs of London. |
Suburbs my arse, he's probably closer to Birmingham than London. Still I suppose it's all the same to non-British publications, isn't it...
Sam |
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