A Marketing Analysis: Finnish Small and Medium-sized Design Companies in Japan
Koskinen, Katri (2020)
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020060917937
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020060917937
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to describe Japan as a market region, buying behavior of the Japanese customers, and the interest towards Finnish design products, such as bags, jewelry, and home décor. PESTLE Analysis and Marketing Mix serve as marketing analysis tools in order to describe the current situation of the Japanese design market. Moreover, the thesis also discusses the role of market segmenting, branding and country of origin. Finland has a very good country brand in Japan, which may be beneficial in marketing products there.
The thesis is a qualitative research and hence it relies on the quality of the sources and the analysis. The theoretic background is based on the secondary sources, which are earlier studies and books regarding the topics, whereas interviews provide the primary sources of the thesis. Three Finnish design companies agreed to participate in the interviews, and one representative from each design company has answered to the questions regarding the Japanese buying behavior, target market, pricing, and marketing communication channels. Therefore, the analysis of the thesis is based on comparing the theoretical background to the interviews.
The results show that the Finnish country brand is a valuable asset while marketing design products in Japan. Additionally, the Japanese customers expect the Finnish design products to be simple and elegant, but the products also need to be unique enough to attract the Japanese customers. However, the Japanese customers do not wish to stand out from the crowd with their products. High quality and flawlessness are expected from the products. All the interviewees noted the importance of Japanese as the language of communication. Furthermore, Finnish country brand has been invaluable asset in marketing for each company, as Finland has rather positive connotations in Japan. Thus, Japan can be considered as a potential market for Finnish small and medium-sized design brands.
The thesis is a qualitative research and hence it relies on the quality of the sources and the analysis. The theoretic background is based on the secondary sources, which are earlier studies and books regarding the topics, whereas interviews provide the primary sources of the thesis. Three Finnish design companies agreed to participate in the interviews, and one representative from each design company has answered to the questions regarding the Japanese buying behavior, target market, pricing, and marketing communication channels. Therefore, the analysis of the thesis is based on comparing the theoretical background to the interviews.
The results show that the Finnish country brand is a valuable asset while marketing design products in Japan. Additionally, the Japanese customers expect the Finnish design products to be simple and elegant, but the products also need to be unique enough to attract the Japanese customers. However, the Japanese customers do not wish to stand out from the crowd with their products. High quality and flawlessness are expected from the products. All the interviewees noted the importance of Japanese as the language of communication. Furthermore, Finnish country brand has been invaluable asset in marketing for each company, as Finland has rather positive connotations in Japan. Thus, Japan can be considered as a potential market for Finnish small and medium-sized design brands.