Brand Ikigai
In Japan there is a word … IKIGAI… it means to “have a passion for life” and in recent years it has been discussed as a key driver for the “long life” that Japanese citizens have become famous for; with one of the highest rates of 100+ years population, but also ACTIVE seniors. While there are a lot of factors such as preventative and accessible health check ups every year, healthy diet and social/community networks that are asolutely part of attaining long life, one key factor that is discussed is IKIGAI.
In 2018, I presented a paper on Brand IKIGAI at the ESOMAR WORLD CONGRESS. ESOMAR is the worlds largest global organisation of research professionals. I wrote the paper after going through a personal journey. But it ended up being so much more as I started to explore how we could possibly apply the theory and thinking of IKIGAI to creating BRANDS and TEAMS with “long life and a clear passion for what they do”.
As I started out on the journey I came to realise that “finding IKIGAI” isn’t easy!!! The questions are pretty simple … but like so often in our work in research. strategy, branding - (or anything) we may struggle to find the answer or get to the goal or solution. Getting there is made easier with a strcture and the right tools. If I can use an analogy … We know we need to open the can of beans ( iknow I need ikigai for longevity) …its waaaaay easier if we have a can-opener on hand (the framework and techniques) to get the job done. So I started to think about the tools I have come across in my 20 years of research to apply them to the challenge of “unlocking IKIGAI” for a brand, a team, a new start-up business. And it seems to be working.
Finding IKIGAI starts with the 4 questions of 1. What are we passionate about? 2. What are we good at (better than others), 3. What does the world need from us? 4. What is the value of this (what are people willing to pay for?) … get these stars aligned and BOOOOM… IKIGAI.
This framework think about what Heart-Data is today and I also use it also on the Brands I consult and work with.
What is heart-data passionate about? - building strong brands through consumer understanding. Supporting and building the “development of careers, teams and new tools”
What are you good at? - Creating longevity and growth in Brands. Bringing together qual and quant, east and west. Building strategty for future growth. Bringing diverse teams together and unlcoking potential to become a high performing team/brand.
What does the world need? - the ability to make sense of BIG DATA, changing environments, and combine it with emotional BRAND connection.
What is the value of this? - brand and customer lifetime value and momentum … team performance. This is what I am willing to pay for
This paper and thinking on ikigai was primarily written for myself and to document out my personal jouney to find IKIGAI. I am humbled that it was selected as the Co-winner of best paper of the year for 2018. So, do you have IKIGAI? Shall we work to find out?
Here is the link to the Paper