Kana Matsumoto, Korean-affiliated e-commerce company

Why did you take this course?

Before I entered ABS, I encountered a situation in which I was laid off due to poor performance by the company. In the face of this situation, I began to think about what "the reason for its existence" and "sustainable society" really are.

In fact, I took this class because I was interested in how other companies are actually working to solve management and social issues through their SDG initiatives.

What I learned in the class

We have proposed a community marketing policy for the kids’ apparel brand called “PLAYEARTH KIDS" by Goldwin Inc.

To be honest, when I heard about "SDG activities" before taking the class, I only thought of "energy conservation" and "eco-friendly activities", and I thought that these activities were something that only eco-conscious people were aware of.

During the early stages of preparing the proposal materials, it seemed that many actions were already being performed to address SDG, and the question of whether there are any further improvements arose. However, as we formalize the proposals, I realized that extraordinary efforts will be required from the part of companies in order to provide consumers with an unseen benefit, as well as to continue making a profit through the manufacture and sale of products.

In this day and age, products that gain sympathy from consumers tend to lead to additional sales by providing not only the intrinsic value of products but also an additional value originating from explaining the background and story of how the products were born.

I felt that SDG initiatives could only be effective if the company has already established core values, and a knowledge or interest of why companies should engage in this activity and what kind of "value" they wanted to provide to customers.

How do you want to apply what you have learned in the future?

Through the SDG community marketing class, I strongly felt the importance of communicating value to consumers, not just profit-seeking activities.

Starting now I would like to clearly communicate the company's purpose and vision to customers and increase its polarity by conveying a story that resonates with customers regarding SDG initiatives. I currently work for a company headquartered in South Korea, and although Korean companies are able to communicate trends through various marketing measures, I think there is still room for improvement in terms of sustainability. We hope to create a business that can contribute to solving social problems by building deep relationships with consumers through sustainable products and services.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sapporo Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. and Goldwin Inc. for their cooperation in the class, and to Prof. Miyazoe and the members who worked with me for giving us this valuable experience.
Thank you very much for this precious opportunity.