This article reflects information as of 2019. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Tomohiro Koizumi, Representative Director, tentus inc.
Hello to all you gyoza lovers.
The last gyoza I'd ever want to eat in my life are the ones from Karaku in Oimachi.
I don't have enough standing in the "gyoza world" (gyō-kai) to really belong among the fierce gyoza veterans taking part in the Gyoza Advent Calendar, but I'd like to share the story of how we established our corporate branding through gyoza.
We're a company in the web marketing business.
Most of our work involves helping companies with their campaigns, usually alongside agencies, and in recent years we've received many requests for sports-related projects.
"tentus" is a coined word joining "tent" (a spirit of adventure) and "us" (companions), and our goal as a company is to work with companions and a spirit of adventure. Those companions turned out to be the hard part — how to find them had become one of the company's biggest challenges.
By the way — do you all like gyoza?
I love them.
Plenty of people love curry and ramen too, but what sets gyoza apart from other foods is that they're not just delicious — the conversation flows while you eat. They're wonderful on your own, of course, but it's gyoza's power as a communication food that is the single biggest reason I love them.
I grew up in a household of six with four siblings, so whenever we made gyoza we'd make around 200 at a time. With "no wrapping, no eating!" as our motto, all of us siblings would shriek and laugh as we wrapped them before the meal.
The conversation flows not just while eating, but while making them too.
Through "& Gyoza" — an event built around this communication food — we were able to find our companions. The events were designed around varied learning and varied gyoza, with sessions like "Community Marketing & Gyoza" and "Project Management & Gyoza."
Part 1 offered learning about web marketing through a range of sessions.
Part 2 offered communication through gyoza (including a lesson on how to grill them).
These were very well received, and I feel it was around this time that the "tentus means gyoza" branding began to take hold.
Isn't it a wonderful thing to tie a company to delicious, happy memories?
When we sponsored Backlog World 2019 last year, we handed out gyoza drops as a novelty (the photo at the top). They were so bad they were, once again, a big hit.
Once that happens, you're all set — companions keep spreading through gyoza.
Gyoza communication spreads not only by eating together, but online too. Because everyone loves gyoza, right?
And that's the story of how, with a little help from the power of gyoza, the "us" — the companions — of tentus kept growing.
This article is part of the Gyoza Advent Calendar 2019 hosted by the Yaki-Gyoza (Pan-Fried Dumpling) Association. You can read a hot new gyoza topic every day right up to Christmas!
Gyoza Advent Calendar 2019 https://adventar.org/calendars/4405