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Hello! Whenever I look for a theme for each article, I search something like "2020 marketing trends"—but 2020 is almost over, isn't it... Normally the Olympics would have been held and it would have been a wonderful year. But amid all this, some things are moving in good directions, like remote work and various procedures going online. I hope reforms keep going! So, for this—one of the few remaining updates of 2020—I'll be writing about "small mass."
1. What is small mass?
Small mass is a coined term proposed by Katsuhiko Yoshida, who served as an Executive Vice President at Kao Corporation until March 2019. It refers to "a market that is smaller than mass but has a certain scale or more." Yoshida describes the background of how small mass was born as follows:
Kao once had a sense of capturing "mass" as households, and that within a household everyone uses the same things (products). First we thoroughly listen to consumers' opinions, then use our high technical capabilities to make one "good thing" that solves a challenge consumers face (like a laundry detergent that removes dirt well). We sell that through mass marketing and take a high share. That was Kao's way of selling. But today, the lifestyles and needs of the individuals who make up a household have diversified. They can no longer be lumped into one. For example, what a daughter wants from a shampoo differs from what a father wants. Even for a single shampoo, this is no longer an era where the whole family uses the same one. Talking about such things (with the meeting members), we discussed how, going forward, we need to deeply understand the needs that smaller (fewer-in-number) groups seek, and develop and provide products suited to each. What came out of that was small mass (the term).
That's exactly right, isn't it? My household is just my mother and me, but from shampoo and conditioner to the content of the dinner we eat, everything differs. It's an era of diversification. Also, "the maturation of brands and markets" is one factor behind small-mass strategy. Once a market matures beyond a certain level, every product has a certain guaranteed quality and enriched features. In such a market, it becomes important to send the message "this product is for you," rather than uniform feature appeals. This too, ultimately, comes down to the small-mass individual. Marketing strategies that target specific markets include "niche strategy" and "blue ocean strategy." The difference between these and "small-mass strategy" is that "niche strategy" and "blue ocean strategy" are strategies to "find a market you can win in without fighting," centered on things like market or business added value—whereas "small-mass strategy" is a user-centric strategy centered on "responding to the needs of a segmented target."
2. Examples
■ Kao: Megrhythm According to a column written by a Kao employee, the person in charge of Megrhythm aimed for the product to be recognized as a "relaxation item" and used habitually by consumers. The first thing they did was "confirm the communication target (Who)." They investigated on social media whether there are people who seek a relaxation item for a new stage of life, and what kind of people they are. According to that, they found there are small masses within new life stages, such as "entering school," "starting a job," and "moving." Each small mass showed a mix of enthusiasm and anxiety, and the person in charge became convinced that an eye mask as a "relaxation item for facing a new life stage" would be highly acceptable. Next they considered "what to convey (What) and how to convey it (How)." To convey the message "Megrhythm's eye mask lets you relax" without a pushy, sales-y feel, they gathered the voices of people who used Megrhythm to cope with anxieties such as "entering school," "starting a job," and "moving," and decided to deliver those episodes to people about to begin a new stage of life. They collected episodes via a Twitter campaign, turned them into content, and delivered it to people starting a new life stage. Last, they "considered the spread and circulation of information." Because the digital measures above reach only a limited number of people, they also ran train hanging-strap ads to create real-world touchpoints. Summarizing the measures:
- Encourage sharing with a submission-type campaign and collect episodes
- People who read the episodes on social media or ads have new conversations (empathy or opinions)
- Expand the episodes to train hanging ads to broaden the information's reach
- From the hanging ads, some people add another topic (the ad talent) and post to social media In this way, the spread and circulation of information occurred. In planning communication, the person in charge believed this result was obtained precisely because they comprehensively built it—regardless of the boundary between digital and real—asking how many small masses there are and of what kind (Who), and what (What) and how (How) to convey to those small masses to create the spread and circulation of information. Below is the column referenced.
https://webtan.impress.co.jp/e/2020/01/21/35023
3. In closing
Lately I feel strategies focusing on "small mass" have been increasing—like making perfumes and lotions suited to the individual user. I feel this is especially common with cosmetics and skincare brands. My skin is sensitive too, so I'm grateful for this era. Thank you for reading this time too!