Chuk Besher Part 2 | Partnerships, News Media, & eCommerce In Japan

The Negotiation

Topics Discussed and Key Points:

● Being a news anchor for CNN Japan

● How foreigners can partner with Japanese companies or government entities

● Managing influencer marketing for 3Minute

● Best practices for entering the Japanese market

● The future of marketing in Japan

Episode Summary:

Today on The Negotiation, we continue our conversation with Chuk Besher, Executive Producer at 3Minute, the digital media arm of GREE, a Japanese internet media company that provides mobile social networking and mobile technology services.

A content marketing specialist, Chuk’s clients range from the luxury, hospitality, fashion, and pharmaceutical industries. He leads the production of a variety of branded content for these companies, from events to video storytelling to advertising.

In 1997, courtesy of his father’s encouragement, Chuk had the opportunity to be a news anchor at CNN in Tokyo for its budding Japanese language broadcast section. He talks about his first-ever experience being in front of the camera and how he found success in his brief role by learning to connect to audiences via imagination.

From 2006 to 2007, Chuk served as the Japan Director for The Asia Foundation, where he developed partnerships within both the public and private sectors to engage in dialogue regarding international affairs, ODA, national security, and Corporate Social Responsibility. He discusses the best approach to developing relationships with Japanese companies and government entities as a foreigner.

Chuk breaks down his current role and the most memorable campaigns he has worked on so far as Executive Producer for 3Minute, a media and influencer marketing company focusing primarily on young female consumers in Japan.

Finally, Chuk gives his best advice to those who are looking to enter the Japanese market in a post-COVID world. He says that cultural insight is foundational, as well as a commitment to patience since, as with other foreign markets, establishing roots in the country takes time.

Key Quotes:

“Whatever you are trying to communicate, it’s important to imagine how other people are seeing it and to put it in context around what is the best way to reach them. You have to make sure that the story isn’t meaningless, but that it resonates with them.”

“Whether you’re partnering with a government agency or a corporate entity on a project because you need the funding or a venue, you have to think in terms of what the benefit is to them.”