From SNS Marketing Revolution to Redefining the Gift Market: Yuta Iitaka of GiftX Discusses 'Category Creation Thinking' [Category is Interview Released]

EXIDEA, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takuma Ogawa; hereinafter "EXIDEA") has released an interview with Yuta Iitaka, CEO of GiftX, Inc., on "Category is," an owned media platform specializing in category branding.

▼ Read the full article here

https://wa-concept.net/category-is/interview_005

Background of the Interview

In recent years, the commoditization of products and services in the B2B market has accelerated, making differentiation based solely on "features" or "price" increasingly difficult. Amidst this, "Category Design"—a method of building competitive advantage by defining a unique market and presenting new value standards—is gaining significant attention.

"Category is," operated by our company, is a specialized media outlet that shares insights on how to establish products and services as the "category representative" in the market.

In this interview, we invited Yuta Iitaka, CEO of GiftX, Inc., who built the overwhelming top-of-mind awareness that "Twitter marketing equals Hottolink" during his time as CMO of Hottolink, and is now taking on the challenge of creating new experiential value in the gift market.

Article Highlights

■ "I only go where I see a path to victory": The philosophy of breakthrough through data

Discovering that 60% of X (Twitter) followers were sweepstakes accounts. What is the path to victory derived from this sharp perspective, and how does he define "high-quality followers"?

■ How "Nominar" proved the reproducibility of "shifting the angle"
From "Nominar" (a unique event combining drinking and seminars) to an online event launched in 3 days during the pandemic that generated 7,000 pieces of UGC in one week, and 200 speaking engagements across the country. He discusses a reproducible method of designing spontaneous word-of-mouth by adding a "slight twist" to conventional strategies.

■ The 2.3 trillion yen problem of "unwanted gifts" and the reason for challenging a 10 trillion yen market

The Japanese gift market has reached approximately 10 trillion yen. However, there is a reality where 2.3 trillion yen is spent on gifts that do not match the recipient's preferences. We delve into the background and philosophy behind the design of "GIFTFUL," a social gifting service that allows recipients to re-select their gifts to solve this structural issue.

Recommended for:

• Executives and marketers who want to escape from feature and price competition with rivals.