[Interviews with 118 Companies] 'If You Don't Say It, It Won't Be Conveyed' - The 'Wall of Dissemination Power' Facing SMEs: Connect 1st Anniversary Report
Kokopelli released a report based on interviews with 118 SMEs, revealing that 'lack of dissemination power (PR)' is a major challenge alongside labor shortages and business succession.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (6h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 10:47 (10h 44m after Collected)
'Connect,' a web media for SMEs operated by Kokopelli Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shigeru Kondo), has released a two-part factual report based on interviews conducted with 118 companies nationwide to commemorate its first anniversary in March 2026. Following Vol. 1 'Labor Shortage' and Vol. 2 'Business Succession,' the final installment addresses a third issue that repeatedly emerged through the interviews: the 'lack of dissemination power.' Furthermore, we report on the background of how 'Connect' was born to face this issue and our initiatives over the past year.
Survey Overview
Survey Name: Connect 1st Anniversary Report 'The Reality of Regional SMEs' Vol. 3
Survey Period: March 2025 - March 2026
Target: Managers and representatives of 118 SMEs nationwide (mainly Big Advance member companies)
Survey Method: Individual interviews via face-to-face or online (60-90 minutes per company)
Industries: Diverse, including food manufacturing, general manufacturing, retail, nursing/welfare, dining, IT, and shipbuilding-related.
The Third Challenge - 'Having Good Things, But Being Unknown to Anyone'
Alongside the challenges of 'labor shortage' and 'business succession,' there is another theme that repeatedly emerged through the interviews. That is the 'lack of dissemination power.'
Possessing excellent technology but it not reaching the world. Being loved by customers rooted in the community, but remaining unknown outside the company—such figures of companies were seen many times through the 118 interviews. We have categorized this reality into three types.
Type 1: 'Having Good Things, But Not Saying It' - Modesty Becomes a Wall
'The value was originally there. If you don't say it, it won't be conveyed. Because Japanese people are modest, they make efforts behind the scenes and don't say anything. But I think we should say it.'
(Food Manufacturing Industry, Representative Director)
These words were spoken by the manager of a food manufacturing company operating a bento and school lunch business based in Mie Prefecture. It came from the experience of being particular about quality for many years, manufacturing 15,000 meals a day, yet struggling to communicate that value to the outside world.
Actually, this manager himself started PR activities carefully communicating his company's efforts by issuing a newsletter to customers a year and a half ago. He believes that putting into words 'why the bento is cold' and 'how much effort goes into it' deepens the understanding of the value and leads to an improvement in unit price.
While the artisan-minded culture of modesty—'If you do good work, it will eventually be conveyed'—is becoming one of the walls to dissemination, this manager is trying to overcome that wall by putting it into words himself.
Type 2: 'Wanting to Disseminate, But Lacking the Person in Charge' - Having the Will, But Lacking the Hands
There is a desire to communicate. The tools are somewhat there. However, there is no personnel to take charge of it—such reality of SMEs emerged in multiple interviews.
The representative running a tutoring school in Chiba Prefecture says, 'I leave Instagram to my daughter. Because she is young, she is fast and good at creating.' Even when they tried creating a website, 'at first we left it alone because we didn't understand it,' and finally became able to update it with the support of an acquaintance. These stories are not limited to this company.
Children or grandchildren are handling SNS operations and website updates. In many cases, the 'person in charge' of dissemination was actually family.
The representative of an office equipment and stationery store in Hyogo Prefecture said, 'Our young employee does the SNS for us,' and a 20-something employee with good taste is in charge of Instagram. By entrusting them with creative photography and posting plans, they even realized a campaign that achieved 1,000 followers.
To continue disseminating information on a daily basis, a dedicated personnel or a presence that provides continuous support is necessary. Leaving it to family or young employees might be one realistic move to keep up the communication.
Type 3: 'Companies That Disseminated Have Actually Started Moving' - The World Expands by Continuing to Speak
On the other hand, there are cases where the choice to 'disseminate' has greatly expanded the company's possibilities.
At a manufacturing company in Aichi Prefecture, they had been continuously disseminating information via a blog since the 2000s. As they kept writing on the blog, 'We want to work with NASA,' it led to a connection with JAXA space-related projects, and developed into business with Google, JAXA, and the University of Tokyo's robot research. The words, 'By continuing to say it, things really started moving,' show a solid connection between dissemination and possibilities.
Whether or not you are disseminating information—that difference greatly influences the future of the company.
'Delivering Before Being Buried' - Why Connect Was Born and What Happened in One Year
'Even a company that handles a product with the No. 1 global market share can be unknown. We wanted to create an opportunity where a spotlight would shine on such companies.'
Survey Overview
Survey Name: Connect 1st Anniversary Report 'The Reality of Regional SMEs' Vol. 3
Survey Period: March 2025 - March 2026
Target: Managers and representatives of 118 SMEs nationwide (mainly Big Advance member companies)
Survey Method: Individual interviews via face-to-face or online (60-90 minutes per company)
Industries: Diverse, including food manufacturing, general manufacturing, retail, nursing/welfare, dining, IT, and shipbuilding-related.
The Third Challenge - 'Having Good Things, But Being Unknown to Anyone'
Alongside the challenges of 'labor shortage' and 'business succession,' there is another theme that repeatedly emerged through the interviews. That is the 'lack of dissemination power.'
Possessing excellent technology but it not reaching the world. Being loved by customers rooted in the community, but remaining unknown outside the company—such figures of companies were seen many times through the 118 interviews. We have categorized this reality into three types.
Type 1: 'Having Good Things, But Not Saying It' - Modesty Becomes a Wall
'The value was originally there. If you don't say it, it won't be conveyed. Because Japanese people are modest, they make efforts behind the scenes and don't say anything. But I think we should say it.'
(Food Manufacturing Industry, Representative Director)
These words were spoken by the manager of a food manufacturing company operating a bento and school lunch business based in Mie Prefecture. It came from the experience of being particular about quality for many years, manufacturing 15,000 meals a day, yet struggling to communicate that value to the outside world.
Actually, this manager himself started PR activities carefully communicating his company's efforts by issuing a newsletter to customers a year and a half ago. He believes that putting into words 'why the bento is cold' and 'how much effort goes into it' deepens the understanding of the value and leads to an improvement in unit price.
While the artisan-minded culture of modesty—'If you do good work, it will eventually be conveyed'—is becoming one of the walls to dissemination, this manager is trying to overcome that wall by putting it into words himself.
Type 2: 'Wanting to Disseminate, But Lacking the Person in Charge' - Having the Will, But Lacking the Hands
There is a desire to communicate. The tools are somewhat there. However, there is no personnel to take charge of it—such reality of SMEs emerged in multiple interviews.
The representative running a tutoring school in Chiba Prefecture says, 'I leave Instagram to my daughter. Because she is young, she is fast and good at creating.' Even when they tried creating a website, 'at first we left it alone because we didn't understand it,' and finally became able to update it with the support of an acquaintance. These stories are not limited to this company.
Children or grandchildren are handling SNS operations and website updates. In many cases, the 'person in charge' of dissemination was actually family.
The representative of an office equipment and stationery store in Hyogo Prefecture said, 'Our young employee does the SNS for us,' and a 20-something employee with good taste is in charge of Instagram. By entrusting them with creative photography and posting plans, they even realized a campaign that achieved 1,000 followers.
To continue disseminating information on a daily basis, a dedicated personnel or a presence that provides continuous support is necessary. Leaving it to family or young employees might be one realistic move to keep up the communication.
Type 3: 'Companies That Disseminated Have Actually Started Moving' - The World Expands by Continuing to Speak
On the other hand, there are cases where the choice to 'disseminate' has greatly expanded the company's possibilities.
At a manufacturing company in Aichi Prefecture, they had been continuously disseminating information via a blog since the 2000s. As they kept writing on the blog, 'We want to work with NASA,' it led to a connection with JAXA space-related projects, and developed into business with Google, JAXA, and the University of Tokyo's robot research. The words, 'By continuing to say it, things really started moving,' show a solid connection between dissemination and possibilities.
Whether or not you are disseminating information—that difference greatly influences the future of the company.
'Delivering Before Being Buried' - Why Connect Was Born and What Happened in One Year
'Even a company that handles a product with the No. 1 global market share can be unknown. We wanted to create an opportunity where a spotlight would shine on such companies.'