"Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026" to be Held; Featuring Byron Sharp, Author of "How Brands Grow," Voice Actor & CEO Yuki Kaji, Live!

Nikkei BP (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tetsuya Iguchi) will hold its large-scale event "Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026" from July 28 (Tue) to 30 (Thu), 2026.

Live sessions will be held on July 28 (Tue) and 29 (Wed), 2026, with online sessions on July 30 (Thu). All sessions are free of charge, with approximately 30 diverse lectures planned. Amidst the increasing business utilization of generative AI and AI agents, the forum will provide the latest trends in digital innovation and hints for solving challenges at the forefront of business.

Following the start of advance applications for some sessions on June 22, 2026, applications are now open for an additional 12 live sessions and 2 online sessions, bringing the total number of bookable sessions to 19.

The second highlight is the opening lecture on July 28 (Tue), "Scientific Marketing from Latest Research: Brand Growth Strategies in the AI Era."

Professor Byron Sharp from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at the University of South Australia, author of "How Brands Grow: 10 Guiding Principles for Consumers and Businesses" (published by Asahi Shimbun Publications), will visit Japan for the Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM. He will explain the universal "laws of brand growth" that are essential to understand in this era of accelerating AI adoption.

The MC will be Ren Serizawa, author of "Strategy Play" and the "Un-Customer" series, and chief researcher at the Japan Evidence-Based Marketing Research Organization (EBMI). This opening lecture will be a full hour.

Another featured lecture will be by Yuki Kaji, Representative Director, President & CEO of FRACTAL Inc., who went independent in April 2026 and serves as the general producer for the voice AI business "Soyogi Fractal" alongside his voice acting career. The lecture is titled "Voice Actor & CEO Yuki Kaji: The Potential of New IP Businesses Created with Voice AI."

Yuki Kaji, a top runner in the voice acting industry known for roles such as Eren Yeager in "Attack on Titan," will make his business forum debut as Representative Director, President & CEO of FRACTAL. He will discuss how to create new markets by combining the expressive power of the "voice" with "voice AI technology" and "characters." He will passionately speak about the possibilities of new industrial models and revenue structures based on "voice," transcending the traditional frameworks of content production and voice acting business.

In addition, applications have also opened for live sessions from other notable companies, including Feel Japan, Familiar, CyberAgent, Rakuten Group, Kashima Antlers FC, Gakken, Shogakukan, and Yurindo.

●Register for free here https://events.nikkeibp.co.jp/event/2026/xtf2026/

●Featured Organizer Lectures [Organizer Lectures (Second wave, applications open today)]

<Live Sessions>

Scientific Marketing from Latest Research: Brand Growth Strategies in the AI Era

Byron Sharp, Director, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, University of South Australia × [MC] Ren Serizawa, Executive Officer, Korexia / Chief Researcher, Japan Evidence-Based Marketing Research Organization (EBMI)

Voice Actor & CEO Yuki Kaji: The Potential of New IP Businesses Created with Voice AI

Yuki Kaji, Voice Actor / Representative Director, President & CEO, FRACTAL

Why Did Long-Standing Brands Change? Practical Methods for Customer Expansion and LTV Improvement

Naohisa Yagi, Representative Director, President, Feel Japan × Tadahiko Okazaki, Representative Director, President, Familiar

Why is Yurindo's MC, Buccolo, Loved? The Mission of MCs and Corporate Information Dissemination in the AI Era

R.B. Buccolo, YouTube Channel "Yurindo Shika Shiranai Sekai" MC × Takayuki Fukatsu, UI/UX Designer, CEO, THE GUILD

How Generative AI is Changing the Future of Marketing

Masataka Mōri, General Manager, AI Creative Company, AI Business Division, CyberAgent × Masaki Tabe, Senior Executive Officer, Group CRO & Representative Director, President, Novasell, Rakul

Rakuten x Shopify Executives' Vision: The Future of "Agentic Commerce"

Mari Takama, General Manager, Rakuten Ichiba Planning Department, Marketplace Business, Commerce & Marketing Company, Rakuten Group, Inc. × Michio Baba, Country Manager, Shopify Japan

"GOAT" x "Gakken's Encyclopedia LIVE" Editors Discuss: Creating Works that Leverage "Passion"

Kaoru Mitsuhashi, Editor-in-Chief, GOAT, Shogakukan / Editor-in-Chief, "STORY BOX," Literary Department, Shogakukan × Yoshiyuki Matsubara, Editor-in-Chief, Gakken's Encyclopedia LIVE, Gakken

Fanbase in the AI Era: What Small Companies Need to Be Chosen

Naoyuki Sato (Satonao), Communication Director / Chairman, Fanbase Company × Shoichiro Kimura, Representative Director, President, Kimura Soap Industry

"J1 Champion Kashima" President Koizumi Discusses the Conditions for Companies Loved by Fans

Fumiaki Koizumi, Director, President (Chairman), Mercari / Representative Director, President, Kashima Antlers FC

<Online Sessions>

US Estée Lauder: Building Brands in the AI Era - CDMO x Balta

Aude Gandon, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer (CDMO), The Estée Lauder Companies × Thomas Barta, Founder, The Marketing Leadership Masterclass / CEO, Marketing Leadership Institute

DX Reform of a Milk Delivery Business in a Declining Industry! Philosophy of a Second-Generation President from a Consulting Background

Ryo Nishihara, Representative Director, Meiji Cooker

*Following the above lectures, a third wave of live and online sessions is also being prepared.

●Register for free here https://events.nikkeibp.co.jp/event/2026/xtf2026/

The theme for this event is "Rethinking Marketing in the Age of AI Agents: Possibilities and Limitations of AI." Over three days, diverse lectures will be delivered on topics such as marketing DX, agentic commerce, AIO (AI Search Optimization), customer experience (CX), customer understanding, retail DX, digital advertising, and brand/cultural creation.

Generative AI is already transforming businesses and lives. With the spread of AI search and AI agents, consumer behavior is also undergoing drastic changes. We are entering an era where old business models and existing marketing methods are no longer effective.

On the other hand, perhaps as a reaction to the accelerated efficiency brought about by digitalization and DX, consumption behaviors that consciously avoid excessive time and mental performance (Tai-Pa and Men-Pa) are beginning to emerge.

The emphasis on experiences in physical stores, tangible touch, and face-to-face communication is a prime example of this trend. In the AI era, how will consumers change, and how should marketing innovate? Through cutting-edge marketing case studies and diverse seminars by experts, we will shed light on the present and future of marketing, the possibilities and limitations of AI, and coexistence and collaboration with humans.

[Event Overview]

- Name

Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026

- Dates

[Live] July 28 (Tue) - July 29 (Wed), 2026 [Online] July 30 (Thu), 2026 *All lectures are free (advance registration required)

- Venue

July 28 & 29 "Tokyo Convention Hall" https://www.tokyo.conventionhall.jp/access.html 5 minutes from Yaesu South Exit, JR "Tokyo Station" Directly connected to Exit 3, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line "Kyobashi Station"

[About Nikkei Cross Trend]

"Nikkei Cross Trend" (https://xtrend.nikkei.com/) is a digital media outlet providing information on marketing strategy, product development, and new business creation. It reports in detail on the forefront of new product development, marketing strategies, and business strategies of companies that are undergoing significant changes due to the evolution of digital technology, based on data and real-world examples. It deciphers the keys to "selling products" and "service development." The target audience includes a wide range of business professionals in corporate planning, new business development, product planning/development, systems, marketing, sales, and customer service, delivered through web and smartphone sites and smartphone apps.

◆Contact for this release

For inquiries regarding this release, please contact Nikkei Cross Trend (Phone: 03-6811-8916 / Inquiry form: https://support.nikkeibp.co.jp/app/ask_0301/p/218/). For media interview requests, please use the inquiry page on Nikkei BP's corporate website (https://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/faq/).