On Saturday, December 17, 2022, the final round of the Marketing Competition Japan (MCJ) was held at Anchor Kobe and hosted by Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. Two teams from the Fukuoka Seminar in GIS participated in the finals, with 50SN (Mizuki Hosoi/Senior, Maiko Oyama/Junior, Thuuyen Dao/Junior) and Not Found 404 (Momoko Ikeda/Senior, Aya Ishikawa/Junior, Jinryu Okugawa/Junior, Mayu Sudo/Junior) winning first prize and third prize respectively. This is the fifth consecutive time that a team from Fukuoka Seminar has won the competition, following a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19.

The topic for the last two years has been global marketing: in 2021 the focus was on the U.S. market and this year’s topic was to develop a marketing plan for the Taiwanese and Chinese markets to increase awareness and sales for the artisanal products made by Nosaku Corporation, a tin casting manufacturer based in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, founded in 1916.

“My seminar students were able to develop a good marketing plan using academic knowledge about global marketing acquired through studying international business management and strategy in my seminar”, said Professor Fukuoka, “moreover, I believe that the proactive efforts of the seminar students brought these dazzling results. What I did was provide the seminar students with the opportunity to join the competition. Last but not least, a team that could not participate in the finals also actively supported the finalists. I am proud of all the seminar students.”

Below are comments from the members of the winning and 3rd prize teams:

-HOSOI, Mizuki
I am very happy that our efforts over the past two months have paid off and that we were able to win first place in the MCJ. Especially because last year I was one step short of reaching that goal, so this year I was determined to win first place at any cost and gave it my all. I am also honored to have been able to contribute to the Fukuoka Seminar’s fifth consecutive year of winning first place. We could not have achieved this without the efforts of my teammates, the support of my seminar members, and the advice from Dr Fukuoka. I sincerely thank every single person.　

-OYAMA, Maiko
It is sincerely a great honor to receive the MCJ first prize. This competition was a precious opportunity for me to challenge myself to use all the skills and knowledge I have gained so far. I would also like to thank my teammates who were truly considerate, supportive, and diligent. Also, our idea wouldn’t be feasible without the great support we got from Dr. Fukuoka and our seminar members. Thank you to all for the advice and support!

-DAO, Thuuyen
There are no words that can describe how happy I was to win the first prize at MCJ. I couldn’t believe that we did it. To me, participating in MCJ was such a valuable, memorable opportunity. It was hard but full of excitement, and challenges. I could apply all my knowledge as well as skills that I gained from classes at school and work experience to this contest. But more than that, I believe the success came from all the effort and creativity of my teammates. They are the best, most hardworking, talented people I have ever worked with. I also appreciate Dr Fukuoka and the other members of our seminar for their advice, comments, and contribution. We couldn’t have made it without their cooperation!

-IKEDA, Momoko
It is a great honor to win third place at MCJ. I strongly believe this result couldn’t have been achieved without many hours of meetings, repeated practices, and most importantly, the contribution of our team members. I hope that I can make the most of this experience at MCJ for my future career. Lastly, I would like to appreciate all the seminar students and Dr Fukuoka, who has supported our group all the way through the competition.

-ISHIKAWA, Aya
It is an honor to have won the third prize at MCJ, and I am truly grateful for this experience and opportunity. I also appreciate the support and advice from my teammates, other seminar members and Dr. Fukuoka.

-OKUGAWA, Jinryu
It is an honor to have won the MCJ third prize and it was a great opportunity for me to create a marketing plan and present it at such an event. However, I have felt that there was room for improvement and want to make this experience a lesson, hopefully doing better next year.

-SUTO, Mayu
I am glad to receive third place at MCJ and I am thankful for all the support we have received. At the same time, I felt that I could have done more. I would like to learn from this experience and do better next year.