The Stories Brands Tell

 

Stories sell. We all have heard this countless times and have seen hundreds if not thousands of ads of courses teaching how to tell stories. Yet, while stories do sell, what does it mean creating and telling a brand story in Japan?

In my previous article, I looked at a conversation with my friend Misako I., who admitted that, although she admired Shohei Otani, she found it easier to root for Ichiro Suzuki. What she said made it clear that it was not about talent or even success, but about the journey of each player, and whether fans had been invited into the process. 

This conversation pointed to a broader cultural tendency of the way brands present themselves to and connect with their audiences. 

Beyond Awards and Market Leadership

Many companies entering Japan introduce themselves by highlighting what they have already achieved. They are market leaders, award winners, innovators or global brands trusted by millions. These claims do build credibility. But while their entry in the Japanese market sparks curiosity and looks promising at first, many of them do not manage to stay in Japan for long. The reasons, of course, vary, but one of them is that they never gave Japanese audiences a reason to feel personally invested in their story.

The Process Is the Brand

You probably have heard this before: Japan is a process-oriented society. If you have lived and worked in Japan, you have experienced it firs-hand, too. But how does this translate into wininning customers’ trust through branding and advertising?

Looking at Muji, a Japanese lifestyle brand, their products, although appearing almost anonymous, are regarded as fashionable and continue being in demand. The company constantly features the engineers and creators of the products, and communicates a narrative of subtraction: they remove the unnecessary, refine details, and tirelessly improve everyday objects. 

Shimano tells unforgettable human stories about engineers, fishermen and cyclists, positioning innovation as the result of decades of listening, testing and refining rather than sudden breakthroughs.

Kyosera constantly goes back to the philosophy of its founder, Kazuo Inamori, which is about the development of people and long-term thinking rather than just celebrating technological achievements. 

Toyota’s manufacturing philosophy, too, is seldom presented just as superior engineering. Instead, the company continually explains concepts such as kaizen, problem-solving and continuous improvement. Their story is not “our cars are excellent” but  “this is how we relentlessly pursue excellence.”

The Story Is in the Becoming

This is not to say that Japanese companies focus only on telling the world who they are. Many companies advertising their products and services certainly tell their customers’ stories. Advertisements celebrate families, personal aspirations and everyday moments, much like their Western counterparts. What is distinctive is that they often devote equal attention to telling their own story, too.

What the above examples have in common is that while the finished product is there, it is almost never the hero. It is the reason to tell the story of the founder, the engineer, the production line worker or the customer.

And the essence of the story is the process of becoming. It builds trust in the company that is based not only on the achievement as a moment of excellence, detached from all the effort and struggle that made it possible, but on an emotional engagement that is achieved by allowing the audiences to see your imperfections and the process of becoming better. 

Excellence Needs a Story

This does not mean that only Japanese companies understand the power of becoming. Western companies that have succeeded globaly arrive at a similar destination, although from a different direction.

Some of the world’s most successful brands have built entire identities around the journey rather than the destination. 

Nike, probably the most iconic of all, doesn’t tell us that its products perform well. Instead, its advertising invites us into stories of perseverance, self-doubt, sacrifice and resilience. The heroes are ordinary people striving to become something more than they were yesterday. The product is present, but almost secondary. What customers buy into is the possibility of personal transformation.

Apple has done something similar, although through creativity rather than athletic achievement. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical specifications, its storytelling has long celebrated the people who challenge convention, experiment, create and imagine. The technology becomes meaningful because it accompanies a journey of becoming.

Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign suceeded not because it told how good their soap was but because it elevated customers’ own stories that challenged prevailing beauty narratives.

Making Success Relatable

Japanese audiences, however, seem to look for character alongside competence. They are interested in the founders, the engineers, the philosophy, the failures that shaped the organisation and the continuous improvements that followed. These stories show sincerity, vulnerability, persistence and commitment in much the same way Ichiro’s career resonated with Misako: the achievements matter, but the path taken to reach them matters just as much.

Stories of perseverance invite people into the experience. They allow customers to witness the difficult decisions, the years of refinement, the countless prototypes that never reached the market, the lessons learned from failure and the commitment to continuous improvement. Therefore, excellence no longer appears effortless. Instead, it feels earned, relatable and achievable. 

How Marketing Reflects Culture

This is also an expression of something that goes beyond marketing. Throughout Japanese society, effort itself carries social value. The willingness to persist, to improve gradually and to dedicate oneself to mastering a craft earns respect independently of the final outcome. Marketing, in many ways, mirrors those broader cultural expectations.

Don’t Just Show the Summit

For foreign brands entering Japan, this presents the question:

Is your communication focusing exclusively on success, awards and market leadership? Or, are you giving Japanese audiences enough to connect with emotionally?

Because what they are looking for is not just another declaration of excellence.

If they understand the people behind the company, the obstacles that have been overcome, the mistakes that you have recovered from, the improvements you have made over the years, they will see not just the summit, but the climb, too. Then your brand becomes not just something to admire but something they can relate to.

Every Brand Has a Journey

Every organization has a journey, every product has a history, every innovation began with uncertainty, and those stories deserve to be told. 

In Japan, you will find audiences that are not only willing to listen but to connect with your brand when you use your authentic voice and the story resonates.