Using a Marketing Lens to Tackle Business Challenges

—You are currently responsible for marketing within the Digital Innovation Department, but I understand that you initially worked in a different area when you first joined the company as a new graduate.

Rena Kobayashi:The Digital Innovation Department is relatively new, and our members come from a variety of backgrounds. I joined Marubeni Corporation out of a desire to support emerging economies, and was involved in power plant construction and operations in East and Southeast Asia as part of the Power Division, developing locally-based businesses.

When I was living in New York City during a leave of absence, I became interested in digital marketing, which drove me to learn more in graduate school. Upon returning to Japan, I transferred to the Digital Innovation Department (then the Digital Innovation Office).Power plant construction and digital marketing may seem unrelated, but the principles of marketing are universally applicable. That’s why I wanted to use marketing to help drive Marubeni’s future growth.

—What kinds of marketing projects have you been involved in?

Kobayashi:I’ve worked on a variety of projects, from B2B to B2C, including developing branding strategies for food products, designing business models for real estate transactions, and improving user experience for e-commerce.

Marubeni’s wide-ranging business domains are both a significant strength and a unique appeal. Being involved in so many business categories necessitates a broad spectrum of marketing activities. About 20-30% of the Digital Innovation Department’s members focus on marketing, with each of us bringing unique expertise to different projects.

Our roles vary depending on the project or problem at hand. Sometimes, we handle specific technical solutions, such as website optimization. At other times, we take a broader view in order to develop comprehensive marketing strategies. In recent years, we’ve shifted away from isolated measures to a more holistic approach, identifying core business issues and collaborating closely with business managers to formulate strategic solutions.

Image: Rena Kobayashi

Deploying a Range of Digital and Traditional Strategies

—What do you see as the strengths and appeal of marketing within a general trading company like Marubeni?

Kobayashi:The Digital Innovation Department acts as a hub that attracts consultations from all parts of the company, cutting across industries and departmental lines. While our sales professionals are experts in their respective industries, we leverage business insights from a range of fields and our digital expertise to create innovative solutions. This dynamic is what makes the work so engaging and is one of our core strengths.

Each division’s personnel bring years of accumulated knowledge and experience, and it is highly rewarding to bring our digital expertise to the table and collaborate with them to create new businesses and solve challenges.

—It seems there will be more opportunities to lead marketing initiatives across various business units in the future.

Kobayashi:For trading companies, a marketing perspective will become increasingly important in all phases of business development, from startup to growth, and even when exiting a sector. Assessing business strategies through a marketing lens—be it via digital initiatives or traditional sales channels—enables us to drive more impactful business outcomes.

Looking ahead, I hope we can go even further by directly participating in the management of business units and working closely with them to navigate complex business environments. I see the Digital Innovation Department evolving into a catalyst for transformative change within Marubeni.

Expanding the Reach of Marketing Across the Organization

—Are there areas where you would like to focus on utilizing digital technology in the future?

Kobayashi:Personally, I have always been passionate about supporting developing countries and addressing environmental issues, and I would like to explore how digital technology can help build a sustainable society. Last July, our department launched Marubeni Chatbot that utilizes large language models (LLMs). We are working to make the most of AI capabilities to enhance the efficiency of marketing operations.

At the same time, I believe it is essential to promote the use of such tools within the company, beyond individual use. The development of the chatbot has created opportunities for in-house training and seminars on generative AI, and improving digital literacy throughout the company is a critical responsibility for the Digital Innovation Department.

We aim to foster collaboration that leverages insights from sales with a strong marketing perspective to address fundamental challenges.

—It seems that the range of marketing initiatives will continue to expand in both digital and traditional settings.

Kobayashi:Alongside our involvement in digital initiatives such as digital marketing and AI, we have also accumulated the knowledge and skills needed to propose solutions for fundamental business issues. We are working to strengthen our communication as a department and anticipate the scope of our activities will continue to grow.

Marubeni operates across the entire supply chain, and its diverse capital initiatives make it easier to create new business opportunities. Collaborations across different business sectors will further extend the scope of our work. There are unique opportunities that we can pursue precisely because we are a general trading company.

Colleagues like Mr. Ehara from our department have been seconded to subsidiaries as Chief Marketing Officers, illustrating not just the breadth of industries we cover but also the diverse roles we play. Regardless of project size, I hope our department will continue to address fundamental challenges in various businesses by leveraging both digital and non-digital strategies.