The service, named Japan Buzz, aims to tap into the expected growth in social media use in Japan over the coming years. Fit Digital says recent studies have shown that half of Japanese companies are increasing their social media budgets this year.
Kana Morita (pictured), who heads Japan Buzz, says that social media in Japan, including Facebook and Twitter, but also popular local service Mixi, is "red hot for brands" at the moment. Japan is one of the few nations to maintain its own online social-network platforms with the surge of international popularity for Facebook. But now, with Facebook having made significant penetration into the market, social networking in all its forms is becoming a vital place for brands to communicate with their customers.
"The time where brands could rely on one-way sales has long gone in Japan," she told Campaign. "Mutual dialogue is a great way for brands to educate themselves and evolve to survive in this tough economic environment."
Fit Digital is based in the UK and has previously worked with a number of both Japanese and Western brands, including Ron Zacapa, Google, Profero, and Global Click.
The new service does not yet have a brick-and-mortar presence in Japan. However, the agency says Japan Buzz is utilising its strong network throughout the market there and plans to open an office in the near future. Japan Buzz will concentrate its offering on the Facebook, Twitter, and Mixi platforms.
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