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Hoffman Japan and its General Manager Shingo Nomura were highlighted in a recent issue of Fuji Sankei Business i. As one of the four major dailies in Japan, the newspaper reaches 160,000 readers. Unlike in the United States where daily newspaper readership has steadily declined for years, this form of media continues to be a staple of information for the Japanese business community.
An English translation of the article follows below.
News Trendsetter – The PR Agency
Hoffman Japan K.K. was established in 2000 as The Hoffman Agency’s Japan Office. The Hoffman Agency is an independent PR agency established in 1987 in San Jose, California. The company specializes in PR activities for IT/electronics companies. The Hoffman Agency expanded into Asia and Europe along with its clients growing overseas. The Hoffman Agency currently has 13 offices in eight countries. Shingo Nomura, Hoffman Japan’s general manager, says, “IT venture firms based in the U.S. consider expanding their business overseas right from the start.”
After Mr. Nomura pursued his career at a domestic PR company where he was in charge of IT/electronics clients, he acceded to general manager of Hoffman Japan in 2002. He continues, “Above all, our utmost strength is a close cooperative relationship between our offices all over the world.” For instance, when a semiconductor company launches a new product in Japan, Taiwan and Korea, it usually has to find different PR firms for each country. However, The Hoffman Agency can offer PR plans and activities localized for each country, while the client only has to interface with a single contact. Mr. Nomura proudly says, “We are probably the only PR agency that can provide such a service structure.”
The Hoffman Agency has expertise in both message localization and announcement support methods that vary in each country. Mr. Nomura adds, “For example, the semiconductor industry has become increasingly important in Taiwan. So, usually two briefings are scheduled, one for the press and one for the analysts.” Besides supporting PR activities and marketing, Hoffman Japan provides a research service to help clients find new business partners.
Mr. Nomura concludes with a prospect of the company, “In this world of globalization, we would like to be more involved with Japanese IT firms and support them to expand their business. Hoffman Japan can be the contact point for their PR activities overseas.” If overseas advancement becomes more common for Japanese IT firms, Hoffman Japan will continue to grow.
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