On Sunday, December 2nd, 2018, the Faculty Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration-academia collaboration team, consisting of second-year students from Ohira Susumu's seminar, Takeda Naoki (graduated from Chiba Keiai High School), Ishii Hiroaki (graduated from Sosa High School), and Kamikubo Hisaki (graduated from Funabashi Shibayama High School), participated in the "Discover the Charm! Kita-ku Tokyo Student Presentation Contest 2018," a business contest sponsored by Kita-ku, Tokyo, and won the "Fighting Spirit Award."
In Ohira's seminar, they learn the basics of marketing strategy and analyze marketing activities from a corporate perspective. This time, the three students participated in the contest because they wanted to put the knowledge they learned in the seminar into practice.
A total of 41 people from eight teams from four universities participated in this competition, competing in a presentation format with the theme of "Attractive new bicycle product ideas." The judging was based on seven criteria: "ability to gather information," "logic," "specificity," "originality," "presentation ability," "enthusiasm," and "ability to respond to questions."
In line with each team's theme, the participants considered new product ideas for bicycles made by local companies that could take advantage of their strengths. They carried out research and studies over a period of about six months.
Takeda and his team carried out their activities based on the product development process they learned in class. First, they selected a target market segment through interviews with companies. They found potential in a "practical, high-priced bicycle for commuting to work or school," and created a concept by evaluating the "problems customers face" and "needs." As a result, they proposed the adoption of a "regenerative braking system" that uses springs to make stopping and starting smoother, a "one-touch locking system" that shortens the time it takes to lock, and a "stylish rear basket" that solves the problem of parking. To support the feasibility of the concept, they also conducted a survey to investigate purchase intentions using the concept statement, and concluded that "it could be sold even at 78,000 yen."
Looking back on the activity, Ishii said, "I realized how deep marketing is, as detailed analysis is required." Kamikubo added, "You can't differentiate yourself by just 'making' a better product. I'm glad I got to experience the difficulty of considering consumer needs." Takeda, who was the first to raise his hand upon hearing about the contest, said, "Even though I learned about it in class, I was unsure of where to start when it came to actually developing a product. With advice from my teacher, I was able to give it shape. I would like to use this experience to get involved in product development in the future."
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