我好奇故我在

Made in Japan: The Culture Behind the Brand
日本製造：品牌背後的文化

by Chauncey Zalkin
April 13, 2009 issue

(http://www.brandchannel.com/start1.asp?fa_id=473#author )

我大概主要意思都翻譯出來了，這篇文章寫的不錯。

Historically, in a simpler time before the jet age, Japan was geographically isolated, surrounded by treacherous seas and formidable fault lines. Mountains cover three-quarters of Japan. Earthquakes and challenging terrain are constant reminders of nature’s strength and have contributed to the importance Japanese people place on having a dependable, manageable social system. Japanese people value the group over the individual, and the society consequently possesses an enviable system of organization and an ethos that gave rise to innovative brands and services. The branding world has taken notice.

歷史上而言，在有噴射機時代之前，日本是一個孤立的島國，被海與斷層包圍，超過四分之三是山。地震與高原等自然的力量提醒了日本人一個獨立運作社會機制的重要性。日本人重視團體大於個體，而因此社會享有令人羨慕的組織系統以及民族特質，這些推動了創新的品牌與服務。

Lesson 1: Consideration of the Group
Kuuki wo yomu means to “read the air”—to get a sense or feeling of group sentiment. In a recent social experiment, Japanese and Western participants were shown a picture where an individual stood in front of a group and were asked to describe the situation. The Japanese test takers “read the air,” meaning they considered the facial expressions of the group behind the individual, whereas westerners focused solely on the expression of the individual to make their assessment.

第一課：考慮團體

The ability of a brand to be socially conscious and consciously expansive is crucial. Social responsibility is now inexorable to a company’s reputation.

品牌需具有社會意識以及意識擴張的能力，這非常重要。社會責任對一個企業的名譽不可或缺。

One of the fundamental principles at Toyota is genchi genbutsu, or “mutual ownership of problems”—perhaps the most accurate non-branding definition of brand engagement. The other, more famous principle is Kaisen, “continuous improvement,” a method by which all workers are motivated to compete with their own previous achievements to make the company ever better. When Toyota CEO Yuki Funo was asked if he might star in a Toyota ad, American style, he replied: “No. We would only show everybody in the company. Those are the heroes, not one single person.”

在Toyota一個最基本的原則是genchi genbutsu，問題的共同擁有權，或許這是品牌管理最精準的定義。另一個，最知名的原則Kaisen—持續的改進，一種激勵所有的員工，跟先前自己的成就相比，讓公司更好。當Toyota CEO Yuki Funo被問到他是否會在一個Toyota廣告中，就像美式風格那樣自己主演，他回答說：「不，我們只會展現出公司的每一份子。這些人才是英雄，不是單一一個人。」

This privileging of the group over the individual is evident in Sony’s core beliefs. In Sony’s founding prospectus, the company states that as part of its mission it wants to provide an environment where its engineers can work “to their heart’s content,” thus “fulfilling their societal mission.” In Made in Japan, a book about the history of Sony, author Akio Morita explains the difference between a company whose agenda is to improve the bottom line and one that makes its goal to create better products. He referred to companies driven by efficiency as “machine-like” and “de-humanizing” and says that when you create a mission larger than the individual, larger than the goal of salary, you provide a deeper satisfaction for the worker. For people who don’t understand the difference between branding and advertising, this is a good place to begin one’s education. Branding is about values; advertising is about selling stuff.

在Sony的核心信念中，團體凌駕於個人展現無餘。在Sony創辦書中，公司陳述其有一部份的使命是提供一個環境讓工程師可以盡心發揮，因此可以完成他們的社會使用。在「Made in Japan」一書有關Sony的歷史，作者Akio Morita解釋一個公司目標專注於「獲利」，跟專注於「創造更好的產品」是不同的。他認為前者公司是受有如機械一般、無人性化的「效率」驅動，而後者你創造一個大於個人的使用，比薪水的目標還要高遠，你提供給員工一個更深層的滿足感。

Lesson 2: Ritual and Restraint
One set of slippers is for the house. Another, for the bathroom. Sake comes before, not during, the meal. After a Japanese meeting, it’s time for karaoke and raucous good times. The working day is done. Each experience has its place, and for that time, every other experience is put aside.

第二課：儀式與限制

一雙拖鞋室內用，另一雙欲適用。清酒在飯前喝，不是吃飯時喝。在日本會議後，就是卡拉OK歡樂喧鬧時間。工作已經告一個段落。每一個經驗都有其適當的位置以及時機點，在這個時機點外，其他的事情一律放下。

Japanese patterns and rituals have the ability to clear the senses, to reorder what the mind takes in. Interiors are marked by clean, minimal lines and stripped to their bare essence. Nature is controlled in Zen gardens or the pruning of a bonsai tree. Each object in the landscape is distinct and pure. This sense of order is characteristic of Japanese brands. China might be the quickest in turnaround, but Japan is still the most meticulous. It is this quality that consumers associate with the most prestigious Japanese brands and that other brands want to imitate. Imitation, however, cannot easily replicate a centuries-old sensibility.

日本的生活規律以及儀式可以幫助思慮清澄，讓腦袋知道何時該作什麼。室內設計以乾淨、簡單線條以及呈現本質為特色。禪意花園或是經過修剪的盆栽，有意的呈現自然。每件庭院設計的物品都具有其特色以及純粹。這種秩序感是日本品牌的特性。大陸或許可以很快速應變，但是日本對於變化是謹慎看待。消費者常將最頂級的日本品牌與品質作連結，這種品質是其他品牌想要模仿的。但是，模仿很難取代長達世紀之久的感受。

Shibui means unobtrusive beauty. Wabi sabi is the reflection of inner perfection, simplicity, the rustic and the unembellished. The company Uniqlo, whose 768 stores have annual sales to date of ¥462.3 billion (US$ 5.1 billion) and include locations in the US, UK, Hong Kong, China, Korea and France, is founded on the premise of high-quality, unadorned casual clothes for everybody using the best, most innovative materials and ever-evolving processes that allow the individual to come through by way of his or her own dressing habits. Muji, a simple lifestyle brand that uses natural and recycled materials and employs top designers whose names are absent from all packaging and merchandising, is thriving, with 433 stores across 16 countries. There are no unnecessary frills in Muji’s design, and the price shows an equal amount of humility of spirit.

Shibui 意思是低調的美，Wabi sabi (侘寂之美)指內在的完美、單純、質樸以及不加裝飾的反射。優衣庫(Uniqlo)公司其有768家店，到目前為止本年度營業額約51億美元以及包括在美國、英國、香港、大陸、韓國、法國都有據點。公司奠基於高品質、提供給每個人的樸素的休閒服，使用最好、最新進的布料以及不斷改進的生產過程讓個人穿衣品味可以被看見。無印良品(Muji)，一個訴求簡單生活的品牌，使用自然以及回收材料並且讓頂級設計師的名字不出現在包裝或商品上，也是生意繁榮。其有433家店橫跨16個國家。無印良品的設計沒有不必要的裝飾，而且價格呈現出同等的謙虛精神。

From Uniqlo’s simple pared-down clothes to Muji’s guileless design excellence at pared-down prices, simplicity and paying homage to the most basic essence of our habits is the key to success—and an example of how living the brand means much more than just selling products.

從Uniqlo儉樸的衣服到Muji以平價提供原汁原味的一流設計，簡潔以及對生活品質的尊崇是成功的關鍵，也是身體力行品牌精神比單賣產品重要的例子。

Lesson 3: Reverence for Nature and the Human Touch
Products that exhibit the human touch and an understanding of the environment are what consumers—and society—demand now. Japan is known for sci-fi style innovation but also for employing nature’s materials in unique and reverent ways.

第三課：對自然以及人性化的尊崇

產品需展現出人性化以及對環境的瞭解，這是當今消費者以及社會的要求。日本以科幻式的創新，以及以獨特恭敬的方式使用自然材質聞名。

Japan’s ancient Shinto religion is based on reverence for nature and the power of the spirit of animals. Later, Zen Buddhism paid homage to nature in the form of pristinely preserved rock gardens and an abundant use of natural materials. In 2008, the New York Times acknowledged Japan as one of the world’s most energy-frugal developed nations, citing its single-minded dedication to reducing energy use. The 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit was wholly dedicated to measures to counteract global warming in every industry, in government and in civilian life.

日本的古老神道(Shinto)宗教是根基於尊崇自然以及動物靈性力量。之後，禪宗以純樸保持山石園林以及大量使用自然質材的方式，對自然獻上敬意。在2008年，紐約雜誌認為日本是世界上最節省能源的已開發國家之一，一心一意於節省能源。2008年的八大工業國國家(G8)北海道高峰會就全心想要解決每個產業、政府、以及老百姓生活中的溫室效益問題。

Number five of Toyota’s 14 guiding principles is “be reverent, and show gratitude for things great and small in thought and deed.” A brand called “Japan Brand” takes the incredible wealth of traditional techniques and materials in each area of Japan and creates new products for the contemporary environment. The three tenets of the brand are Artisan Quality, Practical Beauty and Regional Spirit. The company utilizes local resources, local craftsman and local entrepreneurship to keep the traditions of metal casting, woodworking, natural dying processes and textile making alive, all with modern use in mind.

Toyota 十四條首則中的第五條是「對我們所思所做的大小事都懷有敬意、心存感激。」一個叫Japan Brand的品牌將日本各角落的豐富的傳統工藝技術並創造出符合當今環境的新產品。此品牌的三個宗旨是工匠品質、實體美感以及當地精神。公司利用當地資源、當地工匠以及當地企業以現代使用的眼光來看傳統的金屬澆鑄、木工、自然染色過程以及紡織，使之存續下去。

Superb craftsmanship, strict standards and attention to detail are what make Japanese brands the envy of other brands and the example to be followed when developing brand identities. But it’s the deeper cultural differences long embedded in Japanese society that are hyper-relevant to living and branding in a new, more accountable world.

一流的工藝技術、嚴格的標準以及對細節的注意是日本品牌被其他品牌所羨慕的原因，也是發展品牌識別可遵循的好例子。但是日本社會本身所有的深度的文化差異是生活以及塑造品牌在一個新的、更具有使命感的世界的最大的關鍵。

An annual Japanese tradition is the Ohsoji, which means “big clean-up,” and refers to the occasion when Japanese people clean their entire house from top to bottom. Nowadays, however, that tradition can be expanded to include the sense of stewardship and responsibility the Japanese people feel about not just keeping their own homes in order, but also the environment. Japanese brands, not surprisingly, have embraced this sensibility and exhibit their concern via many initiatives. Subaru, for example, uses 28 percent less energy in its factories than in 1990 and already meets the 2010 fuel economy standards set for Japan, the United States and Europe. Subaru’s new cars are built so that materials are easier to separate in recycling. They and most major Japanese manufacturers recycle airbags, fluorocarbons and other difficult materials. Honda Motors was voted greenest automaker by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the fourth time in a row. Aside from the Prius being one of the best-known hybrid vehicles, Toyota continues to improve plant-based plastics used to reduce the carbon footprint during the life of the car.

日本年度的一個傳統Ohsoji，意思是大掃除，指日本人從頭到底打掃自家屋子。然而，現今這個傳統已經延伸擴大為不僅讓自己的家僅僅井然還包括環境的管理責任。不意外地，日本品牌也擁有這樣的感性，並且透過許多主動的提議表現其關心。譬如Subaru與1990年比較起來，減少了工廠28%的能源使用，已經達到日本、美國、歐洲所共同設定的2010年燃油經濟標準。Subaru所建造的新車，其材料可以輕易分解再回收。Subaru與日本大部分的車子製造商回收安全氣囊、碳氟化合物以及其他不同的材料。Honda汽車被「科學工作者關懷聯盟」 (Union of Concerned Scientists)連續四年票選為最環保的車商。除了TOYOTA Prius是最知名的混合動力電動車之一外，Toyota持續改進植物性塑膠來減少車子使用時所產生的碳足跡。

Japan’s Home Appliance Recycling Law already requires that citizens recycle household appliances. One of the 48 recycling factories dedicated to the project is owned by Panasonic, which does not lose money in the deal. Panasonic collects leftover tempura oil from employees and cafeterias and uses it for biofuel for its buses and trucks as well.

日本家電回收政策已經要求市民回收家電，致力於此計畫有48家回收廠，其中一家為Panasonic所擁有，而且在這項交易中其不賠錢。Panasonic收集員工以及餐廳不要的甜不辣用油，轉化油作為Panasonic的公車以及卡車的生質燃料。

In Conclusion
Brands are about values, and values are about people. It is the Japanese people—their culture, their society and their sensibilities—that are the power behind Japanese brands. From Toyota to Sony and Muji to Uniqlo, Japanese brands enjoy global respect for their high quality, attention to detail, technological edge and commitment to the environment. Japan, take a bow.