September 2019

Translating a Silicon Valley Culture in Japan

By Shingo Nomura, Vice President, North Asia for The Hoffman Agency I joined The Hoffman Agency to lead its Japan office in 2002. After roughly four years at a traditional local PR company in Japan, I found the idea of blending a Silicon Valley mentality with the Japanese way quite appealing. While I didn’t understand exactly [...]

February 2019

The Secret Sauce Behind Global Collaboration

To “borrow” a line, offices don’t work with each other. People work with each other. With this in mind, the Agency has taken steps in its operation and implemented several programs all in the name of helping staff members get to know their colleagues in other offices around the world. One of these programs is [...]

September 2018

Translating a Silicon Valley Culture in Japan

By Shingo Nomura, Vice President, North Asia for The Hoffman Agency I joined The Hoffman Agency to lead its Japan office in 2002. After roughly four years at a traditional local PR company in Japan, I found the idea of blending a Silicon Valley mentality with the Japanese way quite appealing. While I didn’t understand exactly [...]

May 2016

PR Agency Offsite, Japan Style

As in the U.S., company offsites are quite common in Japan. The history goes back to before the World War II when appreciation for everyone’s hard work was rewarded with a trip to a hot springs. Furthermore, there’s a tradition of what’s called the Graduate trip in most Japanese elementary schools, [...]

March 2016

“I Couldn’t Take Those Rude Emails Anymore”

Kaori Saito launched our operation in Japan. As you’ll hear from her, she didn’t want the job. I remember a breakfast meeting at Hobee’s and her challenging me with “Why do you even think I can do this job?” But she was the right person for the job. She was a [...]