Kuwabara Takeo Seminar

2020.07.22 / Marketing, Data Science

The core of activities at SFC is the "seminar." Faculty and students think together while conducting advanced research, and students develop a high level of expertise by tackling real-world problems.

This is a seminar that is, above all, student-led.

Students prepare the content for the lectures. Sometimes I lecture at the students' request, and other times the students teach each other. The faculty members are really just there to provide opportunities and data, supporting their learning.

The research topics are also freely decided by the students based on their interests. The Kuwabara Seminar has several long-standing projects in collaboration with companies and organizations, as well as multiple projects that students have initiated themselves based on their interests. While they are beginners in marketing, they join a senior student's team to learn, and eventually, they set their own theme and complete a graduation project.

In addition to our regular research, we also hold the Kuwabara Seminar's own business contest. We partner with actual companies who provide the themes, and students work on them in teams different from their usual research groups.

In doing so, we place a strong emphasis on conducting research and discussions in teams rather than individually. I want to convey to the students the power of creating "innovation" through interaction with others. "Innovation" often arises from "collaboration." I hope they will actively participate in other seminars as well, constantly updating their information and ideas.

Two alumni serve as an example of "collaboration" in action.

Even when they were students, the two collaborated on writing their master's theses, and it seems their relationship has continued long after graduation, as they work together on serializing and publishing books about branding while holding corporate jobs. They are still presenting new ways of thinking about brands through these activities. Their example is highly collaborative and truly embodies the importance of a "team."

Another alumnus, who worked for a company for five years and started his own business in the sixth year, was one of the people who gathered when I decided I wanted to work on "entertainment marketing," and he has contributed to realizing joint research projects with various fields.

I want to capture social changes from a long-term marketing perspective.

In the 2000s, for example, there was the Lehman Shock, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is said that the coronavirus changed people's consumption habits, but I want to show with data that this is not the case. The demand for luxury brands has shrunk, and the nature of advertising has changed with the rise of digital marketing. This shift had already begun before COVID-19; the pandemic merely accelerated it.

Although our defensive capabilities have improved due to technological advancements and digitalization, we must recognize that the greatest crisis is our inability to take the next step—a paradigm shift. This requires identifying changes and pursuing major innovations at an early stage. I want to objectively prove this "change" through marketing.

I think they are very diverse, with students going into advertising agencies, manufacturers, consulting, IT, startups, and other industries.

It's a business-oriented seminar, and we have students who are members of the Athletic Association, students who are passionate about club activities, and students who are doing long-term internships off-campus. In that sense, I think students with various backgrounds liven up the seminar by leveraging each other's knowledge and experience.

The level of busyness depends on the person. The project teams collaborating with the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) and the SFC Administration Office are busy, and passionate teams generate new tasks every week. There is also an atmosphere where senior students mentor junior students, and seniors also learn from their juniors.

Yuto Nagase

2019 Kuwabara Takeo Seminar Leader

You will acquire data analysis skills using programming languages like R or Python.

Since there are many opportunities to give presentations, my public speaking skills were naturally honed.

As I progressed through the years, I also developed the expressive ability to present the results of data analysis in a clear slide structure and to communicate logically and comprehensibly.

Some new students have little knowledge of marketing, but I believe they can quickly grasp marketing frameworks like the 4Ps and 3Cs through the seminar's lectures and books. If you are interested in marketing, this is a seminar I strongly encourage you to knock on the door of.

Profile of Professor Takeo Kuwabara, Faculty of Policy Management

If you are going to a university in Japan, there are only these two options. That's how unique SFC is. If you are satisfied with learning within an established curriculum, you should choose a regular university.

At SFC, a wide range of advanced research is spread out flatly, and even in regular classes, there are abundant opportunities to learn not only from faculty but also from professionals in various fields who come as guest speakers. I really want people who enjoy choosing for themselves and gaining unique insights and innovations to come to SFC. (Professor Takeo Kuwabara)

I can say that with confidence because SFC is a place of learning with an environment where you can acquire a wealth of experience and knowledge. This is because, in addition to the excellent faculty, practical lectures, and state-of-the-art facilities, it is a gathering place for "students from the future" who have high aspirations to update society and create a better future.

Precisely because the environment is so wonderful, it is also a place that tests your attitude and spirit to continue learning spontaneously with a will to grow voraciously. SFC is the perfect place for people who are full of curiosity and can take on any challenge with excitement. (Yuto Nagase, 4th year, Faculty of Policy Management)

Interview and production cooperation: Kuwabara Takeo Seminar PR Team