Strategy

    • News

    ・ June 23, 2026

    Custom Media’s AIM B2B Launches South Korea Office to Support Growing Demand for Market Entry and Expansion

    Tokyo-based B2B agency strengthens its presence in Seoul to help global companies accelerate growth in the region.
    • Podcast

    ・ June 18, 2026

    Episode 12 – Marketing Transformation in the AI Era: Storytelling, Trust, and Leadership with Dr. Laura Bonamici

    Asia AIM Podcast Episode 12 – Dr. Laura Bonamici on why marketing must lead enterprise transformation, how storytelling beats AI noise, and why radical curiosity is the skill of 2026.
    • Blog

    ・ June 11, 2026

    Understanding Japan’s Energy Transition: A Guide for New Entrants

    Japan’s energy market is opening, but navigating Japan energy policy, renewable energy Japan investment, and regulatory complexity requires more than capital. Here’s what new entrants need to know.
    • Blog

    ・ June 1, 2026

    The SaaS Source: May 2026

    This month’s roundup covers the latest innovations and developments from Japan’s SaaS industry, including a cloud hospital platform closing a ¥3 billion Series C on the back of new government digitization mandates, an all-in-one hospitality SaaS raising its Series A amid Japan’s inbound tourism surge, a sales AI agent attracting regional bank CVCs with early ARR traction and a CRM automation pitch and a seed-stage startup that lets SaaS companies plug generative AI camera vision into their existing products without building the infrastructure themselves.
    • Blog

    ・ May 22, 2026

    Japan’s $385bn M&A Boom: B2B Marketing’s Biggest Blind Spot

    Last year, Japan recorded $385.9bn in M&A activity – the highest since records began in 1998. That’s hundreds of companies facing new ownership, repositioned brands, and stakeholders whose trust is suddenly in question. The marketing industry should be in the room for every one of those deals. It isn’t. That’s the biggest missed B2B opportunity in APAC right now.
    • Podcast

    ・ May 19, 2026

    Episode 11 – Japan’s Talent “Epidemic” (and How to Fix It), with Dr. David Sweet

    Japan’s talent shortage is not a pipeline problem. It is, in David Sweet’s own words, an epidemic, and most foreign companies are making it worse by using the wrong tools and hiring for the wrong things.  In Episode 11 of the Asia AIM Podcast, host Robert Heldt speaks with Dr. David Sweet, founder and CEO of FocusCore Group. With nearly three decades in Tokyo executive search, David explains why LinkedIn is a mirage, why authority matters more than salary at the C-suite level and what every expat leader should do on day one in Japan.
    • Blog

    ・ May 11, 2026

    Agility of Independents. Strength of a Global Network.

    Four years ago, six of us had sat in a room at the Hotel Indigo in Bali, talking about what this network could become. The ambition wasn’t growth for its own sake. It was the right combination of independent agencies, willing to learn from each other, challenge each other and grow together. Returning this April, that ambition felt more real. Twenty-five of us, 12 agencies across the region. Humbling, but also a sign of something bigger happening in our industry. This is the era of the independent agency.
    • Blog

    ・ April 28, 2026

    Cybersecurity Compliance for Foreign Firms Entering Japan

    Entering Japan’s market means navigating a patchwork of cybersecurity laws, from the far-reaching APPI to sector-specific ESPA requirements. Unlike the US or EU, Japan has no single overarching framework, making compliance both nuanced and critical. For foreign firms, getting it right isn’t just a legal obligation. It’s the foundation of trust in one of the world’s most reputation-driven business environments.
    • Podcast

    ・ April 21, 2026

    Episode 10 – B2B Buyer Journey Reset: How AI Is Driving the Silent Shortlist, with Halel Porat

    B2B buyers are already 60 to 80% through their decision before they ever contact your team. In Episode 10 of the Asia AIM Podcast, Trendemon COO Halel Porat explains how the rise of AI is reshaping the B2B buyer journey and what marketers need to do right now to stay visible.
    • Blog

    ・ April 8, 2026

    Beyond Stability: Why Global Manufacturers Are Prioritizing Japan in 2026

    Japan’s manufacturing sector is undergoing a dramatic shift. Driven by a critical labor shortage, strict green energy mandates, and a government-backed semiconductor revival, the country is actively seeking foreign industrial partners. For global manufacturers, the opportunity is real, but capturing it demands local presence, cultural fluency, and a value proposition tailored to Japan’s most pressing challenges.
    • Blog

    ・ March 27, 2026

    The B2B Buyer Journey Has Gone Agentic: Key Takeaways from Our Webinar with Trendemon

    AIM B2B and Trendemon’s March 18 webinar unpacks how the B2B buyer journey has gone agentic and what marketers must do to turn their websites into real-time answer engines before buyers finalize their shortlists.
    • Podcast

    ・ March 18, 2026

    Episode 9 – Beyond Marketing: Why Your Brand Should Run the Business with Andreas Moellmann

    Most leadership teams treat brand as a cost. Andreas Moellmann reveals why your brand should be a decision-making system that runs the business.

Ready to break barriers and drive your success with us? Let’s move forward together—Always Forward.

Meet Us