Per Rasmussen: Brand Marketing Guru

Show Notes

If you are interested in Brand Marketing you will love this episode of Business & Beers. I sit down for beers (and martinis) with marketing guru Mr. Per Rasmussen. For the past 30 years, Per has been either, head of marketing or president of four major European consumer goods companies in Japan. At both Lego and T-fal he solidified his legacy as a marketing genius by creating a famous TV commercial jingle (#3 Law of the mind), launching a new (still market leading) product category (#2 Law of the category), and localizing existing SKU's to create a 17-year hit product (#6 Law of exclusivity). We also discuss the book "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing". We had our conversation at The R2 Supper Club in Roppongi where Per educates me on the "original" James Bond martini. Seriously, Per knows Brand Marketing and Japan, so enjoy! Some other highlights from our conversation:

Why traditionally Japanese companies are not very good at marketing
How he came up with the T-fal TV commercial jingle (he stole it)
The best way for consumer goods companies to influence the consumer
Why being a foreign boss in Japan is akin to being a court jester
The Bugatti Lego story
Greatest accomplishment over his 30 year career in Japan
"In Japan, Creativity is not Educational"
Why ad agencies are often the de facto marketing arm for Japanese companies
The insights from two years of market research on how Japanese boil water - led to a market-leading product launch
How a "product-function" became a recognized brand in Japan
The biggest challenge for foreigners working in Japan
HIs favorite martini recipe
The story of a Japanese baker who re-exported "Danishes" back to Denmark

GuGu Sleep Company: https://gugu.jp
Per Rasmussen:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/per-rasmussen-3b58321b/?originalSubdomain=jp
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing/dp/1861976100
Elephant Bucket
https://www.amazon.ca/LEGO-Duplo-Elephant-Bucket-japan/dp/B004V5YHF4

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