Convincing teenagers in Japan that working for a giant 116-year-old manufacturer is a sexy career choice seems like a tough sell. It's even more difficult if the target audience can't figure out the company's name.
That's the challenge for Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. as the shrinking population stokes intense competition for young workers. While none of the company's ¥4.63 trillion in revenue last year came from consumer products, it is trying to create brand identity with a glitzy 30-second video on a giant screen overlooking the scramble crossing outside Tokyo's Shibuya Station.
"We've been feeling a huge gap between the company's expanded presence in the industry and the low degree of recognition in the public," said Fumiaki Ohnishi, the company's general manager of public relations.