From Revolutionizing Social Media Marketing to Redefining the Gift Market: GiftX's Yuta Iitaka Discusses "The Mindset for Creating a Category" [Category is Interview Published]

EXIDEA Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takuma Ogawa) has published an interview with Mr. Yuta Iitaka, CEO of GiftX Inc., on its category branding-focused media, "Category is."

▼ You can view the full article here https://wa-concept.net/category-is/interview_005

Background of the Interview Publication In recent years, the commoditization of products and services in the B2B market has accelerated, and differentiation based solely on "features" or "price" is reaching its limits. In this context, the "category design" method, which builds a competitive advantage by defining a unique market and presenting new value standards, is gaining attention.

Our media, "Category is," is a specialized platform that disseminates knowledge for establishing such products and services as "category representatives" in the market.

This interview features Yuta Iitaka, CEO of GiftX Inc. As the former CMO of Hotto Link, he built the overwhelming top-of-mind association that "Twitter marketing means Hotto Link" and is now taking on the challenge of creating new experiential value in the gift market.

Article Highlights

### ■ "I only go where I see a path to victory" - A philosophy of single-point breakthrough discovered through data Data revealed the reality that 60% of X followers are accounts for sweepstakes. What is the winning strategy derived from a sharpened perspective, and the uniquely designed definition of "quality followers"?

### ■ The reproducibility of the "half-step-aside" mechanism proven by "Nomina-" A unique event, "Nomina-," combines "drinking" (nomi) and "seminar." An online event launched in 3 days during the COVID-19 pandemic generated 7,000 pieces of user-generated content in a week, alongside 200 nationwide speaking tours. The article discusses a reproducible method for designing organic word-of-mouth by adding "one element of incongruity" to standard strategies.

### ■ The challenge of 2.3 trillion yen in "unwanted gifts," and the reason for tackling a 10 trillion yen market Japan's gift market reaches a scale of about 10 trillion yen. Meanwhile, it's a fact that about 2.3 trillion yen is spent on gifts that do not suit the recipient's tastes. We delve into the background and philosophy behind the design of the social gift service "GIFTFUL," which allows recipients to choose their gift again, in order to solve this structural problem.

This is recommended for:

- Executives and marketers who want to escape from feature and price competition with competitors.