Yui
Bachelor of Foreign Language Studies
Joined in 2017
Sales / Manager
MIHA Sales Section
MIHA (Rakuten Group company)
What are your current responsibilities?
I am responsible for influencer marketing sales, mainly through collaborations with YouTube. My team primarily works for clients that deal in domestic e-commerce platforms, Korean cosmetics and skin care products. Sales to Korean clients are outsourced to Rakuten Group's Rakuten Insight Korea, while MIHA also provides sales support in South Korea. It's been about a year since we started our business in South Korea, and in addition to YouTube, we are expanding our influencer marketing activities to include Instagram, TikTok and other social networking services as well as offline (in-store) marketing activities. We utilize the Rakuten Group’s big data resources to develop products that meet our clients’ needs, from initial proposal to final implementation.
What do you keep in mind in terms of your attitude toward daily work?
I place importance on appreciation and humility. I try to think of my clients and everyone else involved as making time for me and placing their trust in me. Even if things don't go well at work, daily communication is often key and can often lead to the next business opportunity. In addition, I always try to work with a sense of speed. The influencer marketing industry and trends change at a dizzying pace. Treating these changes as a positive opportunity, I try to respond flexibly by quickly getting up to speed on new information before making proposals to my clients. I feel that this speedy and flexible response can greatly improve client satisfaction.
What has your career path been like, and how have you grown?
I joined the company in 2017 and was first assigned to the Advertising Business. Later, in 2020, I took advantage of the internal transfer system and voluntarily transferred to my current business division in MIHA. In my new post I have been able to make use of my previous experience in the Advertising Business. I try to solve our clients’ issues not just through my own division’s product sales, but also through collaboration with other divisions to ensure that we offer the client the best solution. I now feel that I am more able to make proposals from a broader perspective. For example, MIHA initially used advertisements on YouTube as its product. This meant we were unable to leverage the Rakuten Group's strengths in data utilization or offer the client Rakuten's own advertising products. I was able to use my knowledge from the Advertising Business to create a proposal that combined advertising products owned by Rakuten in addition to the YouTube collaboration, and we were able to secure a deal with the client.
What does your typical workday look like?
After arriving at the office, I check my email and then organize and prioritize my to-do list for the day. Influencer marketing involves interacting with individual influencers, so nearly every day unanticipated, urgent matters arise that require coordination and negotiation. Even in these cases, prioritization helps me respond flexibly without deviating from the important issues. In the morning, I often complete regular meetings with each client as well as internal meetings at the office. In the afternoon, I conduct sales activities or coordinate with influencers. I place great importance on communication, so I set up weekly 1-on-1 meetings with team members. Since my role requires working with YouTube influencers or influencer agencies on a frequent basis, I make extensive use of the flextime system to manage my schedule.
SCHEDULE
- 09:00
- Arrive at work, check email and prioritize the day's schedule.
- 11:00
- Regular meeting with Rakuten Insight Korea. Report on progress and share information about potential contacts in preparation for taking next steps.
- 12:00
- Lunch time. I often have lunch with my team members.
- 13:00
- Meeting with an influencer agency. Gather information on trends and influencers for making proposals to clients.
- 15:00
- 1-on-1 meeting with team members. Talk candidly with team members about a range of issues that are not restricted only to work.
- 17:00
- Focus on preparing materials for group meetings, including progress on targets, summaries of weekly actions, etc.
- 18:00
- After work, go to the gym. Sometimes I go out for drinks. I am an outdoor person, so I snowboard in winter, go to the beach in summer and go camping in spring and fall. These activities all provide motivation for work.
*This article is based on information provided at the time of the interview.
RECRUITING INFORMATION
Business Positions
For those who want to deepen their understanding of the entire Rakuten Group and aim for versatile career development.
- Comprehensive Business Specialty Hiring Track
- Corporate Specialty Hiring Track
- FinTech Specialty Hiring Track
- Design Specialty Hiring Track
- Marketing Specialty Hiring Track
- Comprehensive Business Specialty Hiring Track
- Corporate Specialty Hiring Track
- FinTech Specialty Hiring Track
- Design Specialty Hiring Track
- Marketing Specialty Hiring Track
Engineer Positions
For those who aspire to become world-class engineers.
- Applications Engineer
- Infrastructure Engineer
- Data Scientist / Researcher
- Security Engineer
- Information Security / Privacy Governance Specialist
- Technology Management
- Product Management
- Development Support（Q&A, etc.)
- Applications Engineer
- Infrastructure Engineer
- Data Scientist / Researcher
- Security Engineer
- Information Security / Privacy Governance Specialist
- Technology Management
- Product Management
- Development Support（Q&A, etc.)