Press conferences have undergone a major transformation since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, in Japan it is a “cultural must” to go to press and media events physically. Since the COVID-19 state of emergency announcement from the Japanese government, people have been discouraged from going outside unless necessary, and this also applies to press and media events. Among the major changes within the media sphere, the virtual press conference has recently become a necessity for the media and the public relations sphere. This is not just limited to virtual press conferences, but also extends into webinars, online meetings, virtual entertainment, and general virtual events. Conducting a physical press conference while overseas may have seemed difficult before, but now virtual activities are rising more than ever making this a great opportunity for those overseas in building their brand presence in Japan among other activities. The range of virtual activities becomes broader every day, so it may prove helpful to see what several industries have been doing virtually as of late for insight.
Store Chains
Major convenience store chain, Lawson, conducted a hybrid press conference to announce their new food product which was a brown rice dal curry dish as well as a coconut chicken curry dish made without added salts or artificial flavoring. The chef who created the dish participated through a video call from France while company representatives attended physically. The press conference was broadcast through YouTube Live.
Influencers
Major Japanese influencer, model, and singer, Kemio, announced his new Spotify podcast. Kemio conducted the online announcement in his New York City residence and broadcast it through YouTube Live as well. The overall structure of the online press conference was simple as it used minimal equipment, a simple backdrop, and a simple set of questions from a Japanese interviewer. The seemingly effortless conference lasted for 5 minutes.
IT
Introducing the latest updates to their Cisco Designed portfolio for small and medium sized businesses, Cisco conducted a live digital event through their own platform “Cisco Live!”. The press conference was also conducted with an interpreter for the Japanese audience. The overall event lasted a little over 30 minutes, and multiple representatives and interpreters were involved making it a slightly larger-scaled online press conference compared to the previous two examples.
Overall
Looking at the above three examples, one could see that virtual press conferences span a diverse range of industries. This is largely due to COVID-19, but Japanese entities have endeavored to become more adaptable in these times more than ever. For those overseas, these changes can also act as a great opportunity to virtually participate in the Japanese market as well. From large to smaller-scale events, all industries nationwide are increasingly participating in virtual events consisting of press conferences, webinars, and even live concerts and sports games. Virtual event support services are also increasing more than ever including our own service, so those approaching Japan from overseas can confidently enter the Japanese market as effortlessly as possible.