This explores the concept of co-creation in brand strategy, illustrating how brands are successfully built through interaction with customers rather than just corporate efforts.
The first major example analyzes the "Akahon" (Red Book) guidebooks, detailing their rebranding from a symbol of academic difficulty to a supportive tool by formally adopting the customer-created nickname "Akahon" and softening the design. The second example examines the VTuber phenomenon and the concept of "Kaishaku Itchi" (Interpretation Match), where fans' shared understanding of a character's traits drives community and, by extension, brand loyalty.
Both cases emphasize that successful modern branding requires bidirectional communication and the intentional incorporation of the customer's perspective and understanding.
