Thoughts after listening to Byron Sharp talk about the future of marketing｜📊本質を探すマーケティングコンサル

I watched Professor Byron Sharp’s session, “Scientific Marketing from the Latest Research: Brand Growth Strategies in the AI Era,” at the “Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026 is Back!” event. What I thought about after finishing it was the difficulty of continuing to value the mundane in practical work.

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I felt empathy rather than new surprises

To be frank, personally, I didn’t find any major, stimulating new discoveries. I empathized with his perspective on how to view the future and what will remain in it, and I also felt a closeness to what I usually think about myself.

I was impressed by his choice of examples and the logic of his explanations. I also remember the caution he used when talking about the future, as well as the humor he used to convey it. While the talk was interesting, the key points I took away were themselves quite mundane.

However, I felt that I shouldn’t dismiss it as having gained little just because of that mundanity. Because something being highly stimulating and something being meaningful in practice are two different things.

A time to re-examine my own thinking

I previously wrote an article titled “Searching for the Essence of Marketing That Will Remain in the AI Era, Found in 100 Years of History.” It was an article where I looked back at past changes and searched for recurring questions in order to think about what will change due to new technology.

What I want to think about is what needs to be re-questioned when the environment changes. Even if the methods in front of us change, what are the things we need to keep in mind to make judgments? Of our existing ways of thinking, how much is still usable, and where do we need to rethink things? These are the kinds of things I have been considering.

I think the reason I felt a closeness in our thinking this time is because I had that kind of problem awareness. While empathizing with his approach to thinking about the future, it became an opportunity to look back on whether I am using that way of thinking in my own work.

To not forget what you know

Things that are truly meaningful are surprisingly mundane. Even if it’s not a story that makes you excited the moment you hear it, it can slightly improve your judgment. Just knowing it once doesn’t mean you’ll be able to use it at any time.

Even if you think something is important on a daily basis, when you hear attractive proposals or are shown new possibilities, it can sometimes be pushed to the back of your mind. When the things you can do increase, it becomes fun to think about how to use them, and confirming what you are using them for in the first place gets pushed to the back burner. I myself want to be careful about that.

There is a distance between knowing something and being able to use it for judgment in necessary situations.That is why there is meaning in listening to stories that have little novelty. Instead of ending with “I already know that,” I think about whether I am reflecting it in my actual judgment. This viewing was also a time for that.

Marketers must not lose to flashy sales pitches

From here on, this is the stance I want to value in my own work.

I feel the potential in explanations of new technology. If things that were difficult until now become possible, I want to think about their value and explore how to use them. However, one must think separately about the fact that a seller’s explanation is attractive and the fact that there is a reason for us to introduce it.

For example, even if you can create a large amount of advertising with AI, the steps you should take change depending on whether your current challenge lies in the number of ads, how the product is conveyed, or the difficulty of purchasing. You must continue to think about the value of faster production and how that connects to your own results.

If you are considering introduction, you first need to organize the problem you want to solve and what you think will improve and how due to that technology. On top of that, you should think about the reason for using your budget and time compared to other methods, and decide how to verify the results. There is no glamour in these kinds of confirmations, but I believe it is work that we should undertake.

I am currently on the side of supporting other companies’ marketing. Just passing on attractive proposals to clients as they are is not support. I must also think for myself about the reasons for using the client’s money and time.

Regardless of what those selling technology say, the responsibility remains with the users to judge whether it will lead to results. Do not surrender that judgment to the skill of the explanation. That is also a reminder to myself, as someone on the supporting side.

In this lecture, there was more empathy and conviction than any major new discoveries. Especially when facing new things, I want to ensure that I am using what I have considered important in my actual decision-making.

Things that are truly meaningful are plain. I want to continue my work without forgetting that plainness.

Profile

I am a marketing strategy consultant. Having worked at both operating companies and consulting firms, I have experienced everything from upstream to downstream marketing, including sales, CRM, data analysis, market research, demand forecasting, pricing, advertising, and the web. In this note, I introduce highly reproducible ways of thinking that can be used for work, career, and communication, while moving back and forth between practice and research.

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Self-introduction | Exploring the essence of marketing through practice and evidence

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Searching through 100 years of history for the essence of marketing that will remain in the AI era

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Marketing with other people’s money.

An article I wrote about the attitude I don’t want to forget after being in a position to support others using their budgets. It connects to my own axis of judgment that I want to keep holding onto even when faced with flashy proposals.

Reference URLs

It’s Back! Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026 | Official Guide

Nikkei BP | ‘It’s Back! Nikkei Cross Trend FORUM 2026’ Event Guide and Lecture Information

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