Partly due to the impact of COVID-19, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99.7% of all Japanese companies, have not been performing well recently. Their situation is in sharp contrast to that of the nation’s large companies that continue to perform well. We at the Nikkei, Japan’s most influential economic newspaper, have been concerned about this situation for a long time and believe that revitalizing SMEs is important for the Japanese economy. We asked ourselves if we could come up with an effective way to energize small companies.

Nikkei focused on the company song, which is entrenched in Japan’s traditional corporate culture. Employees sing together to increase unity and loyalty to the company. During Japan’s period of rapid economic growth, many companies composed their own company songs. At the time, all those songs were directed by senior management. What Nikkei has tried to create is a new SHAKA SONG that differs from the traditional company song. A SHAKA SONG that is not furnished by management. Instead, employees are responsible for creating their own songs about the company, singing them, dancing, and producing a video that they are free to publish as they wish. A SHAKA SONG that is not designed for the company or management’s benefit, but to inspire a sense of unity among colleagues.

Using the media power of Nikkei we invited SMEs to create a video of their SHAKA SONG being sung and to enter it. We would then get people to choose Japan’s best SHAKA SONG by online vote. By using SHAKA SONGs

as the theme of our project, we intended in some way to help Japanese companies’ productivity issues and improve their internal and external communications.

Internal communications: In the processes of writing lyrics, composing a melody, and creating a video, employees would form solidarity beyond sectional boundaries.

External communications: Even medium/small companies with a limited advertising budget would be able to use a video of a SHAKA SONG as a PR tool.

In 2020, the Nikkei held the SHAKA SONG contest. We launched a website and appealed for applicants to send in video performances of employees singing their SHAKA SONG. We joined forces with a major Japanese karaoke manufacturer to give the contest a further boost by creating a device that would enable the winning song to be sung at karaoke locations around the country. We received SHAKA SONGs composed and performed by employees from companies across Japan. A wide variety of performances, from musical movies to videos of idol singers, anime songs, and rap were posted on the website. People from the same company, different companies, and the general public all voted for their favorite songs. As many different comments and evaluations were posted on social media, interest spread and the number of votes increased.

In the end, 193 companies from all over Japan entered the SHAKA SONG contest, and the number of participating employees totaled approximately 270,000. The website got 1,060,000 hits and a total of 680,000 votes. According to our survey results, over 70% of applicants said employees felt more motivated to work and enjoyed a greater sense of unity in the workplace and communication with colleagues. The SHAKA SONGs helped improve SME productivity and performance. They also helped boost the companies’ image and recruitment plans. For the employees, singing the SHAKA SONGs proved a fun challenge and a great support. So, Nikkei’s drive to turn SHAKA SONGs into a form of entertainment did help successfully revitalize many small companies.