Trailblazers

From the hot spring resorts of Kusatsu and Ikaho to the sprawling wetlands of Oze, Gunma Prefecture boasts a wealth of tourism resources, attracting over sixty million visitors each year.
To promote its highlights both in Japan and overseas, the prefecture has been focusing on content marketing, as evidenced by a permanent studio on the uppermost floor of the prefectural office. Its videos, edited by staff members and shared on official social media accounts, receive over eighty million views annually.
Leading the marketing charge is prefecture mascot Gunmachan. Its merchandise generates over sixty billion yen each year. We examine the winning strategy behind it.