The BabyTech® Award Japan 2020 powered by DNP Dai Nippon Printing ("BTAJ2020"), which recognizes baby tech products and services in Japan, will be held at the Childcare Expo 2020 from November 26 to 27, 2020. DNP (hereafter, DNP) signed a partnership agreement in August 2020 with Papasmile Inc., the organizer of BTAJ2020, and became the title sponsor of BTAJ2020. BabyTech.jp editorial department is pleased to introduce Naomi Oshima, who is in charge of the project at the company, and Haruna Hamamoto (titles below omitted), who is in charge of the project at the company. They both belong to the Business Design Division of the Information Innovation Business Department and are engaged in developing new businesses that are not bound by existing perspectives. One of their projects is "Baby Tech. In this interview, we asked them about the background of DNP's involvement in "Baby Tech," their expectations for "BTAJ2020" and the partnership agreement with Papa Smile Corporation, and their concept of "co-creation" with various companies in "Baby Tech.
(We spoke to...)
Dai Nippon Printing Co. Information Innovation Division
Marketing Group, Business Design Division, CX Center 1
Naomi Oshima
Dai Nippon Printing Co. Information Innovation Division
Marketing Group, Business Design Division, CX Center 1
Haruna Hamamoto
Mr. Oshima (right) and Mr. Hamamoto (left), who spoke to us this time.
A Fateful Encounter with BabyTech
Editorial:Thank you very much for your time. Could you begin by telling us how your company became involved in "BabyTech"?
Oshima:In fact, our company's involvement in "BabyTech" began when I rode the Shinjuku Line of the Toei Subway with my husband and daughter as a family in December 2019. As usual, I was fretting over my then 2-year-old daughter who was fretting, and happened to see an advertisement for "BTAJ2019" near the priority seats. We were in the exact situation we were in, and the ad's message, "Supporting childcare with technology," sounded like it could be a great hint for families raising children! I had a gut feeling that it would be a great tip for families raising children. We then took pictures of the ad on the spot, and the next day we contacted Papa Smile Inc. who was hosting BTAJ2019.
Editorial:That ad was placed on only one train of each of the three Toei Subway lines, and only near the priority seats, so it is a huge coincidence!
Oshima:It's a bit dramatic (laughs). Until then, child-rearing for me had been stereotyped as something that had to be managed by human hands, but the "baby tech" concept of "it's okay to use technology" had a huge impact on me. Also, from my own troubled experience, I knew that I wanted to run a business that would support childcare after I returned to work, which may have been another reason why I was able to respond to that ad. Soon after that, I told Hamamoto, who was a friend of my mom's in the company, about "BabyTech.
When I saw the ad, I was like, "Bibi bibi," says Oshima.
Hamamoto:I have two children, ages 4 and 2. When I returned to work after maternity leave for my first child, I had a very difficult time balancing work and childcare. So, during my childcare leave for my second child, I consulted with my husband and thoroughly worked on "streamlining and structuring housework and childcare" by utilizing home appliances, housekeeping services, etc. From this experience, I was very sympathetic to the concept of "baby tech" that Oshima taught me.
Hamamoto says it was difficult to find the information needed to "systematize housework and childcare.
Oshima:It was at this point that we were transferred to the Business Design Division, which was tasked with developing new businesses, and we began working on a project for DNP called "Baby Tech.
Editorial:So you both became interested in "BabyTech" as "child-rearing parents" in the present. On the other hand, what was DNP's thinking when it launched the "BabyTech" project?
Oshima:First, even as the birthrate declines at an accelerating rate, about 1 million new babies are born annually in Japan, making this a market that continues to generate new users every year. Furthermore, with the increase in dual-earner households, this market is expected to continue to grow in the future.
Another reason is that "baby tech" focuses on the "needs of a specific generation as a whole," from "pregnancy and gestation to raising preschoolers. We have been involved in a variety of tech fields for some time now, but each division tends to operate vertically. Since "baby tech" aims to meet the various needs of "the generation that needs baby tech," it will be possible for us to provide our wide variety of technologies and services across the entire company, and I believe that we will be able to create a new business as an "all-DNP" company.
BTAJ2020" important for the promotion of baby tech
Editorial:Next, could you tell us about your company's aim in sponsoring BTAJ2020 and what you expect from the partnership agreement with Papa Smile Inc.
Oshima:First of all, I believe that "BTAJ2020" is a very effective venue for us to communicate our company's commitment to "baby tech" to the world. In addition, since I myself learned about "baby tech" through "BTAJ," I thought that using our company's resources to help promote this event together would be a good opportunity for more people to learn about "baby tech," and that is why we decided to become a title sponsor of the event.
Editorial:In fact, I believe that the name value of DNP is very significant. We feel that the media's attention to BTAJ2020 has increased as a result of your company's sponsorship of the event.
Oshima:As for our company, I believe that our partnership agreement with Papasmile Inc., a pioneer in the field of "baby tech," and our sponsorship of "BTAJ2020" has helped us gain credibility as the first company to enter this field. In addition, we have high expectations for the knowledge and expertise of everyone at PapaSmile Inc. especially with regard to connections with startup companies in the "baby tech" field, the legal system, and local government subsidy programs.
Update on child-rearing" to be achieved through "co-creation".
Editorial:Finally, can you tell us about your company's future plans for "co-creation" with various companies in the "baby tech" field?
Oshima:Our vision of "co-creation" is to provide value to the world by successfully combining the technologies, products, and other resources of various companies to help solve issues related to child-rearing. There are many situations in child-rearing where even the smallest of problems can accumulate and become a big problem. We believe that we can "update child-rearing" and approach major social issues by removing small problems that no one picks up on, with the help of various companies.
Hamamoto:As one of its actions,DNP Innovation Port.We have launched a baby tech project at our open innovation site, "Baby Tech.
Oshima:When we talk with startup companies that have contacted us, we find that they have developed services focusing on exactly the smallest of problems, such as children playing and resting at the facilities they visit or the perspective from which moms and dads spend their leisure time. However, I have the impression that they are struggling to expand recognition and scale their business.
Hamamoto:We have been having discussions with various companies, and what is interesting is that "child-rearing" is a "common experience" for many of them. Some are currently raising children and some have done so in the past, and even those who normally have a strong communication barrier are able to open up to each other and talk about various topics when it comes to child-rearing. We have a message of "viewing technology as a partner in child-rearing" in our BabyTech initiative, and we often find that people deeply sympathize with this idea.
Oshima:While different companies have different themes related to "child-rearing," we are in the phase of exploring where the "needs for co-creation" may lie. For example, for manufacturers, there may be a direction to create new baby tech products through "3-company co-creation," in which manufacturers provide their own technologies with our company and start-up companies with which we are connected. In the case of distribution, retail, and other companies with stores, there is a mountain of issues to be addressed in order to resolve the "dissatisfaction, inconvenience, and inconvenience" of the large number of customers with children who visit their stores. In particular, recently, the new coronavirus has made the child-rearing generation even more anxious about going out. Under such circumstances, we believe that there is a great deal of room to utilize "BabyTech" to ensure that customers can visit stores with peace of mind and enjoy their visit.
Hamamoto:These are just examples, and we do not intend to limit ourselves to "strengths. Our stance is to "co-create" by first consulting with our clients on any issue and then finding a solution together with them. We are open to all, so please feel free to ask a variety of companies, "Can BabyTech solve this problem? We are open to all kinds of companies, so please feel free to ask us "Can BabyTech solve this problem?
Mr. Oshima and Mr. Hamamoto smile and say, "Whatever you need, please consult with us first.
After the interview
Although at one time it was feared that the event would not even be held due to the new Corona, the sponsorship of DNP has already led to inquiries for coverage of BTAJ2020 from NHK and major newspapers, and it is expected to attract a great deal of attention again this year. With the company's connections to numerous other companies, the concept of "baby tech" is likely to begin to spread widely in the business world. We believe that this will be a great tailwind for the spread of "baby tech" in Japan, and we are very much looking forward to its future development!
DNP Innovation Port
Project06: Changing the future of childcare and childcare with technology: Realizing a society where people can raise their children with a smile.
https://www.dnp-innovationport.com/co_creation/babytech/
BabyTech® Award Japan2020 powered by DNP Dai Nippon Printing" official websitehttps://babytech.jp/btaj2020home/
