On the subject of doing business "thoughtfully"....

All my life, I’ve clung onto a few basic principles dearly. Now, I try really hard to understand and see issues from others’ perspectives, but there are just a few things I find royally difficult to compromise on. Namely, this issue of equality and fairness. No, I do not wear a halo over my head, and I don’t necessarily hold individuals, per se, to this creed. But I think it not entirely inappropriate to hold certain prominent businesses to this standard, especially in this image conscious entertainment industry. So, isn’t the basic concern in this sector perennially about how they appear?

So what am I saying? All I am saying is that sometimes I get a little bothered when I see glaring judgment mistakes, “biased” mistakes, whether intentional or not, made by personnel or businesses related to BYJ. Sometimes you can have the purest of intentions, trying to do earnest good, but end up botching up everything. I know you know, because it has happened to the best of us.

But, we’re not talking about playing in the sand-box. These are multi-million dollar businesses, and my view is that organizations & businesses somehow just have to be held to a higher standard. They simply need to try a little harder, think a little harder, in a round-about way to cover all the bases, because the diversity of their target audience is just too vast, and their reactions too unpredictable. So, every decision has to made with utmost care and hopefully fairness.

OK, so what is mishio babbling about today?

Well, for instance, take the inequality of the product availability for the different countries. Sorry to rehash old issues. Oh no – don’t get me wrong. I gave up my pursuit for that i-river thing a long time ago. I am not that kind of fan. As much as I would like to have access to everything, there is nothing I cannot live without. And no, I am not naïve, I know there are a million issues with brand rights and marketing licensure. And, this is a business afterall, and you do market where the demand is. So, kudos to the consumption power of these very supportive Japanese fans. (But actually, has anyone really taken the time to study the economic impact of overseas purchases on boosting the consumption numbers in Japan? All of us, and there are many, who “buy” indirectly through our Japanese family, which in turn boosts their totals. I would be interested to know what percentage of the overall sales this represents. Ah, but I am digressing again.)

The Japanese family, I have no issues with. None whatsoever. Zippo! If not for their loyal support for our YJ, his visibility would not be what it is today, and indirectly, all of us have benefited from this wonderful family, and of course, the news, products generated, in addition to their loving friendship.

My issues are more about how flagrantly disproportional the marketing has been. The emphasis being on flagrant! No, they really have no obligation to enter into any unprofitable ventures in other countries. But has anyone considered how this looks? It looks exactly like what it is – in one word “mercenary.” Can this be good for BYJ’s benevolent image?

And what about that Christmas greeting post in “My Daily”? Hey, I have no idea where it was from, nor when it was produced, nor even the original intent of it. All I know is that if that was not IMX’s intention, there would be an official warning or retraction issued by now. Is it just me, or did it appear a little inconsiderate that Christmas greetings were issued to only a subset of the family, but not on KOB for all to share? Again, I know you won’t believe this, but I am sincere when I say that I was happy for the fans there, and thank goodness, this is by and large a very, VERY, loving family, so there was no overt jealousy. But there could have been. From the standpoint of image, this was not the sharpest decision ever made.

"来自韩国的新人报到
我是在BOF负责中国事务的叫郑湖永。
我们会一如既往的关心中国的家人们。
请多支持BYJ和BOF。祝家人们身体健康，永远幸福"

And recently, there has been so much activity about Mr. Chang’s post on a few choice Chinese websites. Who knows if it was really him? But again, how was that decision made? Since YJ does not officially endorse a single fan club, and has explicity voiced his desire to treat all the family the same, how the heck does one make a decision to visit a few, but not all the sites? You can argue that the effort may be too great, but come on! How many Chinese websites are there only? And it was just a 5-liner, which in this world of copy and paste, would take exactly 5-10 minutes to post on all the sites. Yes, it was seemingly a small deal, but predictably, became (mis)interpreted as some kind of official acknowledgement. Did they not think that it would incite a sense of comparison amongst the family? Again, a complete lack of forethought, not to mention, a little insensitive and unfair to those who felt left out. This, I gathered, from the many behind-the-scenes grumbling I’ve heard.

Hey, no one is perfect. And no one ever said that this business is a piece of cake. With great number of fans, the burden is proportionally great. Sorry to be so harsh. And sorry if you do not agree. Hope I have not upset anyone. Just purely shooting from the hip tonight.

After reading this, IF you are left with an idea that mishio is just a selfish fan who is ranting and raving about not having more BYJ attention in US, and only complaining for her self-interests, then you know nothing about me. And you’ve read this post all wrong. Sorry.

Maybe you’ll “get it” when you read one of another of my quotes:

“Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into fact.”
Honore de Balzac

This, in fact, is what I am lamenting about.