How Fujitsu is transforming corporate marketing to embrace sustainability

Why corporate marketing needs transformation

—How do you think corporate marketers need to adapt to the increasing demands of sustainability?

Futaki: We can address the environment, bridge the digital divide, and improve people's well-being through business to create an ideal future. Working to bring about a sustainable society has become essential for all organizations today.

Fujitsu is committed to reshaping our organization to be a partner that aids customers in their Sustainability Transformation and Net Positive goals.

Many companies address sustainability as part of corporate social responsibility, but many face challenges when it comes to balancing sustainability with business operations. I believe Fujitsu is unique in integrating sustainability at the core of our business.

—Has the role of marketing evolved?

Futaki: Marketing remains as critical as ever. Traditionally, Japanese companies, including Fujitsu, tended to focus on two marketing models:

One is marketing that promotes the company’s products or services. The other is a strategy in which sales staff design a customized service for each customer, with an emphasis on improving the company's image. Both models are forms of advertising.

Today, as customers now have more diversified ways of doing business, traditional approaches often overlook customer needs or the big picture of the market.

Marketers now need to have a bird's eye view of macro trends to understand customer needs and develop cross-departmental strategies.

Fujitsu’s marketing goal

—Tell us about Fujitsu’s marketing approach.

Futaki: We see marketing as a key contributor to clients' sustainability transformations.

Firstly, marketing should offer a comprehensive market view, identifying customer challenges. We constantly evaluate our target audience’s needs against our offerings.

Secondly, we aim to clearly present our role as a sustainability partner, ensuring alignment with customer priorities. Tackling societal issues requires collaboration across various organizations, forming an effective ecosystem.

Thirdly, we employ a data-driven approach. While our marketing department excels at understanding customers through digital data, our sales staff possess an in-depth grasp of customer needs. Combining these strengths allows for a more comprehensive understanding of our customers.

Fujitsu’s website renewal

―Could you tell us about Fujitsu's website transformation project?

Futaki: This project is part of Fujitsu's company-wide marketing transformation, aiming to revamp our entire corporate website.

We are moving forward on the project in stages, with the goal of completion in FY2025. This is our plan:

1) Creating a global message as a sustainability partner

Our website had tended to showcase our capabilities, but now we're shifting our focus towards sharing insights, research, and case studies from our thought leaders. We focus on societal challenges and the value we can bring.

2) Strengthening communication capabilities

In the past, each Fujitsu division created its own web content, leading to a website that lacked consistency.

We have taken steps to integrate marketing functions and strengthen cooperation between departments, resulting in web content that is more aligned with our corporate strategy and brand message.

We also have enhanced connectivity with related content and customer touch points, such as social media. The number of visitors to the page featuring our integrated corporate report in 2023 has doubled compared with the same period last year.

3) Improved user experience

We have revised the website design to make it easier for customers to read and understand.

We implemented a standard process for creating our pages to ensure consistent quality. We also improved the user experience, leading to a 33-percent increase in the number of interested website viewers.

At the same time, we took measures to reduce the time needed to plan and release the pages by reusing ready-made web component styles. We completed the first stage of the renewal in six months, a significant improvement from the usual year-long process.

In terms of the operation of our website, we decided to use the content management system developed by Sitecore, which has a solid reputation worldwide. Our project won the Sitecore Experience Awards for the APJ region (APAC and Japan) as the best user company for innovative organizational transformation. Our Chief Marketing Officer Taeko Yamamoto accepted the award on behalf of the marketing team.

We are encouraged by this award and motivated to continue our reforms.

Next steps in marketing

―Finally, what is your outlook for the future?

Futaki: I aim to drive growth through marketing. Fujitsu's growth is more than just expanding sales and profits, it is about supporting our customers' sustainability efforts by shaping business towards an ideal future.

On a personal note, I would be delighted if our efforts have inspired others to think, "If Fujitsu can achieve such transformation in marketing, so can we."