Cosmo occupies a unique niche in the middle ground between the large Japanese advertising agency-owned public relations firms, many of which have impressive media contacts and local knowledge but limited strategic capabilities, and the Japanese operations of U.S. multinational agencies, which often provide good processes and sound strategic thinking but don’t always have strong local relationships. Led by Kumi Soto, an American educated former McKinsey consultant who took over her parents’ firm in the early 80s, Cosmo looks to combine the best features of both those groups—and for the most part it succeeds, consistently ranking among the top independent firms in the region, a preferred partner for Anglo-Saxon agencies without their own Japanese operations and a frequent finalist in the Agency of the Year awards run by magazine (it was a finalist again in 2008).
Founded in 1960, the firm worked primarily with Japanese companies through its first 30 years, but Cosmo changed its focus when Sato took the helm, focusing on providing assistance to U.S. multinationals looking to establish themselves in Tokyo (today about 75 percent of its clients are multinationals). It also moved beyond the media relations realm to offer strategic communications consultancy, and today is best known for issues-driven work, particularly in the healthcare (launching the first female oral contraceptive in the Japanese market) and food (handling various regulatory and safety issues for U.S. beef producers) sectors. A major point of differentiation is its proprietary Key Opinion Leader Mapping process, which provides insight into the attitudes of stakeholders, their decision making processes, and the issues they perceive as being of primary importance.
Sato continues to lead the firm and remains one of the leading figures in the Japanese public relations industry, having been named as one of 50 “Stars of Asia” by Business Week magazine and one of 50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of Japan by Forbes and having more recently authored a book on corporate social responsibility (Aisaseru Kaisha no Jiken). The firm’s leadership team includes executive director Paul Hasegawa, formerly a director with ACNielsen Japan and a veteran of advertising agency positions with I&S (now I&S/BBDO) and Ogilvy & Mather Japan; and director Ryuji Kondoh, who oversees the healthcare division.
The expertise of its leadership team is supplement by a network of partners that includes leading think-tanks, key opinion leaders, industry associations and professional bodies. Cosmo partners with Social System Design Institute, one of Japan’s preeminent think-tanks influencing Japanese policy, and has served as secretariat for the Medical Journalists Association of Japan for 15 years. It also works with public figures such as Kiyoshi Kurokawa, professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and former advisor to the Japanese Cabinet, on global health issues and Japan’s overseas development assistance. Cosmo’s reach extends to the global marketplace through its membership in the Public Relations Global Network, an alliance of 39 independent PR firms with more than 800 people around the world.
Cosmo has enjoyed healthy growth in recent year—it now employs a team of about 50—thanks in part to growth in the CSR arena and a thriving advocacy and public affairs practice, underpinned by the firm’s experience handling medical efficacy, food safety and other sensitive issues.