Changing the Way Information is Consumed (Gram Design Ltd.)

JFS Newsletter No.42 (February 2006)
"TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE JAPAN - CORPORATIONS AT WORK" ARTICLE SERIES Article No. 37
http://www.gram.co.jp/ (in Japanese)

The age of mass production and consumption has created mountains of products around us. Because of technological improvements in areas from design to production, in many cases big differences have disappeared between products in terms of quality and performance. Products today are often differentiated and consumed based on the information about them, such as popularity, trends, novelty, brand image, or for emotional reasons such as peace of mind.

In modern society, the basic necessities for most people are fully satisfied, one could say that when we intend to consume over and above those needs, we consume not the products themselves but the information associated with them. Internet shopping is a typical example: online shoppers today decide which products to buy without actually seeing and touching them. If customers like the information about the products or services shown on the website, they will decide to buy these products or services.

In this scenario, the advertising industry plays an important role in connecting the information senders and receivers. "The advertising industry should be more responsible for the way information is consumed," says Madoka Akaike, executive director of Gram Design Ltd.

If information consumption influences product consumption, the ways information is conveyed and consumed may accelerate mass consumption, which may lead to environmental destruction. On the other hand, they can also lead consumers to take a different view of mass production and help create a sustainable society. These powerful influences wielded by information are seen as "indirect impacts" on the reduction of environmental impacts under ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management by corporations.

Established in 1998, Gram Design is a website design agency whose clients include corporations and organizations. It plans and develops websites to promote and publicize client products and services. Since it is often involved right from the planning stage of a project, the company works on a wide range of services, from the development of corporate identity and production of company brochures and other printed publicity materials to development of systems and applications.

"Rather than focusing on becoming a large company, we want to work on projects that are meaningful for society. To maintain this conviction throughout our company, it is better for us to stay small," says Akaike. She maintains a trim company, with no more than 15 staff members, consisting of seven regular employees and some external staff.

Gram Design always considers what kind of words should be used, what designs and systems should be developed, and what kind of information technologies should be combined in order to communicate the passion of the information senders to the information receivers in an easy-to-understand way, and to leave a lasting impression. Also, the company avoids the temptation to simply provide information in a tedious format, but aims to create a witty interface with stories that allows website viewers to understand implied messages more deeply and to exercise their imagination.

"As an information hub in the process of product consumption, the focus of our effort is to play the role of a filter to deliver the appropriate information to where it is needed. We don't want to create any unnecessary market," says Akaike.

To make a profit in today's market economy, a company has to run a continuous cycle of introducing new products and convincing consumers to buy them. Meanwhile, the growth of the Internet has increased the speed of information distribution, accelerating mass consumption. With intensified competition in the mass market and the deterioration of the natural and social environments, many products on the market simply treat the symptoms and are not designed to solve the root cause of problems. Examples of such products include anti-crime devices and nutrition supplements.

Gram Design does receive requests to promote such products and services. But in such cases, the company tries to convey information in such a way that the prospective market can recognize and more deeply understand the true nature of the problem being addressed, besides communicating the features and benefits of the products and services. In that way, the company hopes to create opportunities for its clients to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities.

What style of information distribution can help change a society of mass consumption? What kind of information dissemination will make it possible to achieve sustainability?

One approach is to distribute information that stays relevant for a long time, and to present it in a way that encourages the receivers consume it slowly. The Internet allows us to get more and more information at an accelerated pace, whereas we cannot so easily improve our ability to process the information. We are pressed to judge information and tend to accept what someone says is good before completely understanding it. In effect, this weakens our comprehension and judgment abilities.

To help receivers take their time to consume information, Gram Design disseminates information in diverse and more tangible ways. Thorough explanation of product details is one way. Also, the company carefully provides information about what sort of persons are common users of the product and where and how they usually use it, so that information receivers can imagine how the product is used and how usable it is. It is also important to introduce anecdotes and the history of a product to help receivers enjoy sharing the information with others. An effective way to help receivers deepen their understanding is to convey information that can evoke happiness, sadness or curiosity.

Another means is to convince information receivers that products should be used for many years. For example, Gram Design explains the beauty of a product after even 10, 20 or more years of use. The company may also devise methods that encourage customers to want to continue using it or to see it in a new way, before they lose interest in it. The more attractive and versatile the product is, the more attachment customers will feel for the product and the longer they will want to use it.

This kind of approach, which encourages customers to have a specific image for a product, is often seen in advertisements on television and other media as part of branding strategies. Gram Design believes that information distribution through the Internet should also propose more sustainable consumption styles to its audiences. "The Internet is a medium that users can access whenever they want. So when they actively want to know more, we want to reach them right there and then," says Akaike.

The "Discover Japan! Sightseeing Database" managed by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation is one example of a website designed by Gram Design (which worked under contract with the lead agency, Dentsu, Inc./Dentsu Tech Inc.).

On this website, information about not only famous sightseeing spots but also important sightseeing resources that may be forgotten by even locals is collected from throughout the country and posted by region and objective. In addition, 10 appealing keywords, such as "beautiful colors," "refreshing" and "comfortable sounds," are selected to help viewers find attractive sightseeing spots.

Gram Design hopes that through this information on the website, many people will evaluate sightseeing spots not only based on economic value but also for their cultural and traditional value. It also hopes that locals will take pride in their sightseeing spots and improve their value.

In today's market economy, Gram Design realizes that it will not be possible to achieve its vision 100 percent of the time. But, as Akaike explains, "In the grand scheme of things, it is important for our company to balance two types of work: with one we can contribute to a sustainable society, and with the other cannot, unfortunately. Without an effort to change the current paradigm from within, society will remain unchanged. This is like guerrilla warfare," says Akaike with a chuckle. She adds, "To keep motivated, we need a comfortable balance of 'love' and 'justice.' To prevent disappointment, it's better to enjoy working on a job that carries hope, even if it's not very profitable at the moment. If you can do that, good things will surely happen one day."

Gram Design is committed to continue its efforts to change the way information is consumed, and to help move us toward a more sustainable society.

(Staff writer Eriko Saijo)