Meridian · Insights

Guides to marketing in Japan

Practical guides on marketing in Japan, written from what we see in the accounts and searches of international brands.

Yahoo! JAPAN vs Google Ads: where your search budget in Japan should go

Yahoo! JAPAN or Google for search ads in Japan? 2026 share data, the move to LY Ads, how to split budget by category and how to measure both.

8 min read →LINE

LINE marketing in Japan for international brands: official accounts, ads and what actually brings customers back

How international brands should use LINE in Japan in 2026: official accounts, LY Ads, real friend growth, what to send and how to measure extra sales.

8 min read →Agencies

How to evaluate your marketing agency in Japan: 12 questions to ask this month

Twelve questions about your marketing agency in Japan: three you can check yourself, nine to ask, what a good answer sounds like, and how to use the answers fairly.

9 min read →Rankings

Rankings decide the shortlist: how mybest, Kakaku.com, @cosme and comparison sites shape buying in Japan

How mybest, Kakaku.com, @cosme, ITreview and BOXIL shape buying in Japan, how to get listed within the stealth marketing rules, and how to measure it.

8 min read →Launch

Launching a brand in Japan: the first 90 days of marketing

A practical 90-day plan for launching a brand in Japan: what to set up before ads, what to run each month, and the numbers to watch.

9 min read →