The Relationship Between Brand Integrity and Business Continuity – A Case Study of Japanese Long-Standing Company, Shioyoshiken –

The number 22,000 represents how many Japanese companies have lasted more than 100 years. This fact attracts the attention of the many researchers who explore the secrets of such business continuity, mainly from the angles of management philosophy, product innovation, and successful business succession. This paper, however, focuses more on brand management for identifying the relationship between brand building and business continuity, employing of the case of Shioyoshiken. Shioyoshiken is renowned for manufacturing sophisticated Japanese sweets for more than 130 years. The Shioyoshiken brand is well appreciated by private customers who emphasize the value of specialized sweets, particularly for Japanese tea parties and weddings. In this case study, we (1) explore Shioyoshiken “rashisa,” which means “identity” in English and (2) identify the secret of Shioyoshiken’s long-lasting brand strength, referring to an interview with Masaaki Takaya, the owner of Shioyoshiken, and deploying analytical frameworks such as 4M, 4P and Kotler’s 3i.