Robert Heldt - Custom Media

Robert Heldt is the CEO and co-founder of Custom Media KK, an award-winning, bilingual, full-service B2B marketing agency based in Tokyo, Japan. As an agency, Robert and his team are adept at developing effective marketing solutions that blend data and creativity with both local and international expertise, helping their clients bridge the gap between Japan and the world.

As an experienced marketing leader, academic, and commentator, Robert has helped global brands from around the world enter and expand their Japan business. He is a firm believer in the power of story-telling, a digital pioneer (recently launching the award-winning www.GoConnect.jp platform that supports foreigners in Japan and maximizing their experience there), a strategic thinker, and a regular board member, mentor, and advisor for several organizations supporting businesses and the marketing industry as a whole in Japan.

In this episode:

Robert talks about his marketing career background and his journey to becoming a business founder and leader in Japan.

How his earlier career in global hospitality helped him develop some of the essential skills required to be an effective international marketer.

Robert talks about some of the unique challenges international business leaders need to navigate in order to grow in Japan.

He offers insight into some of the unique characteristics of effective marketing campaigns in Japan and the steps international brands need to take to succeed there.

He shares his thoughts on the future of marketing in Japan and the rest of the world.

In today’s episode of The Radical Global Marketing Podcast, Steven Proud sits down with Robert Heldt, founder, and CEO of Custom Media. They talk about Robert’s early career in international business and marketing and how that shaped him as a business and marketing leader today, as well as some of the unique challenges for global brands deploying successful marketing in Japan.