Chief Priest's
Professional Record

Innovative Marketing Strategies
That The Chief Priest
Have Developed

Provided 5 strategies of product development and promotion for Google (2007)

1. Take School Market

2. Synchronize TV Program and "Google Earth"

3. Spread Google using Social Media

4. Innovative "Image Search by Image"

5. World's First "Watch Later"

The following two products, "Search by Image" and "Watch Later," are my best product development projects. 

＊ "Search by Image" product development is an innovative function that allows you to search for an image whose name you do not know by image and know it by text (words).

For example, suppose you have a picture of a tropical island whose location name you don't know. Until then, there was no way to know because text search cannot be searched without understanding the words. Therefore, I made it possible to know the name by searching for similar images in the image and pulling the text written on the image. If you know the name, you can also search by text.

When the U.S. company Liya launched "Like.com"—a shopping site utilizing similar-image search technology—in November 2006, I realized that if Google adopted this technology, we could develop a new product based on the concept of "searching for similar images using an image and returning a text-based answer."

Consequently, I proposed acquiring Liya to secure its image search technology. We acquired "Like.com" in 2010, and the "Search by Image" service was launched in 2011.

＊ "Watch Later" product development is a convenient function that allows you to watch later the content you are interested in while surfing the Internet. Since December 2010, when Google (YouTube) launched the world's first "watch later" function has been followed and spread by many web companies. Today, the "watch later" feature is a popular feature for users around the world.

Categorize “view later” (or “save”) content to organize information.

This product development plan was highly praised as "an excellent idea that even Google's US headquarters would not have thought of."

＊In addition to Google's product development, the Japanese page features many successful marketing strategies.

Visit the Japanese page here.

Toshimichi KUGA

Chief Priest

Chinkaiseki Hachimangu Shrine

Before returning to my family home in Fukuoka to succeed as the chief priest of Chinkaiseki Hachimangu Shrine, I worked in marketing in Tokyo.

This page introduces one aspect of that: Google's product development.

My approach to analysis and strategy formulation is characterized by a "structuring" technique that integrates "Intrinsic Value" and "Extrinsic (Emotional) Value."

【Key Professional Background】

*   "Intrinsic" and "Extrinsic" are marketing terms used by Coca-Cola. I utilized the marketing methodologies I mastered while working as a Brand Manager at Coca-Cola Japan (CCJC).

*   Engaged in consulting work at KPMG, one of the "Big 4" global accounting firms.

*   At an IT company, starting in 2001, I led the business development and operations of "Viral Research"—Japan's first qualitative analysis service for online word-of-mouth. Based on this track record, I secured an exclusive sales agreement with Dentsu, and the service began operating as "Dentsu Buzz Research" in 2005. By applying the "structuring" technique that incorporates Intrinsic and Extrinsic values to product development and advertising across a wide range of industries, I drove rapid sales growth.

【Key Marketing Achievements】

*   2001–2003: Led product development planning for Panasonic’s "P2102V" and "P900iV" models, which played a pivotal role in popularizing 3G mobile phones (FOMA).

*   2001: Formulated the "color-based branding" advertising strategy for "Asahi Hon-nama." This popularized advertisements that appealed to the emotional value derived from color, leading to the widespread adoption of advertising that aligned clothing and interior colors with the brand's signature color.

*   2006: Formulated the "Rules for Hit Product Naming" based on an analysis of the "Ina-bauer" trend. These principles continue to be utilized today in product naming and advertising creation.

*   In 2007, Google’s product development initiatives for "Search by Image" and "Watch Later" had a major global impact.

The "search by image" capability has become an indispensable feature of modern web services, while "Watch Later" has gained widespread adoption by companies around the world.

【The Chief Priest's Work】

*   October 1, 2016: Took over the family shrine in Fukuoka and began shrine duties

*   May 1, 2017: Appointed Chief Priest of Chinkaiseki Hachimangu Shrine

*   All sacred items—including amulets, *Goshuin* stamps, and *Goshuin* stamp books—are designed and created by the Chief Priest.

*   The photographs on the official website were taken by the Chief Priest, who also handled the site's construction, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization/AI Optimization) independently. The site consistently ranks first in search results across various keywords.