[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Size of Thought Is the Size of the Market <2>

Editor's NoteThe starting point of ＜The Size of Thought Determines the Size of the Market＞, authored by Lee Haeseon, President of the Korea Marketing Association (Coway Non-Executive Advisor), is his collection of over 250 notebooks meticulously filled every day with a pen he especially likes. Whenever he encounters an impressive moment, finishes a project, or needs an idea, he organizes his thoughts in a unique poetic style in these notebooks, which themselves are a source of inspiration. Excerpts of his handwritten poems are included throughout the book. Marketing is a battle of metaphors, and poetry is the art of metaphor; through the story of this romantic marketer who insists there is no reason these two should not connect, readers will experience remarkable insights into management and marketing. Word count: 1017.

When doing business, one often realizes that the mindset of so-called 'liberal arts' talents and 'science' talents differ fundamentally from the start. Imagine asking them the question, "What happens when snow melts?"

The scientific mindset answers, "When snow melts, it becomes water,"

while the liberal arts mindset says, "When snow melts, spring arrives."

This expression comes from the book ＜The Spirit of Making Products＞ written by Tokiwa Fumikatsu, the president of Kao Corporation, Japan's largest household goods company. Hayashi Hiroshige, a research expert from Nobaction Japan who worked with me at CJ CheilJedang, often shared Kao's case with me. Thanks to that, it was a great reference when commercializing household goods and cosmetics at CJ CheilJedang.

Kao Corporation is a global household chemical company founded in 1887. It is famous for household products such as laundry detergents, shampoos, soaps, hand sanitizers, and facial cleansers. Especially, Kao Soap, well-known even in Korea, was created as early as 1890. The company's 'spirit of making products' is the belief that there is no failure in technology and that scientific research on technology is continuously pursued. Moreover, they believe that sales and marketing can only be successful if their essence is accurately understood.

Tokiwa, the author of this book, was the 6th president of Kao Corporation. He joined as a regular employee in 1957, became the head of the research institute in 1971, and was appointed president in 1990. From the time he took office in 1990 until 2020, Kao's company value grew 5.4 times.

He argues that the 'spirit of making products' requires a combination of 'liberal arts talents and science talents.' Fusion talents combining emotion and function can create something new. This was said long before the term 'convergence' became popular in Korea with a slightly different meaning.

Currently, Kao operates the Kao Arts and Science Foundation. This foundation began as the 'Kao Basic Science Research Institute' established in the 1980s to strengthen basic research. Even companies like Kao that develop products based on science cannot give up the emotional element that art provides. To perceive science and technology more broadly and deeply, a liberal arts perspective that views human activities is essential alongside the scientific one.

－Lee Haeseon, ＜The Size of Thought Determines the Size of the Market＞, Seikorea, 23,000 KRW