Abstract

The beer industry has long been dominated by Kirin and Asahi, which are vying for market share. Kirin used to be the dominant company, but Asahi caught up and overtook it with the introduction of "Super Dry." On the other hand, Kirin competes with Asahi with its "Ichiban Shibori". A genius marketer was involved in developing Ichiban Shibori and other hit products in the past. Mr. Hitoshi Maeda. This book is a biography of Hitoshi Maeda, a marketer who was involved in developing all of Kirin Beer's popular products, including Heartland, Ichiban Shibori, Tanrei, Tanrei Green Label, Nodogoshi, and Hyoketsu. The book presents a colorful account of his upbringing, the secret story behind the development of each product, Kirin Brewery's management transitions, personal interactions, and the trends of rivals Asahi Breweries and Suntory. Hitoshi Maeda was born in Yamanashi Prefecture in 1950 and grew up in Osaka. After working in sales, he moved to the marketing department, where he led the development of Heartland and rose to prominence. After making Ichiban Shibori a hit, he was transferred to the Wine Division and Kirin Seagrams, where he served as Executive Officer and General Manager of the Liquor Sales Division Planning Department, Managing Executive Officer of Kirin Holdings, Representative Director, and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Mercian, and President and Representative Director of Kirin Beverage. After retiring, he served as a director of Kameda Seika. He passed away in 2020. The author was a journalist. After working as a reporter for the daily newspaper "Tokyo Times," he became independent in 1992. He has written extensively on corporate activities, relationships between organizations and people, personnel systems, and foreign workers.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: The Secret Operation to Overthrow "Lager
Chapter 2: The Great Run
Chapter 3: The Impact of "Super Dry
Chapter 4: The Day Ichiban Shibori was Born
Chapter 5:Falling to the Top
Chapter 6: Return of the Genius
Chapter 7: The Sense of Smell of a Home-Run Hitter
Chapter 8: "Hyoketsu," a product of "heterogeneity
End of Chapter: You Can't Eat with Old Tales

Author’s Information

Takashi Nagai　　
Journalist, born in 1958, held in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture. He graduated from Meiji University. After working as a reporter for the daily newspaper "Tokyo Times," He became independent in 1992. He has written extensively for newspapers, magazines, and web media on various topics, including corporate activities such as beer and automobiles, the relationship between organizations and people, personnel systems, and foreign workers. He has been covering the beer industry for more than 30 years, including his time as a reporter for the Tokyo Times.