CRAFT MISO Nama Koji New Market Creation from Customer Dissatisfaction

This provides an in-depth analysis of Hikari Miso's marketing strategy for their new product, "CRAFT MISO Nama Koji," which created a new market within the shrinking miso industry. It explains that the company achieved this growth by employing an "Out of the box" thinking approach, focusing on "un-customers"—specifically younger, entry-level consumers—who were dissatisfied with traditional miso's limited uses. The core strategy involved identifying consumer pain points like not knowing how to use miso beyond soup, developing a new value proposition ("delicious to eat as is," like a dressing), and actively creating experiential marketing opportunities to let new customers taste and apply the product in diverse ways. The successful introduction of this product is presented as a model for market creation that expands the entire industry, rather than merely competing for existing market share.