Reversing the purpose strategy: Shukudai Yaruki Pen & NTT Data capsule hotel

This examines the marketing concept of "reversing the purpose" (mokuteki no shudanka), which intentionally treats the original objective as a means to achieve a greater, often long-term, goal, contrasting it with the common pitfall of "means becoming the purpose." This principle is illustrated through two main case studies: the "Shukudai Yaruki Pen," an IoT stationery product designed to motivate children by making studying (the original purpose) a means to earn rewards and develop enjoyment, and NTT Data's entry into the capsule hotel business. For NTT Data, the hotel operation is merely the means to collect valuable, large-scale sleep data from guests for future healthcare and AI-driven business ventures, rather than profitability from lodging itself being the primary goal. It argues that adopting this broad, strategic perspective can unlock innovative business models across areas like strategy, product development, and data analysis.