Colette／Marketing

Career Steps

First Year

After creating web services, from six months after joining, worked on marketing to acquire new customers for the Rakuten Pay app.
Fourth Year

Appointed as an assistant manager to drive further customer growth, planned and executed cross-group initiatives and managed external advertising.
Now

Appointed as an vice manager of a newly established department, engaged in planning and driving integrated online and offline marketing in the sixth year.

Profile

I plan and execute marketing initiatives while supporting team member and project delivery as a manager. In the second year, I was entrusted with a large budget and built campaigns that led to service growth. On weekday evenings, I sometimes use the company cafeteria with my wife who also works at Rakuten Group, enabling a work style with less burden for both.

Current Role

I plan marketing initiatives to acquire new customers for the Rakuten Pay app and develop communication and media plans. I execute these initiatives with various internal departments, marketing teams for other services in the Group, and external advertising agencies and merchants.
There are two main missions. One is acquiring new customers by leveraging ad channels such as social media. We also optimize in-app communications and build mechanisms that encourage users who download the app to use its features. The other is deploying marketing initiatives across the Group that leverage the strengths of the Rakuten ecosystem. Centered on payment services like Rakuten Pay, we plan and execute measures that promote cross-use of the Group’s diverse fintech services.

Why I Chose Rakuten Payment

I joined Rakuten, Inc. as a new graduate in spring 2018. My seeked for an environment to build marketing experience, a culture of taking on challenges, and an industry with overall growth. Rakuten Group matched all of them. The fact that many employees were thriving from early in their careers in the fast-growing fintech field was decisive for me.
From the autumn of my first year, I took on a marketing role. At Rakuten, there is a culture that supports challenges as an organization. Within that culture, in the QR code payment market, which had only existed for a few years at the time, we were able to execute many unprecedented initiatives. In my fourth year I was involved in managing a small team, and now, as a Vice Manager leading about 20 members, I feel this is possible precisely because there is a culture where young people can take on challenges.

What Makes Working at Rakuten Payment Rewarding

Cashless payment services such as Rakuten Pay have grown to the level of social infrastructure. I sometimes visit fully cashless stadiums and hear directly from users; many say it's easy and helpful not having to take out a wallet when paying. Beyond seeing our efforts reach users, I strongly feel the social significance of promoting cashless payments.
Being able to run initiatives that reflect my own originality is also thanks to Rakuten Payment's unique culture. In my second year, I launched a campaign linking Rakuten Pay and Rakuten Card. It still runs quarterly, and I'm proud that it contributed to the growth of Rakuten Payment's services.

Future Career and Goals

The fintech field is exciting because it continues to grow; each initiative can change customer impressions and influence behavior. As someone with strong curiosity, I feel Rakuten Payment's fast-paced environment suits me well.
Right now, I'm focused on creating initiatives that become a trigger for Gen Z to use our services widely. With Japan's declining birthrate and aging population, acquiring younger users is important for us as a provider of infrastructure services. Companies across Rakuten Group's fintech businesses are working together to deepen our reach with Gen Z. Going forward, I want to plan and execute new approaches unlike anything before to deliver our services to even more users.

Message to Candidates

Among Rakuten's many cultural traits, the culture of sharing and scaling across teams creates an environment where you can become a specialist. When you want to roll out a new initiative, if there is a service in the Group that has already tried it, they share their knowledge. I feel this culture that enables efficient business growth is wonderful. One-on-one meetings also support a culture where even young members can take on challenges; they provide a place to tell your manager what you want to do.
I also like being able to manage my own schedule and take time off easily. For my honeymoon, I took two weeks and traveled in Europe. Ease of working is another appeal of Rakuten Payment!