#Japan #Tokyo #Hitachi Solutions #BtoB Marketing #AWARD 2026

Hitachi Solutions Achieves Major BtoB Marketing Award

Hitachi Solutions, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, has recently achieved remarkable recognition by winning the top award in the Strategy Category at the "Nikkei Cross Trend BtoB Marketing Awards 2026". This accolade reflects the company's comprehensive sales reforms and innovative marketing strategies aimed at revolutionizing its BtoB approach.

The award, managed by Nikkei BP, a prominent marketing and innovation media company in Japan, saw Hitachi Solutions stand out among numerous candidates during the finals held on July 28. The strategy developed to improve customer understanding into a competitive advantage was a key aspect of this triumph.

Business Challenges and Strategic Solutions

As Hitachi Solutions expanded its portfolio of promising products from overseas, it encountered challenges meeting annual sales targets. The issue stemmed from the low resolution of customer understanding within its business strategy. To address this, the company systematically developed its Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy by breaking it down into three key phases: planning, execution, and operation. A comprehensive documentation process was established to guide these activities.

Over the course of a year, as the company began to reinforce its marketing efforts, products included in this strategic initiative saw an impressive increase in orders—up to three times more compared to past bestsellers. Moving forward, Hitachi Solutions plans to extend its successful strategies to other areas while incorporating AI to enhance its systems.

A Comprehensive Approach to Marketing

The navigation framework for marketing that Hitachi Solutions created from scratch focuses on structuring customer challenges across three layers: management, departments, and operations. This framework established a systematic process for hypothesizing and validating customer needs. By organizing the GTM strategy into three areas—planning, execution, and operation—the company built a structure that allows for customer-centric marketing to be practiced organizationally.

Employees used this documentation to conduct interviews with customers, confirming the framework's beneficial outcomes. Moreover, the initiative sought validation through collaboration with external consulting firms. This effort has not only contributed to reducing the dependency on individuals within the marketing activity but also enhanced the reproducibility of successful outcomes across the organization.

From 2025 onward, this initiative aims to streamline customer understanding throughout all business areas, not just limited to specific segments. There's a significant push towards utilizing AI for market research, hypothesis generation, persona development, and integrating solutions with internal SFA and CRM systems.

Recognition and Future Goals

The award received was a proud moment for Hitachi Solutions, especially for its Security Solutions Division. Atsushi Miyamoto and Masanori Ooba, members of the Security Marketing Promotion Department, expressed their gratitude. They acknowledged this evaluation as a motivation for their diligent practice in systematizing marketing activities based on customer understanding, aiming to enhance corporate value through data collaboration both internally and externally.

About the BtoB Marketing Awards

The Nikkei Cross Trend BtoB Marketing Awards recognize companies achieving significant results in the BtoB sector. This year marks the third iteration, featuring four categories: Strategy, Branding, Demand Process, and the newly established Inside Sales segment. The competition drew approximately 60 applications, evaluated by BtoB marketing specialists.

In summary, Hitachi Solutions is dedicated to using advanced digital technologies to offer solutions, promoting digital transformation with a focus on global challenges. As they continue to develop and formalize marketing practices with the assistance of AI, the company aspires to contribute meaningfully to creating a safe and sustainable society.

For more details about Hitachi Solutions, visit their official website: Hitachi Solutions