100 Stories1998 Total of 4400 entries! The Idea Contest

“All ideas lead to an “Ihi!” Giving shape to invisible resources.”
The Idea Contest, which began in 1998 with an announcement in the company newsletter, invited ideas for new businesses, new products, new technologies, etc., from within the company, leading to many “Aha!” moments.

In 1996, the mid- to long-term business plan WIN“G”21 set forth a new corporate identity of “Continuously manufacturing products for the happiness of people and society,” and the “Ihi!” logo, which was used as the English “Aha!” is, was created for advertising purposes.

“Ihi!” was inspired by the sound of an idea, the power to break through the status quo, and was intended to establish Asahi Kasei's corporate image as an innovative company, a company that is changing.

Asahi Kasei has grown considerably by valuing the imagination of its diverse workforce, regardless of industry or any other genre.

The Idea Contest was held to give shape to this history of innovation, which could be called an invisible asset.

Participation was open to all Asahi Kasei Group employees. Entries needed to meet five criteria: the plan had to have an “Aha! moment,” be concrete, feasible, work-related, and not already planned to be implemented.

The first step was to recruit supporters for this Idea Contest. Supporters not only publicized the application process, but also distributed the weekly Blockprint newsletter and organized the applications.

The initial target was 1,000 applications, but the supporters' PR activities and the extension of the deadline resulted in 4,400 applications in four months, far exceeding the original target.

Among the many applications, the most popular category was　new product/new product-related. These ideas, which accounted for about 40% of all the entries, showed that many employees were inspired by the ideas of what they would like to see in their daily lives.

After receiving so many great ideas, an award ceremony was held in December 1998 at the Tokyo headquarters for all the winners. Some were making their first business trip; others were visiting the headquarters for the first time... At the initiative of President Kazumoto Yamamoto, the awards ceremony was held in Olympic style, with the recipients lined up on the stage and Yamamoto presenting the awards from the bottom of the podium.

The Idea Contest ended with the joy of the winners. The submitted ideas were then organized and shared with each project. Although none of the products were marketed as final products, they have surely led to many “Aha! moments” in the field of customer proposals and development.