Virtual Office client at Shiodome Shibarikyu Building
COLOURS. is a PR and marketing agency that helps foreign companies looking to expand their business in Japan overcome hurdles such as language barriers.
In this interview, we spoke with Mayumi Abe Snaith, representative director of the company, about the background of the company's success with major domestic and international clients despite being a small business, how the company first started, and why the company chose a shared office.
“We are an agency that provides PR and marketing support and consulting services to companies.”
We are an agency that provides PR and marketing support and consulting services to companies. Overseas, we are known as a “communications agency,” or a full-service consulting firm that handles all areas of PR and marketing.
On average, more than half of our clients are foreign companies, including the Chicago Tourism Board, foreign luxury hotel brands, and a backpack brand from Hong Kong, for whom we handle PR, marketing, and social media management.
For the most recent project, I was in charge of PR for the opening of two hotels that are located in Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, which opened in 2023. We have continued to do PR for those two hotels after they opened and I do overseas influencer marketing for them as well.
Additionally, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I was in charge of managing foreign journalists, conducting interviews with athletes, and handling press conferences during the archery competitions.
If I were to narrow down our business, it would be PR support for hospitality brands and foreign brands. One of our clients, Hakuba Hospitality Group, has an annual contract with us, and we support a wide range of their PR activities including their annual PR strategy, marketing content proposals, press release creation, press and influencer tours, and distribution to media such as magazines and newspapers.
We also support domestic hotel clients who want to send out information to overseas markets by issuing press releases in English, acting as a liaison with overseas influencers and foreign media. On the other hand, when an overseas lifestyle brand is developing their business in Japan and entrusts us with PR duties, we can help them with PR activities in Japan such as press release distribution, PR events and photoshoots, and managing their official Japanese social media.
Large companies often use interpreters, and I think there are few PR firms like ours where all the staff speak English. We also have two trilingual staff members who speak Chinese and English.
We have eight employees including myself, and the rest are outsourced workers who join our team depending on the project. Although we are small, our strength lies in our network that extends both domestically and internationally, and in our flexibility that allows us to handle anything.
"Large companies often use interpreters, and I think there are few PR firms like ours where all the staff speak English. We also have two trilingual staff members who speak Chinese and English.”
I have a long history in public relations and have been in the industry for almost 20+ years, since my 20s. I worked as a public relations manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Marunouchi, and when I worked for a PR agency, I also worked with luxury hotels and tourism bureaus. I worked hard and was a career focused woman who traveled overseas a lot.
However, my perspective changed when I had children. When I had my second child and returned from maternity leave in 2018, I began to think about becoming independent. I thought that it would be difficult to balance childcare and work, especially since my office was far from home.
Yes, I resigned in August 2019 and became a freelancer. I was approached by business relationships I had cultivated and was immediately asked to take on a number of projects that I could not take on as a sole proprietor. I decided to establish my business in December that same year, and a few months later covid hit... In the midst of all this, I feel very grateful that we have been able to survive this long.
"When starting a business on your own, the initial cost of renting an office can be huge. You have to provide your own furniture and infrastructure, and you also have to hire a receptionist to handle phone calls.”
When I became independent, I signed a contract with Servcorp and have been using the Shiodome Shibarikyu Building location ever since. My current contract is the Premium Virtual Office.
When starting a business on your own, the initial cost of renting an office can be huge. You have to provide your own furniture and infrastructure, and you also have to hire a receptionist to handle phone calls.
With a shared office, the office is furnished, and you can have the phone answered and mail picked up on your behalf. Entrepreneurs need to focus on their core business to keep their business running. You really don't have time to do all the busy work. I chose Servcorp because of its secretarial services and business registration. I was also impressed by their high reviews.
"To be more specific, the interior is not cluttered, the work area is spacious, there is plenty of sunlight, and all the secretaries greet you properly with beautiful smiles. Their service is genuine and not robot-like.”
I chose the Shiodome location because it was easy to access from my house. It's a 2 minute walk from JR Hamamatsucho station, so I don't even need an umbrella on rainy days, and it's also a 2 minute walk from the Daimon subway station. The view of Hamarikyu from the 21st floor is something I could not have gotten from renting an office.
Also, the manager and receptionists at the location are wonderful, and the energy at the location made me think “this is it!” I loved the atmosphere and decided on a gut feeling to sign the contract.
In a word, it might be “trustworthy.” I never feel uncomfortable. To be more specific, the interior is not cluttered, the work area is spacious, there is plenty of sunlight, and all the secretaries greet you properly with beautiful smiles. Their service is genuine and not robot-like.
In the past, the manager at this location saved me from a big crisis. Because of my job, I often come in contact with the service of luxury hotels, and I think Servcorp's hospitality is on par with that.
Sole proprietors, small businesses, start-ups, and companies like ours that do business overseas would benefit greatly. All of their staff is highly skilled and bilingual, so we can rely on them to handle phone calls, emails, and customer service. That is very important in building trust with our clients.
I have also used Servcorp locations in Hong Kong and London, and it was helpful not having to search for a workspace on business trips. I felt comfortable because the interior design is the same, and I was able to work without worrying because of the friendly service. I think this is a service that is hard to find anywhere else.
"All of their staff is highly skilled and bilingual, so we can rely on them to handle phone calls, emails, and customer service. That is very important in building trust with our clients.”
The Shiodome Shibarikyu Building is a 2 minute walk from Hamamatsucho and Daimon Station. It is convenient for both domestic and international business trips and visitors, as it has easy access to Tokyo Station and is 20 minutes from Haneda Airport by Tokyo Monorail.
In front of the building is the Hamarikyu Gardens, a nationally designated place of scenic beauty, providing a well-balanced combination of a business district and nature.
The office is on the 21st floor of the building. The ocean view from the top floor and the 5-star interior design create a high quality workspace that welcomes both domestic and international clients.
Servcorp offers four types of office services to suit your needs: Serviced Offices, Coworking Spaces, Virtual Offices, and Meeting Rooms. If you are interested in using Servcorp’s services, please feel free to contact us.
“No matter what location you go to they are always kept in pristine condition and it’s easy to use and focus on your work.”
“An office is not all about location and rent. Productivity from employees and customer satisfaction are invaluable by-products if you get your choice right.”
“Servcorp provides great value and a lot of advantages for fast-paced companies which want to concentrate on their core business.”
