Vanguard of PayPay Marketing vol.2 Marketing Planning Department

Having reached the benchmark of 45 million registered users and 3.55 million locations available for use nationwide, PayPay is a breath of fresh-and-cashless air in Japan, offering a comfortable and fun payment experience to its users and merchants who use the service multiple times every day. Read on to find out about the Vanguard of marketing at PayPay – the team of diligent marketers driving campaigns and marketing strategies critical to this achievement, who, in the hope of climbing to further heights, push forward at greater speed and vigor as we speak. This time we sat down with Minako Suzuki from the Marketing Planning Department.

Tell us about your work

There are three main types of campaigns offered by PayPay: Campaigns that are 1) co-sponsored by merchants, 2) co-sponsored by local governments, and 3) sponsored by PayPay. I’m mainly in charge of the third.
Most recently, I’ve been involved in planning and executing the “Chance to Win All Over Japan! Super PayPay Jumbo” campaign, which is one of the main marketing measures of the “Cho PayPay Matsuri” that started in February 2022.
The Campaign Planning Team is involved in almost everything related to campaigns, including the initial planning, calculating estimates, managing progress, and verifying the effectiveness of the campaign afterwards. We work in cooperation with various departments involved in each phase of the campaign.

In the planning stage, to obtain internal approval, we discuss projections with the Management Planning Department on how much of the investment we can realistically expect to recover, and check with the Legal Department to see if there are any regulatory issues.

After internal approval comes the preparation phase, which includes communicating or pitching the campaign to merchants, together with other departments. This phase involves a lot of going back and forth with the Promotion and Sales Departments, but we also talk to a range of other teams including the CS and Product teams.

Once the campaign is launched, to maximize effectiveness, we track the results to determine whether additional promotional activities are needed and review improvements to the campaign website.

After the campaign is over, we have a look at how effective it was so that we can use the learnings identified – both good and bad – in the next campaign.

Chance to Win All Over Japan! Super PayPay Jumbo

What are the joys and rewarding aspects of being a marketer PayPay?

It’s always a joy when a campaign I was in charge of produces tangible results, such as an increase in the number of users or payments. Another rewarding aspect is to be able to contribute to and witness first-hand the growth of the business. It’s definitely a challenge to face constant obstacles, and the effort required to involve other teams to review and resolve issues together can be painstaking, nonetheless fun at the same time.

What about the hardships and difficulties you face?

Every campaign organized by PayPay involves something new to consider or new operations, so it’s not as though you can sit back and cruise through the same routine. Also, everyone involved in the campaign, including management, have a very strong desire to create something that’s good for the company, but more importantly for users and merchants as well, which often results in specifications being finalized right at the last minute. Because of this, it’s not uncommon that there’s minimal time left until the launch of the campaign, after the details are fixed. Dashing through the process at breakneck speed every time can be rather hard.

What’s good about the work culture in your team?

Team members, managers, and division heads alike are all easy to talk to. Even the higher-ups listen to the members on the ground and review things together. We also receive updates on what is discussed in the management meeting held every week, so we always know what to focus on, what the context is, and hence understand why we do what we do.

Are the any structures or cultures at PayPay you find helpful in achieving results and performing well?

“Work from anywhere” (WFA) by far! As soon as it was introduced, I traveled to Kyoto and stayed there for about three weeks during the season of autumn leaves. I was also able to meet a team member living in Kyoto who had just joined the team. Another good thing is that I can work from one of the various satellite offices for a change in mood or if I have plans in the area after work.

Message to future team members

We are still in the midst of evolving – putting shape to the business together as a team.
There will no doubt be hardships along the way, but we’re also fortunate enough to have so many people on the team willing to help each other out ????
I hope to see you soon!

Special Thanks: Minako Suzuki / Planning: Sura Kim / Edited by: PayPay Inside-Out Editorial Team
*Employees’ affiliations are as of the time of the interview.