David Freeman: “We’ve Moved Beyond Big Data Now”

David Freeman will surprise you. He admits, over the course of our conversation, that he still gets a kick out of the look of shock he sparks when he breaks out into free-flowing, fluent Japanese in business meetings. 

And, as we wind the clock back to his formative years, that theme of unpredictability is a recurring one throughout Freeman’s life and career. Whilst the business director for ER Japan paints a picture of himself as a somewhat reclusive child (“I just wanted to be in my own bubble with my guitar,” as he puts it) he was only fifteen years old when he threw himself into an eight-month homestay in Japan. Willingly diving into a culture he didn’t know, and a language he didn’t understand, might not seem the most obvious move for a shy teenager obsessed only with his guitar. But then, very little about Freeman is obvious. 

As anyone who’s been to Japan will tell you, there’s something truly fascinating and magical about it.

In his own words, Freeman’s experience in Japan, sparked by a two-week stay alongside a school friend just a year earlier, changed him profoundly. “When you learn another language and sink into another culture beyond just tourism, you find parts of yourself you never knew existed,” he explains. 

Today, speaking with Freeman can at times feel like an impromptu ad from the Japanese Tourist Board -- albeit an especially compelling one. “As anyone who’s been to Japan will tell you, there’s something truly fascinating and magical about it. It’s connected to the rest of the globe, yet it’s gone so far down its own path that it’s utterly unique,” he says. “And it’s not just the places and the food, it’s the people. The way they interact with you, especially when it’s in their own language, is a thing of beauty. I’d always recommend it to anyone considering a move to Japan.”

Whilst he would never have known it at the time, lessons he picked up during that eight-month Japanese homestay would prove invaluable when setting up Adstream in the country years later. For one thing, it was how he mastered the language. “Going to a school where only Japanese was spoken, does tend to sharpen the mind,” he notes.

But more than that, the experience allowed Freeman to begin the process of getting to know Japan’s vast and intricate culture. Without it, there’s a fair chance that he would never have been able to help Adstream break into the country’s market in  2017. With his deep knowledge and respect for the culture, he is now helping many clients find success in Japan as well. 

Made in Japan 

Perhaps more than any other national marketplace, understanding and patience are the keys to making it in Japan. 

“The core advice I give to anyone is never assuming you can rewrite the rulebook here,” he says. “Don’t presume that your product, however good it may be, is special enough to revolutionise how Japan works.”

For an industry often obsessed with ‘disruption,’ that advice can sometimes jar. But it’s no less essential. Fortunately, there are ways of achieving success in Japan - provided you know what you’re doing, as Freeman discovered to his benefit. 

Don’t presume that your product, however good it may be, is special enough to revolutionise how Japan works.

“When you consider that we [AdStream/ER] were arriving in Japan with a modern, cutting-edge product developed in the West, the risk we were taking was very high,” he recalls. “But what ultimately helped us succeed was a partnership with a fantastic guy called Tee Kuboki. His reputation, network, and agile entrepreneurial mind helped us through the politics and got us in with the right people. He helped us get recognised as a legitimate business with our collective head screwed on.” 

Without that expertise, success would have been far from a guarantee. “Sadly, Tee is no longer with us, but I’ll always be thankful for what he did as a colleague and as a friend,” says Freeman. “He was a brilliant character, and he forged a harmonious connection between us and the Japanese market that allowed us to succeed. Ultimately, there is no substitute for local knowledge and experience when entering a foreign market -- especially one as unique as Japan.”