Impact of Brand Creation in Disaster-Afflicted Areas on the “Sense of Restoration”: The Case of MIGAKI-ICHIGO

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, private companies became important agents for performing reconstruction support activities. This study examines the impact of the reconstruction support activities undertaken by private companies following the 2011 earthquake. It presents a new framework for classifying such activities, focusing on business startups and reconstruction using the case of MIGAKIICHIGO, a luxury fruit brand representing Tohoku that has become prominent in the decade since the earthquake. A semi-structured interview with GRA, Inc.’s representative director, Hiroki Iwasa, was conducted to review the company’s intentions a decade after the earthquake. I prepared four questions in advance and asked other questions responding to the interviewee’s answers. The results indicate that the value of startups in reconstruction assistance arises when a company starts and during its corporate growth. This growth highlights the possibility that such companies become long-lasting reconstruction actors when compared with the reconstruction support activities undertaken by other private companies. These findings could serve as a reference for manufacturers and advertising companies who are considering reconstruction support activities and contribute to improving the quality of stakeholders’ reconstruction support activities. It also has multidisciplinary value by combining management science with earthquake reconstruction science.