Where Stories Meet Strategy

Every product has a story worth telling.

Why IMINGiK?

  • We translate a brand’s inherent value into a “story” that resonates directly with people’s hearts, and we take full responsibility for seeing it through to the end—all the way to the bottom line. We call this “storytelling.” With an eye for the essence of a brand, the ability to build strategies based on data, and the skill to craft memorable words—we bring these three elements together as a single team and manage the entire process, from concept to execution, as a seamless flow.

  • No matter how exceptional something may be, if it isn’t communicated, it will remain buried and go unnoticed. However, when its true value is conveyed directly, people are moved, they make a choice, and eventually begin to speak about it in their own words. “Will it resonate, or won’t it?”—We stake our entire business on the power to bridge that fine line.

  • It’s not just when crossing national borders that values diverge. Even among those who speak the same language, a quiet disconnect—"Lost in Translation"—lurks beneath the surface. We begin by verifying whether those values are truly reaching the other person, identifying where the disconnect lies, and reweaving the story from the ground up. Through “stories that truly resonate”—going beyond mere information transfer—we reconnect people and brands once again.

  • We don’t have a large, centralized organization. For each project, we assemble a team on a case-by-case basis, bringing together the experts best suited to the task at hand. By avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy, we remain agile and fast. We deliver reliable execution exactly when and how you need it.

How you tell your story determines how well your product sells.
Branding+　

All of IMINGiK's work is guided by a single methodology.

That's Branding+.

We build a brand’s foundation using logic and numbers. Then, we combine that with storytelling that leaves a lasting impression. What the “+” adds is something that data alone cannot convey: the power to move people’s hearts and propel what has been stagnant forward.

We put this approach into practice in three stages.

  • Every brand has hidden strengths that it may not even realise it possesses—its history, its technology, and its assets. We carefully unearth the “true value” that lies beneath these elements, one by one. Eventually, this becomes an unshakable foundation that no one else in the market can replicate.

  • Simply explaining the value we’ve discovered isn’t enough to convey it fully. That’s because even a literal translation of words leaves something out. We identify the misunderstandings—the “Lost in Translation”—that lurk between countries, cultures, and organisations, and retell the story so that it speaks directly to people in that market. It’s not about information; it’s about creating a story that moves people’s hearts. That is the work of this stage.

  • Our stories don’t just resonate with people—we take responsibility for turning them into tangible results in the form of sales. We measure effectiveness with data and balance it with messaging that moves people, striving for lasting results that go beyond a single moment in the spotlight.

What We Offer

  • ── Delivering Value Across Borders

    Whether it’s international brands entering the Japanese market or Japanese brands expanding overseas, value becomes surprisingly difficult to convey when crossing market boundaries. Rather than simply translating words, we reinterpret the core of a brand so that it resonates directly with the culture and sensibilities of the target country. From strategic planning to serving as a bridge between headquarters and local teams, and from PR to initial marketing efforts, we draw on our founder’s nearly two decades of experience across Japanese and international companies, for both sides.

  • ── Closing Communication Gaps Inside Organisations

    It’s not just in cross-border contexts that values diverge. Even within the same company or team, differences in generation, position, and culture can prevent messages from getting across. We identify these gaps within companies, organizations, local governments, and government agencies, and reconnect them through a shared narrative. We’ll translate the dialogue frameworks we’ve developed through our work with both Japanese and foreign-affiliated organizations into language that resonates with your company.

  • ── Delivering Products Through Stories

    In the apparel, cosmetics, and wellness sectors, we source products with a story that stand apart from the competition. Working in collaboration with trusted partner companies for sourcing and distribution, we handle everything from product selection to brand story development, marketing, PR, and sales strategy. We oversee the entire process—from television shopping and other retail channels right up to the moment a customer picks up the product. Our founder's four and a half years as a store manager at a London boutique gave us the practical insight to identify products that truly sell.

  • ── Proving It Ourselves

    "How something is presented determines how well it sells."

    To put this idea to the test, we are building our own retail brand. We handle everything ourselves—from selecting products and crafting narratives to bringing them to market—and we directly incorporate the data and customer feedback we gather into our proposals for clients. This serves as a “living laboratory” where all the data and feedback we obtain are fed back into our proposals for clients.

Message from the Founder

  • "Every product has a story."

    Thank you for visiting the IMINGiK website.

    My journey of pursuing storytelling has continued ever since I shot my first short film in middle school, through my studies in screenwriting in the UK. The moment my creative roots were firmly established was on the sales floor of a small boutique in Covent Garden, London. The store, called “INTERSTATE,” carried workwear and denim from the U.S., Italy, and Japan. For four and a half years in my twenties, I worked as the store manager, standing on the sales floor alongside the local staff. There, I realised something simple: the importance of storytelling—“Every product has a story. If you understand that story from the creator’s perspective and convey it accurately, its value will surely resonate.”

    Since returning to Japan, I have built a career spanning nearly 20 years, working in both major Japanese entertainment companies—such as Nikkatsu and SEGA—and major foreign companies—including Sony Pictures, NBCUniversal, and IMAX. In later years, I served as Deputy Director, Board of Directors | Head of PR Strategy Office, PR & Student Recruitment Dept. at the Amusement Media Academy, where I was also involved in the management of an educational institution. I have tackled marketing, public relations strategy, and management in environments that varied in both industry and scale. Even as the scope of my work shifted from video products to immersive theatre systems and then to education, what continued to work was precisely the “principle” I had grasped on the sales floor in Covent Garden.

    Products and brands that are highly regarded overseas often fail to resonate once they arrive in Japan. Japanese brands with genuine value are not properly understood abroad. Or, even within Japan itself, their true value isn’t fully conveyed. This disconnect stems not from a lack of language translation, but from a failure to retell their stories effectively.

    IMINGiK is a company that specializes in reimagining stories, placing storytelling at the heart of its strategy. We identify the essence of a brand, build the framework of a strategy using logic and data, and translate it into words and forms that resonate with people. The approach I call “Branding+” is a simple, proven methodology that I have repeatedly validated throughout my career.

    I won't make any grand promises.

    We will take responsibility for guiding you every step of the way until the true value of the brands entrusted to us is fully conveyed to the market in a way that it can understand.

    We look forward to hearing from you.

    IMINGiK Inc. | Founder & CEO | Kosei Sugimoto

    Read the biography