YAGOO Interviewed by Business Insider Japan; Insights on VTubers going Mainstream, COVER Corp.’s Continuous Expansion, and the future of their Metaverse project ‘Holoearth’
In Part 1 of YAGOO’s interview with Business Insider Japan, he is asked by the interviewee and editor Kei Yoshikawa about various topics related to his company and the virtual entertainment industry, including questions about COVER Corp.’s public trade listing, the growing trend of VTubers going mainstream, the company’s ongoing business development, and the future of the Metaverse project ‘Holoearth.’
Read the official article here: Part 1 of YAGOO’s interview with Business Insider Japan here.
image source: businessinsider.jp (Photo credit: 伊藤圭)
COVER Corporation CEO Motoaki “YAGOO” Tanigo…
…describes his company’s move toward public listing as a mere “starting line” in their growth endeavors, but notes that it was a necessary step in continuing the VTuber and entertainment business.
Additionally, going public has given the company increased recognition, thus promoting so-called “B2B” alliances.
YAGOO describes these business-to-business alliances as a necessity in VTuber growth. These alliances come in the form of collaborations with record labels (Universal Music Group, etc.), merchandise companies (Animate, GoodSmile Co., etc.), and other companies spanning different industries.
image source: reddit.com
He emphasizes that the alliances with these companies greatly leverage the image of hololive VTubers both within the community and further beyond towards a wider-spread audience.
Examples brought up include:
Hoshimachi Suisei’s appearance on the prominent music YouTube channel “THE FIRST TAKE” (link to blogpost)
Sakura Miko’s appearance with the Tokyo Mayor Yuriko Koike as part of her duties for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a “Tokyo Tourism Ambassador” (link to our blogpost)
YAGOO comments that Suisei’s appearance on “THE FIRST TAKE” may have definitely helped change the idea of VTubers for the better, and affirms that he, along with COVER Corp. and hololive, intends to continue pursuing great public heights like these.
Continuing with the interview, YAGOO goes over some important areas in COVER Corp.’s business growth. He establishes the importance of identifying growth potential, which he believes is in merchandising and licensing/partnerships.
For merchandising…
YAGOO is quick to note the unfortunate circumstance of most hololive production Official Merch: it’s almost always “out of stock!”
This is of course mostly due to the nature of the merch, whether it is limited edition, special occasion, made-to-order, or event-related goods.
He aims to create a commerce environment where fans can easily purchase merchandise online, as well as in-person like in anime merchandise stores. This would make goods even more accessible for fans of all ages, especially for middle school and high school students (who are noted as a quickly rising force in the fandom.)
For licensing/partnerships…
The Business Insider Japan interviewee Kei Yoshikawa recalls the hololive SUPER EXPO 2023 event, where many brand collaboration booths were present. YAGOO points out that this greatly helped in increasing visibility and collaboration potential with other major companies in Japan for licensing. He believes that the licensing business will become very important in the future, especially for businesses overseas. We can anticipate even more collaborations with various overseas companies in the future, paired with licensed hololive merchandise of course!
image source: reddit.com
In some of the final bits of the 1st Interview, YAGOO acknowledges some of the challenges that COVER Corp. faces in the field.
One of the key issues he highlights is the integration of hololive content creation with the company’s business aspect.
He recognizes that in the entertainment industry, the goal is to generate profits and reinvest them to venture into even more business opportunities.
While this is a standard approach in business development, it may prove challenging when many things are to be considered, including customer engagement, demand, and the creation of profit-integrative yet high-quality content.
In an ideal model, COVER Corp. seeks to offer content that not only captivates customers but also encourages them to engage with the company’s business aspect, thus driving profitability. By establishing this positive cycle, hololive production can, in turn, continue creating more content fans know and love.
image source: ‘Materials for Growth Opportunities and Strategies’ PDF document on cover-corp.com
Towards the end of the interview, Business Insider Japan and YAGOO do go into topics of the company’s Metaverse project ‘Holoearth’, but a free-account login is required to view the rest of the interview.
