Asia-Pacific Power List 2025: Tatsuya Okamoto, Ajinomoto

Tatsuya Okamoto

Deputy general manager - food products division, and general manager, marketing design centre
Ajinomoto
Japan
Member since 2024

‘Swing the bat’ is a credo one would more easily associate with a sporting brand than with Ajinomoto. But the philosophical underpinnings of the phrase have been embraced by Okamoto as a clarion call against the tendency all too common in large companies to stagnate and not work on their proposition. Okamoto has been able to foster a spirit of experimentation within the company, creating a culture that celebrates individuals and efforts that "take a well-aimed swing with all might”, regardless of the outcome. Ajinomoto formalised this approach by instituting the internal ‘swing the bat’ award, where four initiatives are rewarded every six months, picked from several entries.   

Such willingness to take risks is evident across Ajinomoto’s marketing. In recent years, the brand’s unorthodox efforts to please its frozen gyoza customers led it on a well-documented public relations odyssey to win back customers, receiving hundreds of their frying pans in a bid to make a better non-stick dumpling, an initiative that won multiple awards, including Gold at Spikes Asia.

Now, the company is disrupting its own B2B2C model with the launch of its D2C division, which in turn involves a more active marketing role. The focus at Ajinomoto now has more to do with personalised interactions with consumers over mass media-led communications. 

While most well known as a B2B brand that supplies a key ingredient (monosodium glutamate or MSG) to other companies, Ajinomoto has launched ‘Aji Friends’ to harness the power of influencers. The brand disintermediated the process of hiring influencers by approaching them directly instead of relying on a specialist agency. The goal is to make fans of Ajinomoto feel positively disposed towards the company. The brand identified 1,000 such influencers who have become advocates for the company—an unusual marketing approach for a predominantly B2B product, and the brainchild of Okamoto and his team. 

Other standout marketing initiatives include an oyster Somen noodle shop in Shibuya to make consumers aware of the convenience and ease of preparation with oyster sauce—thought to be a tough ingredient to work with. With a pop-up food stall across different locations, Ajinomoto has increased awareness and curiosity about oyster sauce. 

Under Okamoto’s stewardship, Ajinomoto is increasingly taking centre stage as its name transitions from that of an ingredient to a brand in its own right.