Spotlight on Nanako: The Dancing Digital Marketer

Nanako Aramaki is TAMLO’s Chief Operating Officer. A Japanese native raised in Canada, bilingual Nanako helps clients adapt their digital marketing campaigns for the Japanese or English-speaking markets. 

The many hats of a TAMLO marketer

‘I create bespoke strategies and content’, says Nanako before listing her other responsibilities: ‘sales, business development, marketing, account management, project management, ad management, influencer marketing, video editing, workshops, strategy building…’ 

If it sounds like a lot, Nanako explains that actually, these are all hats she wants to wear.

‘At TAMLO, we all only do what we really want to do. My background is in marketing, but TAMLO has allowed me to switch to a more client-facing role which I enjoy more than typical digital marketing tasks.

‘Usually, people are hired for a specific role, but at TAMLO we carefully select who to hire, and then create a role that the person wants, or adjust the role according to that person's expertise.’

Breaking the marketing mould

Despite an established and successful marketing career - including a senior position at SoftBank in London - Nanako is far from the marketing stereotype. Less sales driven and more people oriented, she speaks of how she loves ‘helping the right brands convey the right message to the people who need their products and services.’ 

For Nanako, integrity is paramount. In her words, ‘honest marketing, helping honest brands is what we strive for [at TAMLO].’

From pay-per-click to palmas

Palmas, meaning the rhythmic hand clapping of flamenco music. Nanako, you see, also happens to be a professional flamenco dancer. 

Until her mid 30s, Nanako balanced performing and teaching flamenco with a more conventional career in marketing. However, a bout of severe tendonitis in 2018 put the breaks on. While this was frustrating and sad for her, it triggered a shift in perspective. 

‘I couldn’t walk and it was a huge wake up call for me. I realised I needed to find work that I could continue throughout my life. I knew my regular digital marketing skills were not unique enough to be competitive in the workplace. That’s what motivated me to improve my Japanese skills and to try and use my mother tongue in business as well.’

The pandemic brought about further shifts for Nanako who found herself unexpectedly living in Tokyo (she was based in London for several years) and on a completely new trajectory work-wise. 

‘I wasn’t planning on leaving SoftBank or living in Japan, but the pandemic forced me to make some major life changes. 

‘So I ended up here, but it was such a blessing in disguise because I’ve always wanted to live in Tokyo as an adult. To experience living in a country where I am the majority has been mind blowing. And now, after sharpening my Japanese skills to the point where no one can tell I am actually Canadian, I feel I have a deeper understanding and respect for the culture, which I know has been helpful in my localisation work with overseas clients!’

Not long after the move, Nanako began with TAMLO and hasn’t looked back.

‘We're like a family at TAMLO. Everyone's an expert in their field, and we all support and respect each other, which makes it a great environment to work and learn in! I really love all of my colleagues.’

. . .

Flamenco still plays a big part in Nanako’s life. The tendonitis eventually cleared up, so although her priority is her client work at TAMLO, you’ll find her dancing here and there at popular flamenco venues in Tokyo.