Today's Close-Up S2022E12 - The Murky World of "No. 1" Rankings: How Marketing Misleads Consumers

Businesses across Japan are increasingly touting the "No. 1" credentials of their products and services, typically putting up signs in shopfronts or posting ads on websites. But a closer look reveals that these ubiquitous claims are often based on dubious surveys carried out by polling companies that manipulate their data to produce a desired outcome. The claims have become so commonplace that experts believe they're losing their impact on consumers and undermining trust in all advertising. NHK consulted a range of experts to see how the industry should respond.

Guest:
Taniguchi Yu (Editor-in-chief, Sendenkaigi magazine)