Corporate Anthems

[Hooahguy]

my ears are bleeding!

somewhere Lenin is laughing.

[Crazed Rabbit]

As amusing as this one is, I don't think it's genuine. (As in, The Miami Herald didn't have it produced or deploy it as a value-added fungible asset-class actualization item.)

Well, it's from a former Herald employee...so it might not be genuine, but it's close.

CR

[Lemur]

SGI has a lovely dream -- two CPUs. [dead link]

Novell has a kinda Sheryl Crow thing going on.

I have no idea who Asera is, but they're here to stay. [dead link] And, um, they rock or something.

[Vladimir]

Did I already post this?



Military industrial rock complex.

[Lemur]

Drupa is back with a more country vibe. [dead link]

Asera everywhere! [dead link]

And lastly, there's not a web site that offers to create corporate anthems on demand. ABOUT DAMN TIME! I think maybe we should take up a collection to have them compose something stirring for the Org ...

[Pannonian]

I know this thread is supposed to be trashy, so I don't know if this fits the theme. From what I can make out, the lyrics are supposed to have been written by one of their employees (presumably from an internal compeition), but more intriguingly, the melody is by Joe Hisaishi and it's sung by Inoue Azumi. For those familiar with anime, that's the combination in Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro, and some of the image songs from Kiki's Delivery Service.

Commemorating Denso Corporation's 45th anniversary, here's "Door to the Universe".




"Door to the Universe" Lyrics

* Today, feel the wind.
Turn your face to the sun.
How long has it been since you listened to the sounds of the earth?

Right from the start,
We knew it in our heart
Anything was possible if only we believed. . . in ourselves.

Make the dream come alive.
It's time for us to decide...
To stand in place or take a chance.
We have the vision.
We can make a difference...

(Chorus)
Open up the door to a universe beyond what you know.
Take a step and touch a dream, just pick a star to follow.
Possibilities -- no boundaries.
Open up the door...open the door.

Today, embrace the sea.
Tomorrow, try dancing with the sun.
Who knows how high we can fly, if only we try.

This vast world.
Full of challenges far and wide
Face each test -- one step at a time.

Make the dream come alive.
It's time for us to decide...
To stand in place or take a chance.
We have the power;
We've made the choice to...

(Chorus)

Open up the door to a universe beyond what you know.
Take a step and touch a dream, just pick a star to follow.
Possibilities -- no boundaries.
Open up the door...DENSO.

Open up the door to a universe beyond what you know.
Take a chance to reach for your dreams and sing this song full of hope.
Set your vision free -- no boundaries.
Open up the door to DENSO -- DENSO.

* Rough Translation

Vocals: Azumi Inoue
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Lyrics: Yoko Nakao

[Lemur]

Corporate Anthem necromacy.

I think it's undeniable that the Asian economies are the past and future masters of the corporate anthem. Daehan Tong Eun: This Korean freight company’s solemn hymn, which claims its employees are “rewriting history,” is patriotic and the video features a lot of trucks.

[HopAlongBunny]

[The Lurker Below]

That makes me channel Sam Kinison screams.

[Lemur]

The Company Anthem Revived



Just like every country has a national anthem, many Japanese companies have company anthems. Corporate anthems are songs that represent the spirit of the company, and are most often sung during corporate events and morning assemblies. In reality, even if they have one, many companies do not sing their anthems. However, there is a trend towards actively using the company anthem in order to unite employees and to give the corporate image a boost.

In recent years, many unique company anthems, perhaps commissioned from famous composers, or made in-house with the help of company employees, have made their debut. In addition, some company anthems have been made available for karaoke and are used to motivate employees. It seems that recently, rather than being formal and difficult, company anthems are something that foster and encourage a sense of community.

For example, Kikkoman Co., Ltd. commissioned the producer of AKB 48, AKIMOTO Yasushi, to write the lyrics for their anthem, and the popular composer OSHIMA Michiru to compose the music. Their anthem, titled “Oishii Kioku” (Delicious Memories), is sung on occasions such as when senior management addresses the company, or at initiation ceremonies, and the song is also played over the PA system at each office before the start of business. Additionally, the song is distributed through some karaoke on demand services and is utilized to deepen ties of friendship between clients and employees. The company anthem is an effective communication tool, used both within and without the company.

ITO Hiroshi of the Corporate Communication Department reflects on the tremendous impact the company anthem made on the company, “The company anthem has given us an opportunity to think about what kind of lifestyle we want to deliver to our customers, and it has allowed us to consider each aspect of our business from the standpoint of our customers. Also, by singing it together, it produces a feeling of unity between employees.” [...]

“In the past it was generally the case that company anthems would be reluctantly sung at morning pep talks, so at one point they began to disappear. But recently they’ve come back into the spotlight. If company employees can participate in writing the lyrics, this strengthens the sense that the ‘song is theirs.’ Listening to the familiar tune over and over again gives employees a chance to reflect back on why they are working for the company,” says company president, NISHIO Ryuichi.

Just like the word “kizuna” (ties) became a focus of attention after last year’s Great East Japan Earthquake, the importance of cooperating with each other to achieve the same goal is now being reaffirmed. One reason for the revival of the company anthem is to strengthen ties between company employees. Different from songs used in commercials to advertise products, company anthems aim to strengthen unity between employees and will surely increase in number from now on.

[Lemur]

Heck, that Gazprom one is hard to top.

So here's one for a British security company called G4S. It's got a cool fake-hard-rock South Park kinda thing going on.

[HopAlongBunny]

I'll drink to that!

[Lemur]

I am totally grooving on the PCR song.

[Lemur]

The Infogrames corporate anthem is pretty amazeballs. Extra relevant on a gaming board ...

And then there's this History of HCL song. I dare you to sit through it.



A @Strike For The South special: Deltapine's "Where Heroes Are Made."

[Lemur]

I like them to be strong,
that they catch me when I skid.
Like them to turn me on.
I thought that some of them did.
But just as I needed a helping hand
So many men were "out of service," not like you ...