The exquisite nigiri slices gleam with freshness, and you do learn about the component parts to the perfect serving of sea eel or gizzard shad.Trevor Johnston, Time Out, 2013-01-08It's torture to watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi -- if you are on an empty stomach.Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter, 2013-01-07By the time this graceful film is over you understand why Japan has declared the bald, bespectacled Jiro a national treasure. Even if you've never tasted sushi, the man's singleness of purpose will inspire you.Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2012-04-20Gelb apparently understood that his subject was itself so taking that he wouldn't need filmic embellishments to keep his viewers alert.Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic, 2012-04-20Obsessive, we were saying? Oh my, yes, and that's what makes the film so compelling.Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic, 2012-04-19This documentary strikes a balance between storytelling and food porn that's hard to come by in foodie flicks. Like a proper sushi meal, "Jiro" left me feeling sated, not stuffed.

Evan S. Benn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2012-04-12The most interesting moments, however, belong not to the chef but to those who labor in his shadow.Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 2012-04-06As exhausting as Jiro may be, he's also inspiring.John Anderson, Newsday, 2012-04-06Would you be willing to massage an octopus for 45 minutes, until its flesh possesses just the right amount of chewability? Ty Burr, Boston Globe, 2012-04-05I really wish Tokyo were closer.Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 2012-04-05As a documentary about world-class sushi, this film is definitive. It runs only 81 minutes, but the subject is finite.Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, 2012-04-05A case study in the phenomenon of mastery.Tom Keogh, Seattle Times, 2012-03-29At the age of 85, the subject of this fascinating documentary not only dreams of sushi but still drives himself to make it better.Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal, 2012-03-24Overall, this is a pleasant and often enlightening journey.Stephanie Merry, Washington Post, 2012-03-23Jiro Dreams of Sushi isn't just a film for foodies, or Japanophiles.

It's a meditation on work, on finding one's path in life, and then walking it with singular purpose.Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2012-03-22Director David Gelb pulls back the curtain on the kitchen rituals of sushi, inviting us to experience the savory-smooth sensation of ''umami,'' roughly translated as ''Ahhh!''Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, 2012-03-21A profile of a celebrity chef, a quick cultural immersion and many mouth-watering montages of food preparation in one package.where to buy sushi grade fish in minnesotaLiam Lacey, Globe and Mail, 2012-03-16"Jiro Dreams of Sushi"is as elegant and tasty as the splendid sushi prepared by the man in the title, and that is saying a lotKenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times, 2012-03-15It is as much a family saga as a visit to sushi nirvana, and that adds an unexpected and satisfying narrative to this visual stunner.sushi making kit toronto

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star, 2012-03-15It's beautifully photographed and explained at every stage from market to table, a foodie's dream night at the movies. The gentle shaping of the fish and sushi could lull you into a trance. Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine, 2012-03-09Image courtesy of Magnolia Pictures If you haven’t seen the beautifully shot documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi by David Gelb, I highly suggest you set aside some Netflix time in the near future to do so. yo sushi voucher march 2013The movie is touching, gorgeous and inspiring.sushi online zaragoza That being said, I also found myself thinking about the documentary for days afterwards – and applying the lessons from the film to a variety of different pursuits – including marketing. The film follows Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi master who has spent his life perfecting his craft at his deceptively modest 3-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo.

Jiro is supremely dedicated to the art of sushi (some would say obsessed) – and has earned a reputation for serving the best sushi in the world. So, what does sushi have to do with marketing? The more I thought about Jiro’s story, the more I realized the parallels between his life’s work and success and great marketing. Here are a few lessons we can take from the movie and apply to the marketing world: Perhaps what’s given Jiro the reputation he has today was his desire to only serve sushi at his restaurant. There are no appetizers and no menu. Guests are served the sushi Jiro has prepared that day, in the order he has decided. This allows Jiro to focus entirely on a single menu of sushi every day – and ensuring the perfection of each piece. This same principle can be applied to marketing. Stop focusing on the things that don’t matter (i.e. the fluff). When marketing your product and/or services, focus on the narrow message you want to deliver. Don’t make an audience think too much about what you are offering.

Too many choices leads to paralyzation. Provide an experience that focuses on exactly what you are trying to communicate and limit anything that distracts from this core message. Much like Jiro found appetizers filled diners up too much to truly enjoy the sushi, you don’t want bloated marketing to fill your audience up too much to understand your message. What does your business/product/client do exceptionally well? What message or benefit are you trying to communicate? Focus in on these elements and the resulting marketing efforts will be tight, easily digestible and often very effective. Jiro thinks about every single detail that goes into his sushi. From the seating arrangements to the ingredients to the temperature of the rice – absolutely nothing is overlooked. In marketing, the same attention to detail can make the difference between a mediocre campaign and a great one. I was recently part of a team that helped with the redesign of the Virgin America website.

What resonated with audiences about the new site was not only the overall look, feel and function, but also the attention to all of the small details. Instead of standard (and boring) copy to alert passengers they had completed a step in booking a flight, we wrote cheeky, on-brand and fun messaging that made the experience feel completely Virgin. It was a little detail that went a long ways in creating a holistic experience. Which brings us to…. Jiro thinks about EVERYTHING when it comes to his guests’ experience. He serves one piece of sushi at a time to every customer that sits in his tiny, 11-seat restaurant. He’s focused on ensuring all patrons finish eating at the same time, so he makes bigger sushi for bigger people and smaller sushi for smaller people, adjusting on the fly. He also notices which hand people use to eat their sushi, and then places each piece on the plate accordingly to make it easier to pick up. Everything from seating arrangement to portion size is handled in the background by Jiro and his staff so customers can focus on the one thing they came to do: eat the best sushi in the world.

Jiro understands that it’s all of these components that contribute to the experience – not just the output (the sushi). In marketing, we may not be able to sit and closely observe the way an audience is consuming our efforts, but with today’s technology, we do have powerful analytics and data that can help inform you of an audience’s interaction with your marketing and their experience. Smart marketers will use these insights to adjust tactics on the fly in order to create the best, most effective experience. All of Jiro’s sushi is extremely simple. This not only allows the ingredients to shine through, but makes the end result pure (and delicious. and beautiful). Essentially, Jiro edits his sushi down to only the most crucial elements – and then makes sure those elements are perfect. Do the same with your marketing: Edit. Reduce your marketing and messaging down to its most essential and important elements. Allow the “ingredients” of your marketing shine through.