Visit the program websiteCheck local listings Premiering Monday, December 23, 2013 on Independent Lens. Check your local listings. The feature film debut of director David Gelb, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a thoughtful and elegant meditation on work, family, and the art of perfection, chronicling Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and a loving yet complicated father. Meet Four California Sushi Masters Originally from New York City, David Gelb currently works and lives in Los Angeles. After graduating from USC's film production program, David worked on various music videos, short films, and documentaries. Most notably, he directed A Vision of Blindness, an extensive behind the scenes look at Fernando Meirelles's film Blindness, which enjoyed a run on the Sundance Channel. David has been a sushi aficionado since his childhood. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is his first full-length feature film. Explore the elements in Jiro's world to learn more about sushi and the art of the shokunin, the Japanese master sushi chef.

From the different types of tuna to the importance of perfect rice, let Jiro be your guide in this interactive, illustrated feature. How sushi-savvy are you? Do you know your sashimi from your nori? Test your knowledge of the art of the shokunin in this challenging quiz inspired by documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Chef Jiro's Secrets of Success Challenges with Shrimp and OctopusImage 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. The movie is touching, gorgeous and inspiring. 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.jiro dreams of sushi uverse 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.jiro dreams of sushi completo legendado portugues What does your business/product/client do exceptionally well? jiro dreams of sushi kinopoiskWhat message or benefit are you trying to communicate? sushi maker tupperware waar te koop

Focus in on these elements and the resulting marketing efforts will be tight, easily digestible and often very effective.torchlight how to get sushi grade fish meat Jiro thinks about every single detail that goes into his sushi. kato sushi menu in weslacoFrom 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. Focus on making each piece of marketing boil down to only the most essential elements. This will help drive a clear, easily digestible and effective marketing messaging and strategy. At 85 years old Jiro is the best sushi chef in the world. And yet, he proudly states that he is not perfect and there is always room for improvement. Jiro was nine years old when he left his home, and he has only done one thing since then: keep improving.