Build Relevance.
Create Demand.
Drive Growth.
ALTHAEA is a creative agency that supports global brands entering the Japanese market. Based in Tokyo and Los Angeles, we combine a deep understanding of Japanese consumer behavior, culture, market dynamics, and business practices with an international perspective to translate brand value into strategies that resonate locally. From defining your position in the market to bringing it to life, we stay with you through execution to turn relevance into real business impact.
Your Marketing Parter in Japan
Strategy & Planning
We define how your brand should show up in Japan before a single asset is made. Market and competitive research, consumer insight, positioning and messaging, category entry strategy, and go-to-market planning built around what actually moves Japanese buyers.
01Creative & Production
Strategy becomes work people respond to. We localize brand identity and messaging, then produce the campaign assets to match — key visuals, video, photography, social content, packaging, and web — with Japanese-language copy written natively, not translated.
02Media & PR
We put the work in front of the right audience. Paid media planning and buying, influencer and KOL partnerships, PR and press relations, retail and event activation, plus ongoing performance reporting and optimization.
03The Founders
Mutsumi Gustavich
Co-Founder / Head of Strategy, Japan
Experienced strategist who led end-to-end strategy through production at top-tier creative agencies after key roles at global brands and major manufacturers. Proven track record of driving a 7x surge in SNS engagement, selling out exclusive products in 3 minutes, and securing No.1 market share in year one for a global D2C brand's Japan market entry. Combines deep data-and-culture-driven insights with generative AI to lead agile, high-precision brand building.
Maria Asher
Co-Founder / Head of Strategy, Global
A bicultural and bilingual strategist with a proven track record of leading brand and marketing strategy from conception through execution at global companies in both Japan and the United States, including Fortune 100 companies. Drawing on a deep understanding of the cultural, market, and commercial dynamics of both countries, she specializes in bridging the two markets and translating brand vision into tangible business results.
ALTHAEA is a business division born out of Mt. MELVIL, dedicated to helping global brands enter and expand in the Japan market.
About Mt. MELVIL
A professional production company based in Tokyo and Los Angeles, with experience delivering creative work across markets around the world. Drawing on a deep understanding of diverse cultures and production environments, as well as an extensive global network, they bring ALTHAEA’s strategies to life through powerful, high-quality creative execution.