Hakuhodo coined 'sei-katsu-sha' in 1981, starting Japan's planning philosophy.

In 1981, Japan's second-largest advertising company Hakuhodo (博报堂) founded the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living (生活综合研究所, HILL) in Tokyo and coined a term that would later define the company: sei-katsu-sha (生活者). It renamed the advertising target from 'consumer' (shohisha, 消费者) to 'a person with a life' — not just purchasing, but lifestyle, preferences, dreams, and daily routines. A 2009 report by The Edge Malaysia quoted Hakuhodo executives: even in English conversations, none of the five representatives used the word 'consumer'.

This naming was not wordplay. From 1981, HILL used long-term tracking surveys to study changes in sei-katsu-sha values, turned 'sei-katsu-sha ideation' (生活者发想) into a reusable planning methodology, and developed advertising models such as Engagement Ring; the philosophy ran through proposals, services, and staffing. Hakuhodo's official materials say that the sei-katsu-sha concept is now not only common knowledge in marketing but also widely known among the Japanese public.

More than forty years later, this remains the company's strategic anchor: the official website's vision page states that 'Hakuhodo is evolving into a Sei-katsu-sha Value Design Company,' and the global creative director explained it as 'sei-katsu-sha means people with lives, not consumers.' Hakuhodo brought this philosophy from Japan to Southeast Asia and global markets, expanding its network through 'deep understanding of local life' rather than a global template.