Fan Marketing and Subsidies Question the True Nature of IT

The news that fan marketing SaaS “DISCO” has been selected as an IT implementation support provider for the “Digitalization and AI Adoption Subsidy 2026” is generating buzz.

Fan marketing is a method that focuses on valuing existing customers and fans, enhancing loyalty to achieve sustainable growth. In recent years, it has gained attention in the context of CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

DISCO has carved out a unique position in this field, and being eligible for subsidies will certainly lower the barrier to adoption.

However, there is a fundamental question I would like all business leaders to consider here.

Is the decision to “adopt because there’s a subsidy” truly the right one?

The “Abandonment of Purpose” Created by Subsidies

Subsidies certainly reduce the cost burden. It’s understandable that the psychology of “let’s try it out” kicks in if a $3,300 tool becomes half price.

But there’s a major pitfall here. Subsidies blur the “purpose of adoption.”

Originally, the purpose of introducing an IT tool should be to solve management challenges, such as “strengthening customer relationships to increase sales” or “streamlining operations to reduce costs.”

However, when subsidies are involved, reasons like “this tool is eligible for a subsidy” or “it’s a good deal right now” take priority, and the crucial question of “why are we adopting it?” gets pushed aside.

This is a classic example of the “borrowed IT management” driven by subsidy dependency that I’ve pointed out before.

The Essence of Fan Marketing and the Role of IT

Fan marketing is a strategy aimed at increasing long-term customer lifetime value (LTV), not short-term sales.

SaaS tools like DISCO are instruments for visualizing customer behavior data and quantifying fan status.

However, simply introducing a tool does not guarantee success in fan marketing.

What matters is how you leverage that data for management decisions. In other words, the tool is merely a “means,” not the end goal.

There are countless cases where tools introduced with subsidies are left unused without a clear purpose. We must not get the order wrong: it’s not “let’s use it since we got it,” but “let’s adopt it because we have a purpose for using it.”

Bringing Investment Judgment Back to Management

So, how should business leaders judge IT investments?

First, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What specific management challenge does this tool solve?

2. What concrete state are we aiming for after implementation? (KPI)

3. Who will measure the effect, when, and how?

If you cannot clearly answer these three, you should not adopt the tool, even with a subsidy.

Why? Because subsidies only lower the “implementation cost,” not the “cost of failure.”

The tool goes unused after implementation, data becomes scattered, and it remains as a liability within the company. This is the greatest risk of subsidy-dependent IT investment.

Learning from DISCO: The Right Implementation Process

DISCO itself is an excellent service. In the context of fan marketing, the ideal implementation process is as follows:

First, take stock of your own customer data and analyze which customer segments have the highest LTV.

Next, define what actions are needed to strengthen relationships with those customer segments.

Then, select DISCO as the tool to execute and measure those actions. This is the correct order.

Subsidies should be used as a “boost” after this process is complete, not as the “trigger” for adoption.

The Price Management Has Paid for Avoiding IT

Why do business leaders tend to rely on subsidies?

It’s because they have avoided the “tedious work” of defining the purpose of IT themselves.

At the root is the mindset that IT is something to be left to specialists or dumped on the IT department.

However, since IT is a means to solve management challenges, defining its purpose is the responsibility of management.

Subsidies must not become an “indulgence” for shirking that responsibility.

Summary: Don’t Let Subsidies Become a “Thought-Stopping Device”

DISCO’s subsidy selection is a tailwind for the field of fan marketing.

However, what business leaders should calmly consider is the decision-making axis of “adopt because we have a purpose, and use the subsidy as a means,” not “adopt because there’s a subsidy.”

The success of IT investment is measured not by how cheaply you introduced a tool, but by how well you solved management challenges.

I hope you will not turn subsidies into a “thought-stopping device,” but rather use them as an opportunity to enhance the quality of your management decisions.