Japan Marketing News

Japanese actress shows incredible versatility of Calorie Mate

In this good-natured parody, Japanese actress Yoko Shibata shows just how versatile Calorie Mate can be.

You have to be pretty familiar with Japanese cuisine to understand all of her uses, but even if you only get half, you'll still be able to appreciate her wit (Calorie Mate sushi anyone?)

Japanese can now enjoy "Soy sauce" soda

Cheerio, a Japanese soft drink brand known for its fruity flavors, has just released an orange-flavored soda that's been packaged to resemble a bottle of soy sauce. Walking through one of the convenience stores in our Harajuku neighborhood, I did a double-take after seeing the product in one of the refrigerated display cases, sitting next to usual array of carbonated drinks, bottled waters and teas.

It's obviously a gimmick, obviously targeting kids, who can enjoy shocking their parents and friends when they take a big gulp out of what looks to be a soy sauce bottle—something that would likely induce immediate retching if done for real. The display case at the convenience store was plastered with warnings such as: "This is not soy sauce. Do not drink attempt to drink real soy sauce."

Effective Japanese TV advertising: Suntory Dakara

Dakara is a soft drink from Japanese beverage giant Suntory. It belongs to a class of functional drinks meant to appeal to consumers with health and/or beauty concerns. Dakara has been around for several years, but this recent TV ad is noteworthy because of the clever way it leverages viewers' awareness of a common Japanese customer to create an opening to communicate the product's main selling point.

Effective Japanese TV ads: Yomiuri News

As I was watching this year's summer Olympics I was grabbed by a series of TV commercials for the Yomiuri Shinbun, Japan's highest-circulation national newspaper. You can imagine how surprised, then delighted I was as the male character in this spot kept popping up during the synchronized swimming routine.

Without going through the trouble of translating the whole thing, the idea was very simple. The Yomiuri's reporters are so dedicated that they'll stay right on top of the action to bring you outstanding coverage of the Olympics.

Japanese advertising often takes a quirky turn, but in many cases, it's off strategy or self-indulgent. This one is offbeat and funny, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do: catch your attention, deliver a clear message, and stick in your memory.

The spot is still on the Yomiuri website. Watch it here.

Effective Japanese TV ads: ST Mushuda

Here's a fun (yet effective) Japanese TV ad that starting airing a couple of weeks ago. It's for Mushu Da an anti-insecticide from ST Corporation that stops bugs from eating your clothes and keeps your closets mold-free, as well. (Mushu means "odorless," so a direct translation of the brand name is "It's odorless.")

The commercial conveys a very simple message: Mushu Da prevents insects from putting holes in your clothes, so if you discover a hole, you'd better run out and get some immediately (and by the way, it's odorless too).

Loosely translated:

Dentist: (screams) Ahhhhhhh!
Patient: (returning the scream) Ahhhhhhh!
Dentist: (still screaming) Ahhhhhhh. There's a huge hole!*
Dentist: (suddenly stops). Hey look. Bugs have been eating [you].
Patient: Huh?
Dentist: Oh my God!
(drags patient out to her car and starts driving madly down a highway before pulling up to a store).
Dentist: Here you go. Mushu Da.
Patient: Mushu Da?

Jingle: "There's no odor to stick to your clothes. Mushu Da."
Narrator: From ST

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* The dentist refers to an ana, which can mean both "a hole" and "a cavity" in Japanese.

The ad can also be viewed on ST's website here.

Fanta Japan shakes up the beverage market

I discovered this new and unique Coca-Cola Japan product the other day in the vending machine near my home. It's called Fanta Furufuru Shaker.

In some ways it's reminiscent of those jelly drinks marketed by Weider Japan. If you're not familiar with them, imagine a semi-soft version of Jello that's drinkable.

Where Coca-Cola Japan has added a twist is in adding carbonation that's activated by shaking the can.

The first mouthful feels a bit like Jello, but then the carbonation hits you, producing the sensation that you're actually eating your soda.

Less adventurous souls and the conventionally minded (in other words, adults), may find this off-putting.

But Japanese kids are going to, ahem, eat it up.

And you are simply not going to believe the TV ads.

Fanta Japan regularly produces fairly "out-there" commercials, but you won't want to miss the ones currently posted on their website. After you reach the top page, click on TVCM, then play the video that comes up in the main screen.

In particular, keep a close eye out for this character, whose can shaking technique is going to stimulate a lot of chatter in some quarters.

Halls nose how to grab Japanese viewers' attentions

So check out this Japanese TV commercial for Halls lozenges. The guy opens the pack, pops a Halls into his mouth, inhales through his mouth, exhales out of his nostrils, and two miniature versions of himself pop out of his nose! Then, the miniatures breathe out, and from their noses pop out two more guys, then from their noses out come two more, and two more and so on. The lyrics from the background music go like this: "In from your throat, out through your nose, [breathe] in and out. It feels so good to [have the air] pass through." At the end, the actors repeat the line adding emphasis on "breathe in and out." The ad closes with narration and a terop that says “Halls Menthol Candies."

This is a prototypical Japanese ad that I just can't imagine being made in any western market. It's just too far out for the US where Halls are positioned as cough drops — the zaniness simply wouldn't fly. But in Japan, Halls is considered candy. What's medicine in one market is candy in another!

Halls released this ad to promote the introduction of new flavors. The actors appearing in the ad are a Japanese comedy group, which makes them appropriate for this kind of silliness.

You can see the commercial in its entirety here.