Posts by Jordan Price - Tokyo

Seeking heroes, Japanese look to history

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on March 10, 2010 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

history-girls-4Among the Top 10 most popular words/phrases for 2009 in Japan, a list compiled by publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha, was Reki-jo—literally, “history girls.” Young Japanese women are suddenly taken with Japanese history, in particular warlords and famous samurai of the Warring States period (the mid-15th to early 17th centuries). And it doesn’t seem to be just a passing fad.

The history-focused Jidai Shobo bookstore in Tokyo, for example, had predominantly male customers when it opened in 2006, but a news report says that more than half are now women, and 90 percent are in their 20s and 30s. The history magazine Rekishi Kaido has seen its circulation jump to more than 120,000 from 70,000 five years ago, with female readership rising from 15 percent to 40 percent.

This trend seems to be driven in part by young women searching for models of masculinity http://item.rakuten.co.jp/keitai/408-638880/in reaction to the startling rise in asexual, unambitious “herbivore boys” (discussed in a previous post). But deeper than that, it also seems connected to a growing undercurrent of sentiment that the nation has lost its way. The recession has driven faith in government and business leadership to an all-time low and even given rise to more general questioning of various aspects of modern life, pushing many to look for better models from the past. The historical figures being idolized represent lives based on strong principles and convictions, and a greater vision—exactly what’s seen to be missing in political, social and business leadership and modern life.

What this means for brands in Japan is that there’s a void to be filled: a hunger for leadership, passion and vision. More than ever, brands must better define their core principles and values, and fully live by them, so that brands themselves can become respected role models.

Photo Credits: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/, http://books.rakuten.co.jp/rb

McDonald’s merges mobile media and marketing magnificently

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on October 2, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

9800082_tokyojapanThis post is not so much about anxiety but about being successful at a time when anxiety makes competition for consumers’ pocket money particularly fierce. McDonald’s, which recently announced that group operating profits for the first half were up 33 percent in Japan over last year, has carried out some very smart marketing here this year, especially in its efforts to truly connect with consumers.

For example, McDonald’s set up wi-fi hotspots in its restaurants and is making good use of them for marketing, using the wi-fi capability as a new media channel. For a summer promotion, McDonald’s Japan teamed up with Nintendo and Square Enix, a game designer, to create a downloadable Nintendo DS game, Dragon Quest: McDonald’s Travelers. Players could bring their Nintendo DS systems to a local McDonald’s, where they could download and play the battle game.

The brilliance of this promotion was that the only way to play was to go to McDonald’s. Players were also limited to one play session a day, but earned a free burger after five sessions (i.e., five trips to McDonald’s). McDonald’s Travelers got over a million downloads, and the promotion, scheduled to end Sept. 3, proved so popular that it was extended to Oct. 1.

The merging of retail and gaming is a great way to expand one’s consumer base, and the way McDonald’s executed it also enticed greater frequency of visits. Talk about getting people to spend time with your brand.

Coca-Cola markets a coffee/cigarettes combo in Japan

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on September 11, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

coke11Caffeine and nicotine … when there’s a lot of stress and anxiety in the air, you can expect more of these drugs to be flowing through the collective bloodstream. So it’s not a surprise that Coca-Cola has come up with a clever (some might say devious) marketing partnership to take advantage of Japan’s anxiety.

Coca-Cola’s Georgia canned coffee, the top seller in the market and basically positioned as the working man’s brand, has been appearing on shelves in combo packages with a pack or two of cigarettes. First it was Georgia and Phillip Morris brands in the AM PM chain of convenience stores. And now, with British American Tobacco, even the package color and design schemes match, enhancing the co-branded feel.

coke2

It’s too early to tell whether this effort is a success and something that will be around for a while, but it looks like a win-win for both Georgia and the cigarette brand partner. Georgia strengthens its working man image among a consumer segment that probably has the highest proportion of smokers. And the ever-assailed cigarette brand finds a new sales channel, and in a combination that’s as logical for most smokers as peanut butter and jelly.

Coca-Cola simplifies green for the mainstream in Japan

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on August 12, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , .

With the stifling heat of the Japanese summer in mind, and tapping into growing green consciousness and environmental anxiety in Japan, Coca-Cola launched a new, greener bottled water here in June. Called I LOHAS, it has a twistable bottle that’s touted as the lightest-ever PET bottle, and at 12 grams, uses 40 percent less plastic than the average bottle of the same size. This means lighter delivery loads, recycling shipments with less wasted space, reduced waste-disposal emissions and less overall waste.

But rather than talking about these more abstract green benefits, communication is focused on what’s easiest to understand and closest to home for consumers: It revolves around the idea of “1. Select… 2. Drink… 3. Twist….” While promoting recycling, the advertising demonstrates how this bottle innovation makes it simple for anyone to make a difference.
While being truly green probably means staying away from bottled water altogether—and there’s likely to be some “greenwashing” backlash—bottled water is unlikely to go away anytime soon. An excellent example of how to make green as mainstream as possible, I LOHAS has the makings of a big success.

Simplicity, sustainability and the LOHAS lifestyle are big in Japan

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on July 31, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

avedapurecafeimagesJapan is the most anxious market among the 10 we have studied in the course of our AnxietyIndex research. The country has become an increasingly fast-paced and complex place in the last few decades, but as anxiety grows, many are seeking a simpler life and reassessing what really matters to them.

So rather than providing ever more options and functions, or pushing the “have it all” aspirations of the ’80s and ’90s, brands would do well to strip down their offering and focus on simplicity, sustainability and the truly important things in life. Already many businesses are taking advantage of the fact that Japan is one of the fastest-growing markets in terms of LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability).

Aveda Japan, for example, has had great success with its LOHAS-lifestyle salon, spa and vegan restaurant, Pure Café. Radish Boya, a company that delivers organic vegetables and additive-free foods to its members, has seen dramatic growth since 2003; it now has roughly 100,000 members, and annual sales revenue of 22.8 billion yen (US$244 million). And Mujirushi, the clothing and lifestyle retail pioneer also known as MUJI, has succeeded with its core philosophy of simplicity, sustainability and stripping away the unnecessary. Annual turnover is around 145.5 billion yen (US$1.5 billion), and its success in Japan has allowed for rapid expansion—there are now 98 stores around the globe.

For more on the recession and its impact on the environment in Japan,  download the presentation from the Trends and Research section of this site.

Japanese consumers rediscover an old (green-friendly) tradition

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on July 28, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , .

With Japanese consumers reporting an extremely high level of anxiety, a distinct shift is occurring: Many Japanese are looking to the country’s past and the deeper lessons of the culture to find solutions to current issues, especially regarding the environment. (See the Japan version of The Recession and Its Impact on the Environment.) Reverence and respect for nature is intrinsic to the Japanese mind-set and culture. The power of nature has always been tangible for the Japanese, and much of the culture is built around living in harmony with the rhythms of the natural world.

One example of this shift is the comeback of furoshiki, the traditional patterned cloth used as a hand towel and a wrap for carrying anything from books to bento boxes. As consumers look to reduce their dependence on plastic bags, many are going back to furoshiki and learning the various traditional folding and wrapping techniques. Some of the hippest fashion retailers are jumping on board, adapting furoshiki for modern tastes.

Other brands can tap into this cultural shift by taking cues from Japan’s tradition and heritage in addressing the needs of today’s consumers.


Furoshiki gift wrapping from RecycleNow on Vimeo.

Japanese toy maker sells the joy of ‘endless beer’

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on July 13, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , .
Stress-relieving toys by Bandai

Stress-relieving toys by Bandai

Who doesn’t love to pop bubble wrap? There’s something about the sound and sensation of this simple act that’s innately pleasurable and a great way to reduce stress. At least, that’s the idea behind the Mugen (Infinite/Endless) Trend line of stress-reliever novelties from Japanese toy maker Bandai. The items (usually in the form of keychains) simulate similar appealing acts, allowing anxious Japanese to pop, zip and squeeze their daily worries away. The range includes Mugen Puci Puchi, or endless bubble wrap; Mugen Peri Peri, which approximates the feeling of pulling a cardboard tear strip to open a pack of cookies; and even Mugen Edamame, an endless version of the feeling of popping soybeans out of their steamed pods.

Now, the company has taken it to the next level with Mugen Beer Can. You know the feeling of grabbing an ice-cold beer from the fridge and cracking the tab … phssssssst? Even before the golden elixir hits your lips, the action of pulling the tab and that unmistakable sound already have the long day melting away from you. For Yen 819 (about US$8.75), stressed-out Japanese can re-create that moment again and again.

The rise of ‘herbivore man’ in Japan

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on May 26, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , .
Recently published manga: Grass-Eating Man’s Love Study

Recently published manga: Grass-Eating Man’s Love Study

In Japan, there’s been a lot of buzz recently around soshoku-kei danshi, which translates as herbivorous or “grass eating” men. Political correctness aside, this term refers to the growing number of men age 20 to 34 who display less “masculine” traits than the “meat eaters” dominating the preceding generation. But before you start envisioning an overdue triumph of feminism in Japan, the reasons for—and results of—this shift in gender attitudes are not particularly positive.

Soshoku-kei danshi are generally considered to have a combination of the following attributes (based on research conducted last year by Tokyo-based market research firm Infinity): lack of ambition at work, preferring to avoid competition; limited life aspirations; low interest or even a negative attitude toward love, sex, dating and marriage; extremely tight with money (saving for the future is a high priority); and sensitivity and concern about their appearance, from fashion to hair and personal care.

It’s estimated that roughly 60 percent of men 20 to 34 fit the bill. If that sounds exaggerated, note that in a survey of 500 single men in their 20s and 30s by Lifenet Seimei Insurance, three-quarters said they regard themselves as soshoku-kei danshi.

There’s much debate as to the roots of this trend, but a common theme is the link to anxiety. These men have bleak economic prospects—they grew up after Japan’s bubble economy burst in the late ’80s and have never known what it’s like to live in good economic times. With a huge opportunity and wage gap compared to men over 35, the defensive response has been greater caution and limiting of life aspirations. As I wrote in a previous post on the high levels of anxiety in Japan, when these young men look to the future, they don’t see much to be hopeful for. Continue reading ‘The rise of ‘herbivore man’ in Japan’

Economic downturn is just the tip of the iceberg for anxious Japanese

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on May 12, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

gustty_2546557644_1edd3f7f02Japanese culture—more than most, and, some would argue, even to a fault—places great emphasis on stability and harmony. So when they break down, Japanese people get antsy.

The recent global economic woes are perhaps the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, but a string of events have led to a dramatic loss of stability and revealed cracks in the cultural fiber of the country.

Our most recent AnxietyIndex, which you can download here, finds that 90 percent of Japanese consumers say they are anxious, and a quarter of those express intense anxiety.

It’s easy to see why. Unlike other parts of the world, Japan has not enjoyed the growth and prosperity of the last 15 or 20 years, thanks to the “Lost Decade” of economic stagnation following the early-’90s bursting of Japan’s bubble economy. And just as the country’s economic prospects were looking up, the current global recession hit and its export-dependent economy has been even more hobbled.

Continue reading ‘Economic downturn is just the tip of the iceberg for anxious Japanese’

Changing lunch habits in Japan, part 2: ‘bento boys’

Published by Jordan Price - Tokyo on April 15, 2009 in Asia Pacific. 0 Comments Tags: , .

bento-boyI previously wrote about a trend in Japan toward homemade bento, the lunch boxes that can be picked up in stores or made at home. One interesting outgrowth of the trend is the “bento danshi” (“bento boys”) phenomenon—hip young, single salary men who are making their own lunch boxes.

It used to be a rare sight to see these men making bento for themselves—they preferred cheap and easy convenience store options or restaurant lunch specials. That’s all changing as they try to curtail their spending. Since they don’t want to cut back on their interests and hobbies, young men are finding other ways to save. Alcohol consumption is way down compared with men five or 10 years older, and dramatically fewer young men own cars (once a prerequisite for dating). And for the first time in Japan, these men are making their own lunch boxes.

Catering to them is a big opportunity. The latest craze in bento box design, for example, is the “Slim Bento,” which fits perfectly in a briefcase. And supermarkets are offering prepared foods in bento-ready portions, so a guy just needs to cook his own rice.
Blogs that guys update with images of “today’s bento” are becoming popular—it seems that making one’s own is no longer a little “unmanly,” and men are starting to enjoy and take pride in it. Further evidence that economic shifts can bring about long-term values shifts.