9.25.2009
What's the Insight?
Kyodo News, via JapanToday, announced survey results today that 33% of adult Japanese men sit while urinating.
7.11.2009
6.11.2009
Uniqlo's Tokyo Fashion Map
Fun, cool, interactive website from Uniqlo.
Tokyoites love fashion - from wacky to casual to super chic - and are constantly checking out and reporting (in mags, on TV) on 'local looks' - i.e., going to various Tokyo neighborhoods and looking at what people are wearing. With over 30 million residents in the metro area, there are lots of 'looks' to see.
1000, according to Uniqlo:
http://www.uniqlo.com/uniqlo1000/map/
Tokyoites love fashion - from wacky to casual to super chic - and are constantly checking out and reporting (in mags, on TV) on 'local looks' - i.e., going to various Tokyo neighborhoods and looking at what people are wearing. With over 30 million residents in the metro area, there are lots of 'looks' to see.
1000, according to Uniqlo:
http://www.uniqlo.com/uniqlo1000/map/
Uniqlo Bra Top
Here's a great ad from Uniqlo for their Bra Top (with built-in bra pads so for 'braless' support').
Very sexy, and functional at the same time:
This has become a huge hit here in Japan, followed up with an interesting website http://www.uniqlo.com/wire/ that features 100 models/girls showing of their bra top fashion.
Very sexy, and functional at the same time:
This has become a huge hit here in Japan, followed up with an interesting website http://www.uniqlo.com/wire/ that features 100 models/girls showing of their bra top fashion.
4.20.2009
Fun with Japanese
Glico has recently revived a nostalgic dairy/yogurt type drink from the 1970's when it was perfectly understandable to have product names that make English speakers giggle, gag or otherwise recoil in shock. If you've been to Japan you've surely seen Pocari Sweat or Calpis. (now marketed in North America under the more consumption friendly 'Pocari Drink' and 'Calpico', respectively).Here it is:
You'll notice the product strategically opts for no English lettering - that's for nostalgia, of course, for the days before Japan was 'international'.
It is also because the product is called 'Pinesu'. Which in pronunciation terms sounds like 'pee-nis'.
4.08.2009
Electrifying!
I have a confession to make: I am trying to give up smoking. Patch hasn't worked, and I am a bit shy about seeing the doc for prescriptions. So I browsed the net (as usual) to find good alternative means and here is what I found: Electric Cigarettes!
(It's just vapor, not smoke so it's harmless. 0mg nicotine and tar. Good for quitting the smoke!)
This stuff is totally radical: It encourages you to be a poser, be provocative, and anti-social in an office environment. I mean, who smokes at his/her desk these days and why you wanna have USB-electrified gadget at the desk?!
(source: Thanko Rare Mono Shop, Subtitling by ICE9)
I really like the scientific substantiations of the pseudo-smoking experience: the tip lights as you inhale, and water vapor would come out of your mouth accordingly. Plus, you get to choose between tobacco flavor & mint flavor (like charcoal and menthol choice in the real world) with the cartridges; genuine Japanese inventions!!
(sources: AKIBA KEIZAI SHINBUN & Thanko Rare Mono Shop)
(It's just vapor, not smoke so it's harmless. 0mg nicotine and tar. Good for quitting the smoke!)
This stuff is totally radical: It encourages you to be a poser, be provocative, and anti-social in an office environment. I mean, who smokes at his/her desk these days and why you wanna have USB-electrified gadget at the desk?!
(source: Thanko Rare Mono Shop, Subtitling by ICE9)
I really like the scientific substantiations of the pseudo-smoking experience: the tip lights as you inhale, and water vapor would come out of your mouth accordingly. Plus, you get to choose between tobacco flavor & mint flavor (like charcoal and menthol choice in the real world) with the cartridges; genuine Japanese inventions!!
3.28.2009
the cutest little headphones
Japan is all about the 'Cute' (Kawaii) so I hardly blinked when I saw these guys while checking out headphones for my soon-to-be new iTouch.
As the copy reads: "As (with) stylish accessories and dresses, don't you want to have fashionable headphones?"
Can't argue with that!
These are part of the "Ladies" line of headphones from Elecom (sorry Japanese only) which is usually a boring computer peripherals outfit known for inexpensive (albeit not bad) mouses.
Not sure what possessed them to do this - the question of course is why hasn't audio-technica or sony done it?!?
2.20.2009
Black is the new toothpaste
As we've mentioned previously on this blog, there is a curious 'trend' here in Japan to make stuff Black that wouldn't - and shouldn't - normally be Black. There was Black Tissue Paper. We've seen Black Toilet Paper.
Here's the Brief:
Product Name: Sumigaki ('sumi' means 'coal' and 'migaki' means 'to brush'. get it?)
(Background: Coal based cleansers (soaps) are quite common here and said to be good for cleaning and for skin. It's not straight coal of course, just an ingredient. An ingredient that makes stuff Black.)
Benefit: Bad breath prevention
RTB: Coal kills germs that cause bad breath
The Kicker: It's Black! (like coal, see?)
The Idea: Makes your breath beautiful.
And now, courtesy of Kobayashi Seiyaku ('healthcare company'), we have Black Toothpaste.
Here's the Brief:
Product Name: Sumigaki ('sumi' means 'coal' and 'migaki' means 'to brush'. get it?)
(Background: Coal based cleansers (soaps) are quite common here and said to be good for cleaning and for skin. It's not straight coal of course, just an ingredient. An ingredient that makes stuff Black.)
Benefit: Bad breath prevention
RTB: Coal kills germs that cause bad breath
The Kicker: It's Black! (like coal, see?)
The Idea: Makes your breath beautiful.
To their credit, they don't claim Whitening.
2.03.2009
Let there be green
Over the holidays, I saw a friend from the States. She told me how she was impressed with Japan being 'eco-conscious,' which I was not quite aware of. But I guess she is right; here is the latest campaign from au, a mobile phone product/service provider:
This is how the Green Road Project works:
STEP 1: You jog with au phone with jogging application and keep and send the record to au.
STEP 2: au saves 1 JPY per a kilo that runners gain through their jogging routines.
STEP 3: au purchases plant seeds with the savings and distribute the seeds at their stores.
The campaign runs through the end of March, and the seed distribution starts from April. Although it doesn't directly benefit the phone/application users, it certainly does give a great sense of membership and feeling great about doing something to stay fit.
A cool campaign and site.
This is how the Green Road Project works:
STEP 1: You jog with au phone with jogging application and keep and send the record to au.
STEP 2: au saves 1 JPY per a kilo that runners gain through their jogging routines.
STEP 3: au purchases plant seeds with the savings and distribute the seeds at their stores.
The campaign runs through the end of March, and the seed distribution starts from April. Although it doesn't directly benefit the phone/application users, it certainly does give a great sense of membership and feeling great about doing something to stay fit.
A cool campaign and site.
Green Green Green
In the ad world, this has been a topic; One theme, different executions for different cultures (or as we sometimes call them, 'markets'). See these:
The top is a Japanese TV ad and the bottom is from Thailand. There are two points I found interesting:
1) Contextualism
'Green Machine' is, I guess, grammatically correct. But this is an epiphany of 'Japanese style English' such as 'We Do Eco' (by a railway company), in which we contextually take out the meaning, not necessarily the meaning the slogan (or tag line) mandates (e.g. Just Do It). If you really get strict, 'Green Machine' is not even a tag line; it's just a generic noun with an adjective. However, the Japanese can create a series of TVC with the help of Peanut Characters to convey the core message. I think this is amazing.
2) Assimilation, not persuasion
Though different in formats, both Japanese and Thai versions adopted 'teacher-learner' scheme (of course more evident in Thai version). I suspect these show Asian sentiment that consumer engagement can be attained through 'let us all learn together' model. Although this is an dealer ad, take a look at this:
They all deal with Honda's eco-friendly cars (theme), but message conveyance and its manner (execution) gets varied from one culture to another. Certainly, I as a Japanese can relate more with the Japanese ver. and Thai ver. far better to consider Honda's good gas-mileage or hybrid cars.
The top is a Japanese TV ad and the bottom is from Thailand. There are two points I found interesting:
1) Contextualism
'Green Machine' is, I guess, grammatically correct. But this is an epiphany of 'Japanese style English' such as 'We Do Eco' (by a railway company), in which we contextually take out the meaning, not necessarily the meaning the slogan (or tag line) mandates (e.g. Just Do It). If you really get strict, 'Green Machine' is not even a tag line; it's just a generic noun with an adjective. However, the Japanese can create a series of TVC with the help of Peanut Characters to convey the core message. I think this is amazing.
2) Assimilation, not persuasion
Though different in formats, both Japanese and Thai versions adopted 'teacher-learner' scheme (of course more evident in Thai version). I suspect these show Asian sentiment that consumer engagement can be attained through 'let us all learn together' model. Although this is an dealer ad, take a look at this:
They all deal with Honda's eco-friendly cars (theme), but message conveyance and its manner (execution) gets varied from one culture to another. Certainly, I as a Japanese can relate more with the Japanese ver. and Thai ver. far better to consider Honda's good gas-mileage or hybrid cars.
1.27.2009
Chocolate Beer
Cross branding gone amuck? Or Breakthrough Innovation?
You be the judge.
Sapporo Breweries and Royce Chocolate (Both based in Sapporo, Hokkaido) collaborate on Chocolate Brewery - yes, chocolate beer.
One gets the feeling the presidents of these two Hokkaido institutions had a little too much to drink one night and before you know it....
Only available up north for now - waiting for it to come down to Tokyo for a tasting review.
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