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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ah, Christmas in Japan

Did you know that Christmas is, next to Valentine's Day, the most popular Date Night in Japan?

(from: http://www.date-navi.com/xmas/index.html)

And that the most famous 'Christmas Dinner' is brought to you buy Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Well to show they've finally gotten the 'true' spirit of Christmas, Japanese are more and more discovering the joy of giving. Yes, commercialized Christmas is here.

So much so that consumer loan sharks (bank-like institutions that make individual loans for outrageous fees, kind of like a credit card cash advance) are now getting in the act.

I saw this shocker on the train this morning:

(Children never forget what they got from Santa.)

(The memory of being stiffed by Santa lasts for 3 years.)

Merry Christmas. Suckers.

The Power of Double Meanings

This is a little old but just ran across it going through some stuff at work.  (this is not our work, of course.)

George Clooney is Stayin' Alive

More from Honda Odyssey with George Clooney. Man he's hot. What's that car he's drivin'?




This is not to be confused with Brad Pitt for Softbank mobile phones, part of a trend of "Famous Hollywood Star + Retro Cool Music" ads here in Japan:




Or my fave, Cameron Diaz:

I like a good car, cuz I'm a man

George Clooney in the latest ad campaign for Honda's Odyssey. The copy reads "I like good cars. Because I am a man."

Behavior modification ads - Japanese style

From Tokyo Metro (which runs most of the city's subways).
Reminding people (note that the offenders tend to be young people) how to behave in a way that doesn't make them want to mis-behave:

Mode Japonesque

Ok, GK still thinks that I have not done enough to compensate my dormant period, so here is another one. He wrote about a disastarous Japanese car ad, and here is my counter offer.

Nissan makes various car ads (duh), and each always has a theme as 'SHIFT_XXX.' Here is one for TEANA with 'SHIFT_hospitality.'



Filming is beautiful, and the actress (Rei Dan) is breath-takingly stunning, but beyond that, the creative concept is concise and true to the functional offers of the car. The narration takes functionality to a higher level of emotion:

"Sitting in this space, my spirit becomes soothingly liberated."

"Omotenashi"

"Welcome to New TEANA"

'Omotenashi' is a translation of hospitality and it is well woven with the tranditional Tea Ceremony and its spirit. One may argue that it is too 'cultural,' but isn't that exactly what we want to (or should!) play with to make better communications? Plus, I like the track choice; it is the Japanese version of 'Waltz for Debby,' making the whole impressions gently powerful.

I think it's about a time for me to let go of my German wagon...

Japanese Car Ads

Car ads in Japan are a constant source of entertainment - and bewilderment. This one made me choke on my coffee this morning.

The brief:
Product/Brand: Mazda Demio
Message: New Orange color!
Idea: New Mazda Demio Orange will make you want to dance. Even if you can't actually dance.

Train jackin'

Saw this on a train in the residential area of Western Tokyo. It was a 'Train Jack'.

That's when an advertiser buys all the space on an entire train and plasters its own ads all over it. (thus hi-'jacking' the train with ads)

This one was for Lenor, a P&G fabric softener.

The cool thing is that they hung these shirts up (real shirts - it's Japan so no one steals or vandalizes them!) with 'sweat' dripping. On the sweat drop, and on a puddle sticker on the floor, the ads talk about preventing sweat smell on your clothes with Lenor.

Brilliant idea for the sweaty summer Tokyo rainy season.

Changing the Game

By now the story of Nintendo's Wii gaming system is well-known - left for dead, Nintendo came out of nowhere to rattle Sony and Microsoft who were (and still are) battling over the 'hardcore' gamer market. Xbox has done well in the US but still struggles in Japan. Vice versa for Sony. But neither of them were prepared or able to capture the elusive 'non-gamer' segments - females and families - putting all efforts instead on the main battle.

This left Nintendo free to come up with something truly innovative - both in technology and positioning, if not in naming...

Okay so why I am talking about this? This summer, Nintendo will launch Wii Fit outside of Japan. Already a big hit here, Wii Fit twists and expands the home gaming system paradigm even further.

Here are some ads we've seen here in Japan - simple but effective. And all family friendly (stuff grandpa or kids can do) or SJF-friendly.

Launch Copy: Wii Fit basic function as a bathroom scale! But it also records family weight, body fat, BMI, etc., and acts as a health management tool.



More 'Family' health management:



Wii Fit YOGA: No gamers allowed!


Family exercise: Ski Jump!


P.S.: Thanks to greengary14 on Youtube for posting all the ads!