A blog about marketing in Japan.

Like the movie, first-time visitors to the Tokyo area of Shibuya are often momentarily lost in translation. Japan’s claustrophobic billboard culture is a curious spectacle: glowing cut-outs of Western celebrities peddle whiskey, ducks sell insurance and talking dinosaurs promote…. well, something.

Welcome to Japan – scenic inspiration for futuristic sci-fi flick Blade Runner and land where the billboard is king.

These flashing billboards have become symbolic of ‘modern Japan’, but what may surprise is the vibrant area of marketing that has developed right under your feet. Let me lead you on a lesser-known marking journey that takes us below the streets of Tokyo into the world of Japanese subway marketing. [Read more →]

Another interesting aspect of Japanese marketing is the widespread usage of corporate mascots. While cute character mascots in the west tend to be targeted almost exclusively at kids (the Frosty Flakes cereal tiger for example), it is common to find corporate mascots in almost any industry in the Japanese market. [Read more →]

While those from the west are most likely accustomed to reading only from left to right, the Japanese writing system is far more flexible – allowing for a combination of writing styles in advertisements that simply are not possible with the Western alphabet. [Read more →]

Japan’s political environment has been a reliable column-filler for journalists as of late, with this month’s elections likely to result in an unprecedented political power shift in the land of the rising sun. The fanfare of historic elections notwithstanding, though, Japan also finds itself in the throes of another revolutionary transition – namely the internet and how people are accessing it. [Read more →]

Tomorrow night, the Socceroos (Australia’s national football team) play Japan in the final round of Asian Confederation qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The socceroos captured the hearts and minds of Australians around the nation (and in Tokyo from my vantage point!) in a stirring penalty shootout to reach the 2006 version of the tournament in Germany, and since then have made significant inroads into a country which long viewed football as a sport for sheilas, wogs and poofters.

Apart from the match tomorrow (which in reality is a dead rubber – with both teams already assured of qualification), what does any of this have to do with Japan? As Australia’s largest trading partner, the world game and the socceroos are creating new opportunities for stronger business and diplomatic ties in the land of the rising sun.

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In baseball-crazy Japan, one of the game’s most interesting legends, known amongst fans as ‘the curse of the Colonel’, has presented a once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

This legend stretches back to a famous night in Osaka in 1985, when local baseball team and perennial underdogs the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series Pennant – their first and only victory in the series to this day. As one of Japan’s most popular but least successful teams, delirious fans celebrated by having lookalikes of the team’s players jump into the Dotonbori River, which runs through the heart of Osaka city. [Read more →]

Very effective advertising in your home country can be worth next to nothing if it is not tweaked sufficiently for Japan. Of course this is by no means exclusive to the Japanese market, but the same important principles apply: Differences in languages, culture and customs mean that your Japanese target market may respond to your messages in very different ways. Obviously, this could very well distort the product image you are trying so hard to get across. [Read more →]

From Nowhere to No Vacancy

Once a rural locality in the throes of serious social and economic decline, today the Japanese ski town of Niseko, situated in northern Hokkaido, is regarded as a world-class skiing destination. Niseko has enjoyed a tenfold increase in the number of foreign skiers over the past five years, and now the area is also home to some of the fastest rising land prices in the land of the rising sun. [Read more →]

Matsushita. National. Panasonic.

Matsushita. National. Panasonic. What do these have in common? You may be surprised to know that all three are renowned brand names used by the world’s fifth-largest electronics company – the Osaka-based Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co.

The Matsushita Group made USD$79.4 billion last year – larger than that of Sony, who posted revenues of USD$77.9 billion. Interestingly though, Sony ranks as the 25th most recognised brand in the world in Interbrand’s “Best Global Brands” ranking, while Panasonic ranks in at a lowly 78. Clearly, the use of Matsushita, National and Panasonic on similar products has created some confusing brand image problems. [Read more →]

In my last post, I touched upon the importance of tweaking your promotional message to ensure resonance with the Japanese market. In a similar vein, today we will look at the importance of effectively translating your message from English to Japanese for identical reasons.

The translation of your product slogan, or ‘catch line’, is likely to make or break the effectiveness of your promotion in Japan. Get it right, and so will your target market. Get it wrong, and your message is effectively lost in translation. [Read more →]