Japan Marketing News

McDonald's Japan to go mega in the morning

You're probably already tired of hearing about McDonald's Japan's mega sandwiches*, but since they're at least partly behind the company's ongoing revenue growth (while others in the market have faltered), you probably ought to know that they'll be bringing a new MegaMuffin sandwich to the morning menu for a limited time, from April 4 to May 8.

And just in case you fail to rise in time for breakfast, you'll still be able to chow down on MegaMacs and MegaTeriyaki burgers at other times of the day during the special campaign period.

* More info here and here.

KitKat Japan to introduce unusual new flavor

In Japan, KitKit launches new flavor variants all the time. However, this is the first time I've seen one based on an "exotic" Japanese ingredient.*

This new limited edition product is flavored with kinako, a nutty-tasting powder that's often dusted over sweetened mochi treats or ice cream. It's made from toasted soybeans.

Kinako KitKat will be available in stores starting April 7.

* Not including green tea or matcha since these now frequently appear on menus outside Japan.

Arnold Palmer hits hole-in-one with Japan apparel line

Arnold Palmer has been one of the most successful celebrity business moguls ever; over the years, he's lent his name to dozens of products and enterprises around the world.

As you'd expect, a lot of Arnie's products are golf-related. When it comes to apparel, American consumers usually associate his name with men's golf shirts and gear. Not so in Japan.

While many Japanese men over 40 are familiar with Palmer's exploits on the course and the golf products that bear his name, an ever-growing number of Japanese youth—most of whom have little interest in putters, irons and woods, and no knowledge whatsoever of the man himself—have come to associate the name Arnold Palmer with trendy casual clothes.

Renown, one of Japan's largest apparel manufacturers, holds the licensing rights, and has done a great job with designs that strongly appeal to teens and twenty-somethings. I have been especially impressed by the women's line, which is playful in the best sense of the word, and nicely sidesteps preppy sports cliche.

The brand is available at both freestanding and shop-in-shop locations throughout Japan.

Effective Japanese TV ads: Tipness

If you're wondering these three images have in common (click for larger view), they're taken from a series of clever (and funny) TV commercials put out by Tipness, one of Japan's largest health club chains. They're worth a peek—all you need to know is that each one ends with the tag line "He/she still trains at Tipness."

Disney Mobile: a Cinderella start, but. . .

You may recall that last November I mentioned that Disney had announced its intention to enter the Japanese cell phone market with branded handsets and content, piggybacking on services provided by Softbank.

Well, Disney Mobile launched a couple of weeks ago with an approach that is, at least in some respects, nicely thought out. Recognizing that Japanese female consumers often combine class with cute, the company took the high road with handset design, opting for an exterior that at first glance recalls the logo patterns of luxury handbags, but up close reveals the silhouette of the world's most famous mouse. At the same time, on the software side, the company has provided loads of free content that allows hard-core aficionados to Disney-fy their screens (and outgoing mail) to their heart's content.

Nonetheless, it's not immediately clear how well Disney Mobile will do in the long run. According to an article in the Nikkei Ryutsu Shinbun, the handsets flew off shelves during the first week, but sales have fallen off considerably in recent days.

The problem?

Gap filling gap with new Japan format

Over the past several years Japan's apparel market has seen a marked shift as consumers have purchased less and less at traditional retailers like department stores, and more and more at malls, shopping centers, "fashion buildings" and specialty chains. At the same time, competition has intensified with most major markets growing ever more saturated by top brands, domestic and foreign.

Looking for ways to expand while meeting both consumer needs and the evolving situation at retail, some brands have been experimenting with new formats. Gap Japan is no exception.

Tomorrow (March 20), the company is slated to open two new shops that target women only. Eponymously dubbed Gap Woman Shop, the stores will cater to Japanese gals in their 20's and 30's with modern, high-quality designs and a variety of items that will be available only in Japan. If the first stores do well, future locations are expected to be situated in the many shopping center/mini malls that have been cropping up in train stations throughout the country.

Tokyo and Osaka will host the first two shops. In Tokyo, Gap Woman will be located in Oimachi Station Atre. In Osaka, the shop will occupy a portion of the existing free-standing store in Shinsaibashi.

It will be interesting to see how the new format fares. I am especially curious about the styling of the Japan-only items. Will Gap maintain conventional shapes and up the ante on materials? Keep with typical fabrics and inject more design oomph? Or stick to the knitting on both counts and merely expand the range? Stay tuned.

By the way, Gap has also been experimenting with new formats in Japan for its Banana Republic Brand.

UNIQLO uses quirky clock to provide good time

I was over on Uniqlo's Japanese website seeing whether they had come out with any interesting commercials lately when I ran across a little diversion that soon had me transfixed.

It's called the UNIQLOCK.

Basically it's a flash applet that interlaces video snippets with a digital clock that constantly updates the time. What's interesting about it is that the video features lithe dancers, dressed in simple Uniqlo apparel, performing choreography that feels something like a cross between ballet warm-ups and Pee Wee Herman or Mr. Bean. First you see the clock—simple digits resting on white or color backgrounds—then there's a video wipe, and the dancing girls appear. Every few seconds it alternates: clock, video, clock, video. Meanwhile you hear these ongoing music loops that sound like a mash-up of everything from Fats Waller to trance DJ Paul Van Dyk (the music is actually by Fantastic Plastic Machine) .

At first I found myself mesmerized in the same way that you can be mesmerized by a lava lamp in a dance club dungeon at 3 a.m. But five minutes later I felt like I should pull out all my hair and run through my neighborhood screaming (a feeling that quickly subsided after I turned the sound off).

Anyway, if you're a fan of quirky music and video, check it out. You'll also be happy to know that if you like what you see you can upload the clock to your website, or download it to your computer to use as your very own screen saver.