Japan Marketing News

Mitsubishi introduces sharp innovation in mechanical pencils

Leave it to Japanese designers to bring superb engineering and creativity to even the most everyday products. This time it's mechanical pencils.

One of the most annoying problems encountered by pencil users is stroke bloat. One minute you're writing or sketching with the most delightfully precise lines, the next minute every stroke looks fat and dull. It's because the tip of your pencil flattens as you write.

One of the most attractive features of mechanical pencils is that they're less prone to stroke bloat than their wooden counterparts. But they're not immune.

Until now.

Coca Cola Japan brings "functional" Coke to market

The Japanese market is so inundated with functional drinks that it had to happen eventually. Finally, Coca-Cola Japan has introduced a vitamin-fortified Coke drink. Coca-Cola plus vitamin was launched earlier this month and is now making its way into shops around Japan. Known as Diet Coke Plus or Coca Cola Light Plus in European markets, Coca-Cola plus vitamin is a Diet Coke* variant that apparently provides you with 81% of your daily requirement of vitamin C—with no calories. Check out the Japanese website here.

* Known as "No Calorie Coca-Cola" in Japan

Great Japanese print advertising: Sapporo

Here's an recent print ad from Japanese beer giant Sapporo that employs solid composition to create visual interest and convey the message that Draft One is a great brew to enjoy with food.

Glico looks to fatten margins with thinning Pocky

In recent years, Japanese consumers have grown increasingly interested in nutrition and body weight, thanks in part to the attention the media has given to Japan's increasing incidence of metabolic syndrome, and the recent measures the Japanese government has instituted to help combat the problem.

In the marketplace, not only have we seen the broad introduction of diet beers, malt liquors and canned cocktails, soft drink companies have also gotten into the game with various teas and functional drinks that either prevent the absorption of fats or claim to help people to lose weight.

Now the chocolate manufacturers are about to get on board the anti-metabolic syndrome bus too.

Apple iPhone coming to Japan on July 11

Interested in the iPhone in Japan?

From an Apple press release that went out yesterday:

Softbank (SBM) and Apple® today announced that the highly anticipated iPhone™ 3G will be available in Japan on July 11. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

Read the press release in its entirety here.

Previous Japan Marketing News post on the iPhone in Japan here.

Heineken Japan taps a cool new angle

Historically, international beer companies have faced some difficult challenges in Japan, especially when it comes to getting distribution in restaurants, pubs and clubs. Oftentimes local proprietors receive very strong incentives (cash!) to stock the brews of just one Japanese company or distributor, and that means that the door can be slammed shut on international brands—and other Japanese brands—right from the start.

Things can be rough even if a bar or restaurant is open to the idea of serving competing beers. International brands have to go head to head with Japanese companies offering a multitude of excellent brews, to say nothing of fighting it out with other world players.

What's a foreign company to do?

Ingredient of the season: Citrulline

If you keep your eyes peeled in Japan this summer you're going to see several new products that contain the ingredient known as citrulline.

An amino acid first extracted from watermelon by a Japanese researcher in 1930, citrulline is said to reduce the buildup of ammonia in the bloodstream, dilate blood vessels, and promote production of nitric oxide, which amongst other things is supposed to help prevent muscle fatigue. So it's no surprise that Asahi is promoting its new Citrulline Water using sports-related advertising, and Lotte has launched Citrulline Gum to coincide with its support of the Beijing Summer Olympics.

In the U.S., citrulline supplements have apparently been marketed previously to promote circulation and prevent hardening of the arteries, but Japan's health ministry did not approve the ingredient for use in food until August of last year.

Other Japanese companies like Shiseido have also jumped on the citrulline bandwagon so it's probably only a matter of time before a dozen more citrulline products hit Japanese store shelves.

Effective Japanese TV ads: ANA

This ANA ad targets older Japanese who have both the time and money to travel. Many over 60 still have a very romanticized view of "things international" and overseas travel, and a good proportion are enthusiastic fans of Jazz, as well. While some younger Japanese might consider the use of the New York backdrop and African-American-band-playing-typical-Jazz-standard as somewhat hackneyed, it probably strikes just the right note (ouch) with the intended audience.

While the effectiveness of the branding is questionable (after all, it's pretty easy to substitute any other airline logo into this ad—nothing about it is truly specific to ANA), I give this commercial high marks for its ability to capture your interest and keep you engaged. On that measure, it outperforms most other airline ads, which are excruciatingly predictable, and forgettable.

Beer trend: "zero" brews

Look closely.

See any pattern?

Say hello to the latest trend in Japanese brews: zero sugar low malt beers.

Fanta Japan shakes up the beverage market

I discovered this new and unique Coca-Cola Japan product the other day in the vending machine near my home. It's called Fanta Furufuru Shaker.

In some ways it's reminiscent of those jelly drinks marketed by Weider Japan. If you're not familiar with them, imagine a semi-soft version of Jello that's drinkable.

Where Coca-Cola Japan has added a twist is in adding carbonation that's activated by shaking the can.

The first mouthful feels a bit like Jello, but then the carbonation hits you, producing the sensation that you're actually eating your soda.

Less adventurous souls and the conventionally minded (in other words, adults), may find this off-putting.

But Japanese kids are going to, ahem, eat it up.

And you are simply not going to believe the TV ads.

Fanta Japan regularly produces fairly "out-there" commercials, but you won't want to miss the ones currently posted on their website. After you reach the top page, click on TVCM, then play the video that comes up in the main screen.

In particular, keep a close eye out for this character, whose can shaking technique is going to stimulate a lot of chatter in some quarters.