Suntory Sells Hope
Suntory is marketing hope to Japanese consumers with montages of two beloved pop songs. “Ue wo Muite, Arukou” (I Look Up While I Walk) and “Miagetegoran Yoru no Hoshi wo” (Look up at the Night Sky) are two ballads made famous by Sakamoto Kyu, who died tragically in a 1985 JAL plane crash. For Suntory’s newest commercials, the company enlisted a total of 71 stars spanning all age groups, all of whom donated their time to sing. The faces of some of Suntory’s biggest brands are represented, including Koyuki (for the Kakubin Whisky brand) and Eikichi Yazawa (for The Premium Malts brand). The commercials aim to show solidarity with the victims of the recent tsunami tragedy in northeastern Japan. In a shrewd move, the company doesn’t show any products in the commercial, instead focusing on the music and its hopeful message.
Tabio Slide Show
Perhaps inspired by Tom Cruise in the classic movie “Risky Business,” sock manufacturer Tabio has won an award for its campaign, Tabio Slide Show. The campaign focuses on two women at home who remove their shoes to reveal chic Tabio socks. The models then slide around the house a la Tom Cruise showing off the fun side of this traditional Japanese footwear. The web campaign also makes it easy for consumers to purchase their favorite socks: as the socks scroll by in the aptly named slide show, simply clicking on the “buy” button makes purchasing the socks a cinch. The campaign won a silver prize at ADFEST 2011 in the Cyber Lotus category for Best Art Direction.
Talking 3D Signage
The Nagoya Institute of Technology claims to have developed the world’s first 3D sign that allows users and software to interface via audio. The system consists of two 70-inch displays, one which shows relevant information, and one where the virtual guide, Mei, lives. Mei, the name given to the interactive computerized system, responds to vocal questions, displaying corresponding movements accordingly. Testers claim that Mei is fairly lifelike despite her computer software origins because she accurately mimics human movements. For example, when asked about the weather, Mei-chan will lower her eyes when delivering bad news such as a rainy forecast. The university has installed Mei-chan at its entrance, enabling visitors to find their way around while giving the school a healthy PRPR boost.
Hakuhodo Helps Mothers
In Japan, all mothers regardless of location, nationality or family situation, are required to fill out the Boshikenkoutechou (Mother Child Health Notebook). The book records vital details about a mother’s pregnancy and birth, as well as advice for new mothers, and doubles as an ID for the child when starting school. However, there are many versions of the notebook, with individual local governments using different suppliers. The notebooks have been subject to criticism from users because they are tricky to fill in. Spotting an opportunity, advertising and research agency Hakuhodo is aiming to solve these problems with its “New Mother Child Health Note.”
The notebook adds more space for mothers to record new events and firsts in their babies’ lives, and includes a space titled “Just for Dad,” recognizing that more men are involved in child-rearing than in past generations. The New Note also adds pages for friends and family to write their own messages, making recording rites of passage a family affair rather than a tedious, individual process. The New Note also aims to be easier and more fun to use, with more pictures and color coded charts and tables. The New Note is being used in Shimane and Tochigi prefectures from April, with Hakuhodo hoping it will catch on nationwide.
Geeky-Girly Innovation
Illustration by Phil Couzens
Morinosuke Kawaguchi, a principal at Arthur D. Little Japan and noted expert on technology and design, hopes to enlighten foreign audiences about the philosophy of Japanese product development in the technology sector, and explain why the “Galapagos Syndrome” may be a strength, not a disadvantage for Japan. Kawaguchi is the author of “Geeky-Girly Innovation: A Japanese Subculturalist’s Guide to Technology and Design.” The author believes that the world is gradually becoming more “Japanese” in the sense that juvenile and feminized design sense is spreading across the globe, the chief avatars being “cool Japan’s” street tribes, anime and manga.
Kawaguchi asserts that the unique Japanese combination of playfulness, intellectual vigor and manufacturing quality has led to an interesting synthesis of odd ideas with proven techniques. The seemingly unusual ideas of Japanese subculture including “weakness as strength” (think anime characters where small girls wield huge swords) and products that are both fun and interactive often provide inspiration for hit products and weird toys alike. With Japan’s strengths lying in these areas it only makes sense for international brands to explore how subculture ideas can influence innovation for the better, instead of simply writing off Japanese design sense as mere design weirdness for weirdness’ sake.
Nicole Fall is co-founder of Tokyo-based innovation and trend-forecasting agency Five by Fifty. She can be contacted at: nicole@fivebyfifty.com
