Over the past 10 to 15 years, Japanese marketers have wholeheartedly embraced the symbology of sustainability. Notions of ‘green’ and ‘eco’ and ‘human’ have proliferated in aesthetic terms.
Recently my colleague Debbie Howard and I were interviewed by Jamin Brazil for his Happy Market Research Podcast (a highly recommended podcast if you have an interest in market research).
Back in the last century when I was studying marketing at the University of New South Wales in Australia I was fortunate enough to be properly introduced to the concept of market research.
The affront to our human nature – called social distancing – that we are now being forced to endure will, in some cases, save our lives. However for brands in the current crisis, distancing yourself from your customers is not going to be good for their health.
One thing is certain for all of us, as a rather morbid saying goes. But alas, it is true and therefore it doesn’t come as a surprise that death and the business of dying are a large industry in Japan, with customers guaranteed in one of the most aged societies in the world.
There was a lot of skepticism going into the Rugby World Cup in Japan. Foreign investors were concerned that there would be a lack of enthusiasm from the first Asian country to host the Rugby World Cup.
Several lists reveal the dominance of Japanese car giant Toyota, which ranked tenth on Fortune’s 2019 Global 500 based on reach, economic wellbeing, and sheer brand clout. Fortune also named Toyota one of the world’s most admired brands at #30, and in January 2020 as the globe’s top automaker for the sixth year running.
Starbucks did it nowhere better than in Japan, Disney did it too, already a long time ago, and Kentucky Fried Chicken as well: An extremely successful market entry into Japan.
Christmas in Japan is an interesting blend of American tradition with a Japanese marketing spin on them. Originally introduced to Japan by Christian missionaries, Christmas never caught on as a religious holiday (only 1% of the population self identifies as Christian). But after WWII, the Christmas tradition came to represent a sparkly commercial version of American prosperity.
With everything available at the click of the mouse, shopping centers have been dying a slow death. Unable to offer consumers the same limitless (and often cheaper) choices as the Internet, foot traffic and subsequent sales have dropped to abysmal levels.