Doing Marketing in Japan

Japan has always been a unique place for many occidentals. Especially when it comes to outrageous marketing campaigns. if you do marketing for a living, you have probably seen a Japanese TV ad, a magazine ad or if you are lucky maybe you have seen the streets of Tokyo filled with advertising. 

I must admit I'm the kind of person that is always looking for the hidden messages inside an ad. I.ve always said that we live marketing daily without even knowing it. Japan definitely impressed me. I lived in Japan and also I went last year to take a 10 days course in Japanese marketing and at the same time I had the opportunity to be an expositor in the Anuga Show 2019, this is what I've learned about doing marketing for the Japanese. 

First thing you have to know if you are planning to enter the Japanese market. Japan was never a western colony. Nothing you have done in the Americas or Europe will be a perfect match for the Japanese. They embrace their culture and find it the best, perhaps the only in the world. This is important since somehow we know some campaigns can suit both the American and European markets, in the end, we share some history and we have grown living both cultures together. 

Creativity is the key:

If you are the kind of person who makes 5 persons brainstorms when planning a new campaign? You might want to double that. You cannot imagine the amount of colors, shapes, lights, even Godzilla´s statues popping out the buildings. Yes, I meant what I said. Your first idea will probably be a "been there, done that" for them. Make sure to think outside the box. Nothing is too big. 

You must offer something absolutely unique:

Must Japanese will think twice before making a purchase. Even if their purchasing power is high, they have limited space, Must people live in a one-bedroom apartment with no storage space. Tokyo is the most crowded city in the country it hosts 13.1 million people. If your space is limited, you need a good reason to purchase a new thing. When you are communicating with the Japanese consumer, you must convince them that your products are worth both the investment and space.

Luxury is well received.

Brands like Gucci, Fendi, etc. earn 25% of their total revenues just from Japan. Louis Vuitton actually earns 50% of its revenues. So if you have an expensive product that most countries wouldn`t pay for, Japan is your market. You need however to justify your brand value. 

Language 

In most countries English is an international language, in my experience exporting products, most of the time I knew all I needed was to put a label with the mandatory information in the language of the country I was selling to. NOT IN JAPAN, here in-language content is a legal requirement, they also take seriously their language, if you want to do business with them, you must want to communicate to them. Even if they can understand English, they expect you to have at least a few words in Japanese. 

 E-commerce

Among the e-commerce markets in the world, Japan ranks as the third largest and one of the fastest-growing. The B2C market is worth almost 18 trillion yen. Maybe a good approach for your sales could be seeking an e-commerce platform such as Amazon, Rakuten or Yahoo. Even selling from your own country, Shopify can offer you easily an online store where you can sell your products without even touching the Japanese ground. However, the online content to promote your website must be Japanese oriented. 

A share of memory

In America, we want to make sure to transmit all the benefits, images, uses of products in the 30 seg we have for a TV commercial. This is not necessarily what happens in Japan, you can find many commercials that have nothing to do with the product they are promoting. You may see a story that shows the product and makes an impact. 

For example: 

In the US a facial cream would have a top model showing her glowing perfect skin while showing the product at the back, then putting some cream on her again, perfect face. In the end, the product, the brand, and the model would close the commercial. 

In Japan:

it could be an action scene with a Japanese femme fatale chasing a criminal while ridding a high-speed motorcycle around a modern full of lights city. showing the brand on the streets billboards and closing with a big impact fight. You would think it has nothing to do with the cream, she didn't show off her skin, her beauty. you might not even know what the product is and that is what brand wants from the audience. When you see the product somewhere else in your local store or mall, you will come closer to see what is about, since you are now familiar with the brand. 

Laughter is a key ingredient: 

have you ever seen the Japanese prank TV shows? or any Japanese comedy? the myth that the Japanese are very serious, angry is just that, a myth. Japanese love to laugh if you are able to make your campaign funny you will have them in your pocket. I will make another post about Japanese Humor since your American jokes might not be a good fit.