Hasta La Gadget!

Coca-Cola and the

Users are given the option of donating either ¥10 or ¥100, and as with a normal purchase the buttons light up when the money is inserted but instead of receiving a beverage when pressed, the machine emits a loud “Thank you very much for the donation”. The units themselves are branded with the iconic red cross and have some images of the work the Japan Red Cross are currently doing around the world and in Tohoku as part of ongoing relief efforts.

100% of the money collected through to September will go towards the relief efforts of the earthquake and the vending machines will remain in place to collect money for the Red Cross indefinitely.

Whilst this certainly makes it a lot easier for members of the public to donate using the ubiquitous machines, it may be even more effective if users actually receive something for their donations. Adding an incentive, for example a limited edition pin badge that donators can wear with pride displaying their generosity, may help to drive more people to part with their yen. Ultimately it would be great to see specific charity vending machines that rather than added on as a side function, raising funds could actually be the main feature of such machines, and are seen around town as much as the beverage vending equivalents.

Related Posts:
Help Japan Now QR Code
Convert T-Point loyalty points to earthquake relief funds
NicoNico Douga Harnesses Points for Tsunami Relief

This is the latest in a series of blogs based on newsletters provided by our local research partner INterRIDE Inc..

iPhone Repeaters?

One of the biggest changes in the mobile phone market here in the last twelve months or so has been the influx of major competitors to the iPhone’s domination of the smartphone sector. So, now that those free contracts with SOFTBANK are drawing to a close, the big question is whether people will make the switch to an Android model from Toshiba, Samsung et al.

In a survey of 1,162 iPhone users made using AskSmart.ly, a quarter did indeed answer that for their next cellphone they would opt for a different smartphone. Still, 76% still want to keep an iPhone, suggesting that the market isn’t set for a sudden reversal of fortune for Apple and SOFTBANK just yet. However, it being the case that a lot of iPhone users in fact carry a second, auxiliary regular Japanese feature phone as well, the survey also queried whether respondents would then keep the iPhone as their main phone. 26% of the 1,162 did indeed have at least one other phone, however 64% of them were actually using the iPhone as their primary device. Only a fraction indicated that they would change their main phone to a regular Japanese keitai; it seems once you’ve made the switch there is likely no going back.

Some soy sauce with your…game

It sounds like an unlikely promotion but Japan’s mobile gaming platforms — and the nation’s love of food products — are a flexible beast.

A tie-up campaign on the farming game app Nouen Hokkorina available on Mobage saw users able to claim free digital items by accessing the site from QR codes printed on Yamasa soy sauce products bought at convenience stores and supermarkets.

The first 100,000 visitors got free items to use on their “farms”, plus for every item downloaded a 100 yen donation was also made to relief efforts for the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. As if this wasn’t enough virtual enticement, Yamasa offered 200 people a staggering 5,000 coins if they registered to their YAMASA RED SNS community website, and then 10 coins for the first 50,000 people to “friend” their official account.

I think only in a place as obsessed with food as Japan could there be a social networking site themed around a soy sauce product!

Value for your yen

After the brouhaha about New Year food featured in a Groupon campaign actually being a total rip-off, local consumers have become increasingly anxious about value, it seems. (Putting aside all the effects of the March 11th earthquake on consumer mindsets for just a moment.) Some developers have cottoned onto this and come up with Nezuke (literally, “attaching a value”), which lets you leave impressions of eateries and places based on their price, called “ii ne!” (a pun on the phrase “it’s good, isn’t it?” as the last part also sounds the same as the word for price).

You can describe your impression in terms of numbers; if you thought that what you ate seemed like it was actually worth an extra few hundred yen, or what you received seemed more the equivalent of a price less than what you paid, then you state your feelings in the currency of value. After your calculation you can share these “ii ne!” ratings via Twitter, Facebook and mixi.

The usual Japanese navigation sites for restaurants and cafes have ratings and user reviews aplenty, though price isn’t necessarily such a driving issue as food quality and atmosphere. (Good service is a given for the most part.) Parring things down to such a simple level appears a little too, well, simplistic so we will have to wait and see how successful this new app becomes. Currently the makers have stated their target membership is only 10,000 users.

Facebook Coupons

The American SNS is really pushing hard in Japan these days and this is typified by their new Check-In Coupon (known as Check-In Deals in America, which started in November last year), where users who check out a restaurant or store’s details on Facebook Places will get a coupon displayed on their phone. The idea is to spread the word about interesting places; all your Facebook friends also get a message about the coupon you just accessed.

There are four types of coupon: a single-use one for users who “check-in” on the venue, or group ones for when you check-in with a friend. There are also “point coupons” aimed at people who check-in multiple times, as well as coupons that can be redeemed with the money then going to a charity (promotions we are seeing more and more of since the disaster in March).

Personally I can see this getting rather irritating. If John Doe just got himself a coupon for a ramen restaurant in Shinjuku, should I be alerted to this life-shattering event? (Well, hopefully you don’t regard your Facebook friends as anonymously as John Doe but there are certainly cases where you are not interested in their lives on such a minute, daily level.) Clearly retailers think it is a great opportunity to both entice would-be shoppers and then advertise to all the connected friends of that person. Participants already include convenience stores Lawson and Family Mart, Domino’s Pizza, adidas, FITNESS gym, the Disney Store, GAP, and more. Some reports are suggesting that Facebook is growing in bursts, despite its mammoth lag behind mixi, but as JapanPulse rightly notes, local giants like Uniqlo have already set the bar high for integrating social media with coupons.

Related Posts:
Facebook Deals Launches in Japan
Japan Mobile Marketing Round-Up: Part 3
Social Campaign for Coffee Art Lovers

CG magic, a pop idol conspiracy, fan outrage and an ice cream have combined together in one of the most interesting and bizarre marketing campaigns we have come across in a long while. What on the surface looks like a simple interactive advertising campaign, a website from Japanese confectionary brand Glico named “Oshimen Maker,” allows users to create their own AKB48 member (a massively popular comercial female idol group) using CG technology and facial parts from existing AKB48 members. However the campaign has sparked uproar in Japan’s Otaku population as it has clarified growing suspicions that one of the AKB48 members, Eguchi Aimi, was in fact merely an artificial CG character, and if that wasn’t bizarre enough the character itself is created from the facial features of the six more favored existing members!

On its own the web campaign for the new ice cream product, “Aisu no Mi” (Ice Cream Seed), uses clever maneuvering of the combination of one of Japan’s massive idol groups, AKB 48, and its growing popularity which has spread far beyond its otaku fan base. Oshimen Maker uses the eyes, hairstyle, body style, eyebrows, noses, and mouths of the user’s most favored members to create their own unique idol to be submitted online and ranked among the others, almost a crowd sourced pop idol. They can also be shared on Facebook or Twitter, and sent to friends, showing off the digital “perfect idol” that they have just created. The digital members can also be downloaded as a desktop background, as well as being used as profile pictures or avatars.

A number of fans had previously commented that Aimi was in fact “too good to be true,” and her facial expressions were unreal. The launch of the web campaign seems to have backed up the theories that the member was indeed a fictitious creation and has sparked cries of protest and anger. Many fans blamed Glico, after realizing that the name Aimi was a simple abbreviation of their product [Ai]su no [Mi]. If Glico were indeed the mastermind behind the actual Aimi character from the start this is a amazing exercise in branding, where the company have managed to create a “pop idol” out of a product rather than the usual reverse where pop-stars become brands after reaching a certain level of notoriety. It is noticeable that in todays world of marketing on a huge scale, manufactured girl groups can be brands before they are even bands, however this is the first time we have come across an actual product being the pop idol “herself”, and the fact that it was a mystery for so long takes the teaser campaign idea to new levels.

This site has even brought upon feelings of “competition,” with fans claiming that they can create an even “cuter” Eguchi Aimi than their counterparts. It is amusing to see a “race” has developed as otakus rush to their computers to design their ultimate “Aimi” (they call it) and submit it to the ranking candidate list. The brand name has now become synonymous with creating the idea of idol perfection, not sure if this relates to the ice cream product so much but certainly spreads the companies name. As we can see below, not every creation leans towards perfection, and some may be far from it.

While this campaign is intriguing in its own unique way, and despite the voices of opposition, it is fascinating to see the significant support for a non-existent digital idol, as seen in the growing fan base for Hatsune Miku, one of the first CG animated characters to perform at concerts. Taking it one step further than plastic surgery, it brings to us the question of whether this type of marketing concept that hints at Japan moving towards a new era of celebrities. This coupled with personifying products to the point that they are part of real world groups, unaware that fans are actually infatuated with a product builds up communities around the brand on a whole new scale.

Related Posts:
Idol pop group sells trips with big discounts
TV Bra Ads Dance to Surreal Success
Social Campaign For Coffee Art Lovers

The Tokyo Toy Show was held today showcasing everything from magic carpets to virtual fishing games, 3D airbrush pens to laser controlled cars, and everything in between. There were plenty of Tokyo Sky Tree themed exhibits as the city counts down to its opening next year and it was clear that the eco trend has filtered through to the toy market also. Not content with mum and dad having the coolest gadgets and hobbies, many companies also had ipad and smartphone design concept toys for small children to practice using, and bizarrely there were even gambling games redesigned for toddlers!

As with industries across the board the Toy Show showed how many sectors are focusing their marketing efforts on the eco credentials. Wind up and non electric toys being the staple of toy boxes 10 years ago they have largely been replaced by digital battery powered alternatives. However it was interesting to see a resurgence in traditional and wind up toys, with dynamo powered toy cars complete with non battery operated flashing lights. One company was even making play things form waste, taking discarded plastic bottles, cans and packaging and turning them into robots, helicopters and cars.

Gunk, slime and chemistry combined in a really fun booth from Takara Tomy, turning bath time into a messy experiment. Igniting an interest in the sciences whilst making their own bubble bath, the simple idea plays on every kids love for anything slime based.

Sega also displayed their extended range of Homestar planetariums, with an R2D2 Robot version complete with a projection of the Death Star, and a limited edition Tokyo Sky Tree series.

Starting them young there were a number of toys and games on show that played on different Japanese gambling games! We were surprised to see a Disney version of mahjong, a Chinese dominoes style game popular in smokey Japanese drinking dens, and even an Anpanman pachinko game, another popular gambling past time.

Of course no Tokyo Toy Show would be complete without the obligatory Pokemon exhibits, cute and fluffy characters. With the prevalence of ipads, and iphones/ smartphones in Japan right now there were a number of app related games such as the virtual pet shown below. To ensure the public purchases all the paraphernalia that also go with the app, the virtual pet pictured will actually complain of the cold until wrapped up in the “animal jacket”, nothing like a whining iphone! A simliar tactic was seen with remote control cars complete with matching sneakers, as obviously kids have to match their outfits with their toys nowadays.

Finally one of the most bizarre items on display had to be this magic exhibit. Described as a third eye, it purportedly enables wearers to use telepathy to read cards…all whilst looking particularly fetching.

Related Posts
Tokyo Toy Show 2010 full round-up
Tokyo Toy Show 2009 – Full Coverage with Video and Pics
Tokyo Toy Show 2008 with video and photos

Japanese game manufacturer Takara Tomy showcased a particularly realistic virtual handheld fishing game called Virtual Masters Reel AR Fishing at this years Toy Show in Tokyo. Set to be released in July of this year, the fishing rod shaped gadget allows players to engage in a full fishing experience regardless of their location, thanks to a built in 2.4 inch liquid crystal monitor and a rod console that mimics the actual sensation of real fishing gear. Using Augmented Reality (AR), it contains a 0.3 megapixel camera that allows players to take photos of wherever they are and use them as the “environment” to go fishing in.

The Virtual Masters Reel aims at providing a full user sensory fishing experience to players in numerous ways. Instead of merely pushing different colored buttons on a standard handheld game, players actually cast the rod into the ocean (or whatever environment they are fishing in), and based on the strength and angle of the cast, the distance of the float is recorded and players physically wind the virtual spool up to the desired displayed depth. When a blue virtual fish approaches the float, the player is alerted with a vibration and must give the device a tug to hook the prey. As they are reeling the virtual fish in, the screen displays a tension meter, which (based on the strength) causes the reel to actually bend accordingly, and is surprisingly realistic. The fiestier the fish, the stronger the bend, and the more difficult it is to reel it in; reflected in a tightening of the fishing line. Finally, using the tension meter as a guide, the player claims his prize with one last powerful tug on the rod.

The AR segment in Takara Tomy’s new toy is an interesting added feature. Its built in camera can take photos to be stored on a miniSD card, which can then be transferred onto a computer. Unfortunately the reverse is not possible, but an updated version where any picture can be transferred to be used as a fishing arena would be a nice touch. This would allow fishermen to do the impossible, such as catching prey in the grand canyon by simply downloading a picture of it from Google Images. The sound effects also enhance the realism with specific sounds such as the bait hitting the water, the water ripples, and the flight of the float as users cast out.

The Virtual Masters Reel game can appeal to all age groups, regardless of whether they have had previous fishing experience or not. It is exciting to see the term AR being used in such toys enjoyed by a wide range of consumers, rather than hi-tech machines that only tech savvy users know how to operate. Takara Tomy predicts that with the recent turn towards outdoor leisure activities, the famous “Yama (Mountain) Girls” would be followed by “Tsuri (Fishing) Girls” this year (there area already enough girls in Tokyo already walking around in wellington boots!), supporting July’s release date.

Related Posts:
Nintendo Tryvertises 3DS Games
Float In Space With Ghost In The Shell
Mousou Controller – Retro Video Gameplay Simulator