We’ve mentioned that there are certain characters designed to appeal to adults, like Rilakkuma, whose images are used to promote products or services for the grown-up generation (remember the luxury hotel package?). Perhaps the most successful (and clever) example, however are the Bihada Ichizoku (Beautiful Skin Family) characters.
The tale of this animated family, renown for their beautiful skin, began as keitai shousetsu (mobile phone novel) on Girlswalker.com (naturally) in 2005. Then, a sheet facemask using the characters’ images (made by cosmetics company Love Labo) was offered through Girlswalker for a limited time—and sold a purported 60,000 items in one day. Since 2006 an extended series of Bihada Ichizoku beauty products have been available at drugstores nationwide and two years later the products are still a hit, having sold over 6,000,000 items in total and inspired comic books and an animated TV series.
TREND IMPACT
Characters are used in Japan for much more than this single example, and work across multiple industries. We examine this Macro Trend, connecting the dots across multiple industries within our Trendpool innovation database. To learn more about how this trend and others can inspire your own business and marketing efforts, click HERE to explore more.
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