Hasta La Gadget!

There’s a running joke in the office about my addiction to Calorie Mate. It’s true, I do love it and could happily munch on the biscuit bars all day. Michael and the rest of the team laugh at me, declaring the food to be dry, flavor-less — and just weird.

For those who don’t know, Calorie Mate is one of those bestselling “balance foods”: you eat it to fill a hole but it is also meant to be good for your nutritional intake. The back of the packs piled on my desk state proudly that each contains fiber, minerals (multiple kinds!) and each bar is only 100kcal. There are currently five flavors in the range (potato, cheese, fruit, chocolate and maple chip) and, despite the taunts of my colleagues, I think each has its own unique merits.

Interesting, a very similarly packaged, slightly deceptively named Calorie Plus product has also come onto the market, and I can testify that the cheese flavor is even better than Calorie Mate’s!

We’ve previously highlighted great instances of minimalist packaging in FMCG and Calorie Mate is another strong example. The box is blandly but boldly colored (yellow), and then cluttered yellow, pseudo-Jinglish science speak under a Fifties-style brand logo. Typographers and font-lovers no doubt hate it but it achieves an instant recognition level that is critic-proof. A friend of mine once likened to “space food”. Well, if astronauts are eating this then get me in a shuttle ASAP.

However, the advertising for the product is a different beast. Its makers, Otsuka, have their tongues in their cheeks, especially with the most recent flavor, maple. Since this one was clearly aimed at younger female consumers, in the ads they utilized a beautiful, famous model (Karina), contrasted with a rather round gentleman in a yellow suit (played by Yoshiyoshi Arakawa).

That same “Yellow Man” is now starring in a new online and TV campaign. Users can log onto Yellow Man 2010 and put in their worries in the Rescue Me, Yellow Man (”助けて! イエローマン”) “consultation corner”. The Yellow Man answers back with friendly messages. See below for the jolly, though slightly ambiguous, pick-me-up he gave me when I asked him about fat (”Well, it’s like eating blind, isn’t it?”). You can tweet his messages and the whole site is live until the end of March next year.

About four years ago we first reported on these motion ads that were appearing in the Tokyo subway, which were coinciding with some work we were doing with BMW at the time. Below is the original example:

Needless to say, we haven’t seen much else along these lines happening in the years since. Perhaps with commuters so engrossed in their devices they simply wouldn’t notice animated ads going on outside of the train.

However, last year there started to be more tests using electronic paper, and blending it in with traditional printed paper advertisements.

Not only do they not need an external power source, the components for the ads can be reused over and over, as well as updated anytime. Even time-sensitive ads (if you get off at the next stop, pop by Shop A for a discount) could be integrated into the system.

Last week we found these down in the Marunouchi Line in Tokyo. They play audible ads with video, and there are several installations all along the track and in multiple stations. Most people waiting for a train are staring ahead anyway, so this is a great chance to get their attention. Judging from our own experience, most people waiting were checking out the videos.

Ever been surfing the net and wanted to tuck into some delicious rice? Now you can, kind of.

Condiments maker Ajinomoto has a new website, Neo Tamago Kake Gohan, in which users can log on and enjoy a virtual meal using the company’s trademarked Aji-no-moto MSG umami. For those who don’t know, tamago kake gohan (卵かけご飯) is a simple but nourishing dish consisting of beaten raw egg over steamed rice with soy sauce.

We all know the Japanese are fussy about food, so, not unsurprisingly, users can even customize their “meal”. Do you want a full bowl or just half? Tons of soy sauce or just a splash? You can make your own recipe, all set to dramatic music!

This kind of content revels in food and the process of eating, an activity which, any glance at Japanese TV tells you, really appeals to the local consumer. You get to experience a demonstration of how to make the dish, as well as of course seeing how Ajinomoto’s product looks like up close.

Ajinomoto is an old company established in 1925 and has been producing the same kinds of products for decades, but this kind of web campaign shows they can be “futuristic” and take digital tools seriously too. (However, surely it would have been more savvy if they had made a whole separate website, rather than a subdomain of the regular site?) There are also blog parts (see below!) that show the world your ideal tamago kake gohan recipe.

Currently on platforms 5 and 6 of JR Ikebukuro Station there are vending machines dispensing free cans of a new UCC Coffee drink. At random times twice a day for one hour each lucky people visiting the pop-up shop “mediacure” booth on the Yamanote Line platforms can receive samples.

This campaign is hoping to build up buzz for no-sugar coffee UCC The Clear (120 JPY, $1.3), aimed at male consumers in their twenties to forties. Apparently, the organizers are worried about a scrum to try to claim free drinks and will have security staff on hand to keep things safe.

[Image via Insightnow.com]

People waiting around on platforms are in need of distractions, making the spaces prime spots for advertising or sampling campaigns like this one. The mediacure booth is a great tool, offering digital signage, vending machines and a physical forum to push your product to nearby consumers with little to do with their time. Given the target for UCC The Clear, a line like the Yamanote and its rush hour hordes of salarymen, is a great choice for channeling samples to the right people.

The campaign runs until 28th March, the day before UCC The Clear goes on general sale. Of course this isn’t the first time that the Yamanote line has experienced a marketing overhaul. We loved the Meiji Chocolate campaign last autumn that saw entire trains becoming branded.

April is approaching so it must be the season for marketing involving sakura (cherry blossom). We already reported this week about the desktop sakura tree and now we hear about a big, fun automobile campaign .

Mini is currently promoting the debut of its Japan-only original vehicle, the Mini Meets Sakura Edition Nippon, through decidedly cute and girly motifs. The “Spring has come! project” (ハル ガ キタ プロジェクト) involves giveaways, blog parts, and, er, a term of cheerleaders.

Users who answer Mini’s online survey get a chance to win cameras, digital goods and wallpapers, and even accessories (pink, of course!) for their Mini. There are also city “happenings” on Saturdays in which the teams of girls race around in the car and cause cute mayhem. The Tokyo event earlier this month (below) looks like it was a lot of fun.

Although the first one was in the capital, the cheerleaders are actually going to do the rest of the events in parallel with the blossom, i.e. starting in Kyushu and working their way north at one-week intervals. As the cherries fill with pink, the girls will apparently take their “support” (応援, ouen) up through the different regions of Japan. If you don’t get a chance to catch them you can instead just put your name into the blog parts below and get a personal boost from the whole team!

[Via Kokoku Kaigi.]