I am back

Bonjour à tous.

Bien triste d'avoir laissé à l'abandon ces pages originellement créées dans le cadre d'un projet Marketing, durant mon séjour universitaire au Japon, j'ai décidé de lui redonner vie, dans la langue de Molière.

Vous y retrouverez des informations issues de l'actualité du Marketing et de la Communication, et tout particulièrement sur les sujets suivants : agro-alimentaire, restauration, gastronomie, Japon, tourisme et culture.

Bonne lecture et n'hésitez pas à me faire part de vos suggestions et bonnes infos.

Marketinguement vôtre,

Pauline

Starbucks Double Shot

Presentation

Double shot is a new range of products of the American brand Starbucks. It is a composed of two products: DoubleShot Espresso Doppio (full coffee flavour) and DoubleShot Espresso Con Panna (with milk). It is their second launch of a RTD (Ready-To-Drink) premium coffee beverages in Japan, after the Discoveries (chilled up coffee) in 2005. The RTD market in Japan represents $8.4 billion. Starbucks went into a partnership with Suntory to be able to enter the Japanese market.

Targeting the Japanese market

They are especially targeting the Japanese market and tastes. Starbucks is really willing to locate itself in the Japanese country: they even created a Kyoto Matcha Latte to better please its Japanese customers.

Doubleshot RTD has been created to fill the Japanese need of speed and energy.
In Japan, we cannot find easily coffee machines, like in France, where you have to wait your cup being fulled up with hot coffee. Here in Japan, everybody is rushing and in constant lack of time. DoubleShot is already hot, and the can is more easily transported in a bag or with hand, than a unstable plastic cup.

It has just been launch few days ago, 21th October. It coincides with the arrival of colder days in Japan. It allows Starbucks to touch a different type of customers: before, they were only targeting people who like to take their time, and to pause in their coffee house. With RTD, they target working people, who would consume DoubleShot on their way to work.

The can has been redesigned for the Japanese market : it is much more stylish than the American DoubleShot line.

DoubleShot is sold in convenient stores and vending machines. Indeed, the new politic of Starbucks is to extend their distribution channels into new ones.

Promotion

Ads for DoubleShot have been mainly presented in subways coaches, platforms and stations. Indeed, it is here Starbucks will touch its core consumers for DoubleShot. It uses a technique of repetition, by renting in a whole coach, or on a whole part of the platform all the advertising space. There, one could only see Starbucks Doubleshot ads, without parasites ads.
Ads look like watercolor. They are clearly targeting men : indeed, the two characters are wearing suits.

Above, Starbucks DoubleShot ads in Shibuya JR Station

Idem.

Here, the ad is the combination of the three other ads of DoubleShot : two men, in red and blue, drinking DoubleShot, and a coffee machine.



This is the first of the three ads available in the subway (The espresso coffee machine pouring coffee for two cups, which falls directly in the can of DoubleShot, which clearly indicates a double dose of cafeine)
This salarymen may afterall need some coffee shots to stand the day ...

This is the second one (in red) who is handling its can like a cup.

Idem

When Sony meets Kabuki ...

Let's present Sony, then Kabuki, and why are they so present in the Japanese psyche.

Sony
It is the most famous Japanese electronics brand, both in Japan and abroad. It is known for quality and innovation. Each year, they choose an advertising campaign. We will here discuss their new one.
What is very important in the Corporate culture of Sony is the Sony Building in Ginza. It was built in 1966 and is one of the oldest modern buildings in Tokyo. Ginza was indeed the place of innovative architecture in the post-war period.

Kabuki
It is one of the most famous Japanese kind of drama. It is very popular for its comedies. Their actors use make-up to emphasize expressions, the personnality and even the identity of their characters. Some Kabuki actors are real stars in Japan.

When Sony meets Kabuki ...

In their new campaign, Sony has used the image of Kabuki, to decorate their Sony Building first, and to highlight their products. This campaign targets particularly the Japanese market. This campaign puts in relation two big giants of Japanese traditionnal and modern culture. Sony was created in 1946 and Kabuki goes back to the XVIIth century. In their domain, they both represent anciennity and reliance. Japan is Sony's first market, and it needs a appropriate way of communicating.
Sony did not choose the Noh theatre, most probably because it is a more static, strict and old kind of drama. Kabuki is more dynamic. Its actors like to create a link between their public and the stage during the play.
Moreover, it is not innocent, from Sony, to have chosen Kabuki. Indeed, next to the SonyBuilding in Ginza is situated the Kabuki-za, the most famous theater building in Tokyo. Sony emphasizes the fact that a lot of Kabuki troops use their products.

Inside of the Sony Building, they create littles rooms looking to Kabuki stages. At the entry gate, one can find typical Japanese lanterns, like in a real Kabuki theatre.

The choice of colors is well done : in Japan, orange, in Buddhist symbolism, represents the link betwen creativity and dynamism. Green symbolises the heart. Black stands for nobility and age (as for the highest rank in martial arts for exemple, contrary to white which symbolises youth and naiveté). In fact, the colors Sony uses show it as a experienced brand, who is still innovating and who knows how to touch the Japanese market. Japanese people like links to the past. Here, it is the contrast modernity & electronics and tradition & theater.

In France, those colors would not have been a great choice. Indeed, orange and green are not positive colors. Green can stand for hazard and illness, and orange is linked to danger. Moreover, this campaign would have succeeded in France because no one knows Kabuki.

Kotooshu and Meiji's partnership

Here let's talk about Kotooshu, one of the most famous sumo wrestlers, and his sponsor Meiji Dairies Corporation, and how each other benefits from this partnership.

Kotooshu

Kotooshu real name is Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov. He is on the most popular sumo wrestlers. He was born in Bulgaria in 1983. Kotooshu is his official sumo name (meaning the "European harp" )He is ranked as ozeki (grand champion), the second rank in sumo hierarchy. He is the only non asian sumo wrestlers to win the Emperor Cup in May 2008. He is very famous in Japan, and is called "Beckham" (!). When you go to the Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo sumo stadium) shops, you can find a lot of Kotooshu goodies ... like this little tea cup !

( personal sources)

Meiji Dairies Corporation

Meiji is a major dairy industry company in Japan. It offers yoghurts, cheeses, ice creams and other dairy products.

Sponsoring Kotooshu ...

Sponsoring is very important in the sumo industry. It is seen on every possible supports : on the back of employees jackets, on the victory prime (kensho), on ceremonies aprons of sumo wrestlers (kesho-mawashi).

The kensho is a ritual when sponsors have the right to show themselves on the ring. Employees raise banners with brands names with logos and colors. As walking, the brand names are told by the microphone. As winning, the sumo player takes the number of banners he deserves for his victory. Then, envelops are given, each corresponding to the number of banned won.
Moreover, Kotooshu appears a lot in CM for Meiji Dairies Corporation, who uses the native origin from its champion for its yoghurt call "Bulgaria" which is a bulgarian yoghurt (original)...

Kotooshu and his Meiji ceremonial apron (kesho-mawashi ). (sources : Internet)

Kotooshu and his advertising banners (Meiji is the blue one) (personal sources)

Cup Noodle

CUP NOODLES

( sources : Internet )

Brief presentation :

Cup Noodles is a instant ramen noodle brand. The manufacturer is Nissin, a Japanese food company. The packaging is a hard plastic cup. We can find it everywhere. Its low price made it famous. It is sold all around the word. The Japanese is Cup Noodle (without s). Inside, one can found pre-cooked ramen. Supplementary ingredients, as seaweed, are put aside in a little packets. One just has to put boiling water.
It exits many different Cup Noodle versions, but here I will focus on the original and first recipe.

Relevant detail about Place :

In Temple University itself, one can find Cup Noodle in vending machines in the common room of Mita Hall. It only costs 10 yens more than in 7-11 ( and 2 yens more than in other combinis).
( Remark : Won't a kettle be better for having hot water, than the one from the girls rooms, will it ? The company responsible of the vending machine should have thought about that : more people would choose Cup Noodle for lunch ...)

( personal sources )
( personal source)

Promotion (2)

First campaign

Last year, as I was visiting for the first time Japan, I went to watch a base-ball match in Hiroshima opposing the Hiroshima Carps and The Tokyo Giants, around August, 15th. The Municipal Baseball Stadium of Hiroshima could welcome nearly 32,000 spectators. This day, it was fulled.
As the stadium was shouting a lot during half time, I saw that ...

( personal sources)

A big utility car entered the ground carrying a huge Cup Noodle reproduction and made the whole tour of the stadium, several times.

( personal sources )

The Hiroshima Carps and the Tokyo Giants teams are both parts of the most important baseball league in Japan, the Central league. Baseball is a very important part of sports life in Japan. It is popular since the late 19th century. It can be called the most loved one.

Even if baseball is a American sport, Japanese players have adapted it to their culture. It seems normal to them to consume their own products.

Like in the Roman times, people were entertained with "Panem and circences" (bread and enternainment). Here, it would be more like Cup Noodle and baseball! During games, viewers like to eat Japanese food, and not american fast food. I saw them eating ramen, bento and drinking beer (Japanese ones of course).

Having the possibility to make such a entry in the ground is a great opportunity for Cup Noodle to touch 32,000 people more. Moreover, Cup Noodle catches all attention by being the only thing on the ground during half-time. It encourages spectators to consume its products, in the future but especially during the match itself.

Suntory Kakubin

Suntory Kakubin

Introduction

Suntory Kakubin (or Kaku) is the best known whisky of the brand. It is a classic label in Japan. Its name means “square bottle” and describes the shape of the bottle. It has a turtle shell shape. It was created in 1937. It is the most successful whiskey launch since then, the Japanese whiskey market being the second largest in the world.. The appearance of the date of creation (1937) of the bottle makes a link between ancient times and nowadays. One can find symbolism in Japanese medias and anime (Bartender, 2nd episode) that it recalls the “imperial and militarist Japan”.

Promotion

The last ad for Suntory Kakubin features Koyuki Kaku, 32. She is a very well known Japanese actress and model, and also in Western countries for her role in The Last Samouraï with Tom Cruise. It exits two versions of this ad.
The first one is a video, available on the Internet and on TV. One can heard “Watashi wa koori. Anata wa whiskey” (I am ice cube, you are whisky.). A man seducing her, is approaching towards her. The catch phrase highlights the complementariness between ice cubes and whiskey, and more generally, thewoman and the man in a couple, which is very symbolic in Japan. Hence Hofstede, “distribution of roles between genders” is very clear in Japan. Here, the man is alcohol, is strong and deep (“assertive pole”). In the contrary, the women is ice cubes, sweetening and cooling down the taste of spirits (“caring pole”). That symbolises balance. Kakubin is particularly enjoyed at home

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=oHJKOku25zM (for a better quality commercial.)

Thanks to Mrs Kawate Megumi, I understood that Koyuki said " As a matter of fact, I like younger guys than me". At the end, we heard and read “Suntory Kaku”. This is the cognitive part of the ad. It precisely shows the bottle.

The second ad is a photo, available in magazines for exemple. Suntory also chooses to put it out-door, and especially inside subways coaches and on platforms. We can find it in the streets too. There are 3 different versions. The catch phrase is "At night, we start the evening with a cocktail/a whisky cocktail" (more thanks to Mrs Kawate Megumi )

Suntory Kakubin ad on the Yamanote Line ( personal sources)

Idem ( personal source)

Another printed-ad for Suntory Kakubin ( sources : Internet)

Outdoor ad for Suntory Kakubin ( Tokyo Station) ( personal sources)

Personal reaction:

What strikes me the most in the video ad is that I could never find it in France. Why? In France, there is a law call “loi Evin” (Evin Law), dated from 1991, that prevents the right of broadcasting spirits and all alcoholic beverages advertising on TV. It was declared to protect “youth people from marketing operations”. Those ads are also forbidden on the radio on Wednesdays, and everyday from 5:00 Pm to midnight.

Moreover, it surprises me that a woman plays the main role for a whisky ad. In France, it would be a man. Spirits like whiskey are more a “male” beverage, whereas women prefer soft and sweet alcohol beverages like Eristoff Ice, Desperados (Heineken group), Malibu …

Eventually, in the French authorized ads, we don't usually find human figures on them. All focus on the bottle itself, or landscapes for exemple for the Scotch whiskey.

Marketing Project

Here you will be able to consult my marketing blog entries !