Asian Consumer Intellegence
Nissan will add noise to its new electric car, the Leaf, to make it sound like cars in the cult movie Blade Runner. The sound makes the cars safer, so pedestrians can hear them coming, but will also act as a powerful marketing too, making the vehicles instantly recognizable, even if they are out of sight. i.e “That sounds like a socially responsible, trend-forward driver!”
[pinktext IDEA POTENTIAL:] Nissan has taken what was a dull safety problem and turned it into a fascinating opportunity to brand the leaf as a futuristic vehicle that will garner interest from anyone it passes. A true lesson in sensory marketing.
Nissan Leaf, due for release in Japan/US/Europe in 2010. http://www.nissan-zeroemission.com
We all need a shot of inspiration from time to time. Our newsletter delivers a selection of new marketing phenomena that can be easily digested in under a minute and help you with your business. To receive our newsletter, fill in your name, company, and corporate e-mail below and click “send”. For more immediate updates on what’s happening in Tokyo please follow us on Twitter.
Browse Five by Fifty by Sector
Lifestyle Spending
Jeans Mate is a discount retailer of jeans and other casual apparel, with 108 locations around Japan, included 36 which operate 24 hours a day. A typical Jeans Mate shop has a tight floor plan, with products overflowing to displays on the sidewalk.
More..»Consumer Shifts, Lifestyle Spending
The Japanese film “Lalapipo: A Lot of People,” currently in release, deals with young people struggling in a harsh economy, dreaming of jobs they are unlikely to get.
More..»Beauty & Wellness, Consumer Shifts, FMCG, Innovation, Lifestyle Spending
In the current economic climate point cards, which are issued everywhere from small restaurants to airlines, could become an important tool not only to increase customer retention and grow spending, but also to win new customers. A look at what’s taking place in Japan might offer some ideas.
More..»Beauty & Wellness, Consumer Shifts, FMCG, Lifestyle Spending
Japanese retailers and consumers have been criticized for creating unnecessary excess waste, with many products individually wrapped in several layers of plastic. However, attitudes are changing, as evidenced by the Mottainai project operated by Tokyo-based Tatsumi Co. “Mottainai” means “you shouldn’t waste that” in Japanese.
More..»Consumer Shifts, Lifestyle Spending
Japanese marketers have been been increasing efforts to sell to the so-called “yutori” generation, born roughly between 1987 and 1990, and are now becoming working members of society, and are harder to pin down than one might imagine.
More..»Lifestyle Spending
The website Cariru.jp (which means “rent” in Japanese) offers rental service for designer bags and other high-end fashion items.
More..»Consumer Shifts, Lifestyle Spending
We have entered a new economic era. A period when the adage ‘more is good’ no longer resonates and in which conspicuous consumption is starting to be viewed as repulsive amid the world’s harsh new realities.
More..»FMCG, Lifestyle Spending
Japan’s retailers have made a move toward private brands, or product lines that they develop and release under their own name. According to the Nikkei, close to 70% of all retailers now stock their own brands – and more than 60% plan to increase the number of products offered in the future.
More..»