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

Morinaga has released a new chocolate stick snack that is flavored with European grown strawberries. The product name “Ko-eda” means “twig” in Japanese.
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Morinaga has released a limited edition of its long-selling chocolate ball snacks, represented by the popular “Kyoro” bird mascot.
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Morinaga has released two chocolate snacks marketed to students studying for college entrance exams, which are held every January.
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Morinaga has released “Haichu” a soft, chewy, plum-flavored candy which is designed to make chewers alert, and has gone on the market when millions of students are studying for the notoriously difficult exams to enter Japanese universities.
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House Foods has released a edition in its O’Zack series of chips, flavored with real cherry blossom leaves.
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