Fran Extra

Meiji has released Fran Extra, a new version of this popular chocolate snack targeted at the fashionable onee-kei women. Which of course means that model and celebrity Yuri Ebihara (left) appears in the ad, and there is a promotion tie-up for the onee-kei's handbag of choice Samantha Thavasa.

Recipes from the Nintendo DS

The latest game for Nintendo's DS involves potatoes and onions - not as characters, but as ingredients. The DS Food Navigator is simply a collection of recipes, and voice explanations and pictures guide the user through the preparation of a variety of basic Japanese, Asian and European dishes.

Adelholzener@Seven Eleven

There has been a minor boom in oxygen-enriched mineral water this year. Of course the large manufacturers such as Suntory and Asahi have launched such products, but this trend has also provided an opportunity for smaller and foreign brands. The German company Adelholzener, which was almost completely unknown in Japan, is now on the shelves of Seven Eleven stores nationwide with its oxygen-enriched water Oxygen O2.

Back to the 80s

Seven Eleven Japan is continuing on its vintage trip and has released Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite in 80s style bottles. Each package also contains a Yo-Yo, and yo-yo performance events are scheduled for some stores.

Ouch! Haha, nothing serious!

Safety, security and stability are important values for many Japanese, and a major influence on consumers' purchasing decisions. Most Japanese are risk-averse, to a degree that many prefer not to acknowledge risk at all. One result of this mindset is that safety warnings tend to downplay serious scenarios such as accidents (above) or earthquakes (below) by presenting them in an overly cute manner.



Where else but in Japan would Elmo appear in a earthquake preparedness campaign (targeted not at children, but at adults!). So again, nothing serious - instead of thinking about how to prepare for earthquakes, let's play Tickle Elmo! instead.

Summer KitKat

Because of the heat and humidity of Japanese summers, chocolate is not the snack of choice during that season. Nestle Japan has been trying to change consumers' habits and last year changed the POS for its KitKat from shelves to fridges in some convenience stores. This year, the company has come up with special summer versions that include not only chilled but also frozen KitKat. Fruit Parfait is to be consumed chilled, and iStick should be put in the freezer before consumption.

Suica Poster

Train operator JR East has added interactive billboards to the applications for its SUICA cards. When holding a card to the reader of a SUICA Poster, information is sent either directly to the user's mobile phone or a pre-registered e-mail adress.

New shape bottles

Coca Cola Japan is releasing a number of its drink in specially shaped bottles. The new bottles for Fanta are shaped like bubbles, and the tea drinks Sokenbicha and Hajime in slimmer bottles.

Green kitchen

A kitchen with space to grow herbs and vegetables, on display at electricity supplier TEPCO's showroom in Ginza.

Pokemon Train

Summer holidays have started, and here is the Pokemon Train. Covered exclusively in Pokemon adverts both inside and out, this train runs on one of Tokyo's major lines and promotes the Pokemon Stamp Rally train operator JR East is currently staging as well as various Pokemon products ranging from sweets to a new game for the Nintendo DS.

Keep it simple

This magazine advert for Coca Cola is a nice example of an ad where reduced content and message make the advert not only eye-catching but also eliminate the need to adapt the content to each regional market - both the visual and slogan used here will be understood almost anywhere in the world.

I am not sure whether this ad is actually one of them, but according to this column in today's Herald Tribune, an increasing number of global companies are starting to use one single campaign for all their regional markets. Given that almost all advertising in Japan still seems to be done by local agencies and targeted specifically to the preferences of Japanese consumers, it will be interesting to see whether this trend will have an impact here.

Four Roses

Kirin has recently aquired the US Bourbon brand Four Roses and started an advertising campaign including advertisments in one of Tokyo's popular free magazines and a website introducing Tokyo music clubs.

Giant drink cans

Some of the columns in an underground part of Shinjuku station have been turned into giant cans of Ukon, the energy drink manufactured by House Foods.

A day in the life...

...of the average young salaryman captured in this ad for Willcom's new handset WS007SH from last week's edition of R25.