Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Dean & Deluca
Dean & Deluca has released a new and seasonal flavour for its premium ice-cream line with "Modena Balsamic Vinegar with Fig".
Monday, November 26, 2007
White goods go ECO
The large Japanese manufacturers of household electronics have launched campaigns touting the environmental friendliness of their products in recent months. Slogans are quite similar (Toshiba with Eco Style and National with Eco Ideas) and seem to try and persuade consumers to trade in their current products for the latest, energy-saving model.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Spot the difference
From time to time, Japanse companies release what can only be considererd brazen imitations of their competitor's package design. The most recent example are Ebisu and Kirin - one of the above is a so-called third beer (brewed without malt) and retailing for about 130 Yen for a 350ml can, the other a premium beer sold for approximately twice that amount.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sony integrates LISMO!
KDDI has announced that the next generation 'LISMO' mobile music download service will be fully compatible with Sony audio equipment, allowing owners of Sony's NETJUKE HDD stereo system to back up and play music files downloaded using an au mobile phone or transfer music stored in 'NETJUKE' directly to an au mobile phone or Walkman - without using a PC.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Haagen Dazs Kokuto & Kuromitsu
Haagen Dazs Japan has released another flavour inspired by traditional Japanese ingredients with Kokuto & Kuromitsu, brown sugar and sugar syrup.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
SUICA goes ECO
Train operator JR East is jumping on the recent craze for re-usable shopping bags with the SUICA de Eco campaign, offering new users of its smart card SUICA the chance to win a cute SUICA cloth shopping bag.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Peace Infinity
The premium trend that has been evident in so many recent new product launches in the food and beverage sectors has reached cigarettes - Japan Tobacco has released Peace Infinity, a premium version of its Peace brand.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Face mask goes fashion
Unicharm has released a new face mask in its successful Rittai series specifically targeted at women and teamed up with the online community site Girlsgate to provide tips on a face mask as the ultimate fashion accessoire.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Hello Kitty
Interestingly, the world's first Hello Kitty Jet. Interestingly, the plane is not operated by a Japanese airline, but Eva Air from Taiwan, where Hello Kitty appears to be even bigger than in Japan.
Hello Kitty is everywhere on board of this plane - including of course the welcome video, where she can be seen doing a somewhat un-Japanese dance.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Vegetable Yogurt
Otsuka is trying to establish a completely new product category - vegetable yogurts - with Yasai no Senshi.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Suntory goes mint
Suntory has released Cool Mint Cider, a mint-flavoured soft drink developed in cooperation with Lotte's Cool Mint chewing gum brand.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Pro Tec Head
Lion has released a new hair-care line for men called PRO TEC HEAD, which consists of four products and offers a new care system to revent hair loss and thinning.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bitter Caramel
Haagen Dazs Japan has recognized the recent trend to non-sweetened snacks and beverages and has released Bitter Caramel.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
National Horse Riding Simulator
National seems to be quite successful with its horse riding simulators - not only because of the novelty and obvious health benefits, but also by cleverly making a sport with a strong celebrity image accessible - at least as a simulation - to the average Tokyo citizen in their cramped apartments. Simulated horse riding for imaginary social mobility?
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
SUICA Water
JR is beginning to realize the value of its SUICA penguin character as a promotion tool and has started using it in the adverts for its new From Aqua mineral water brand.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Office snacks
Manufacturer of traditional Japanese snacks Kanro has come up with this fun campaign presenting its products as the ideal snack when at work.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Kirin & Uniqlo
Kirin has teamed up with discount clothes retailer Uniqlo to promote its Afternoon Tea brand with a campaign offering the chance to win an exclusive Uniqlo T-Shirt.
Friday, June 29, 2007
White Tea
White tea seems to be the latest trend among tea beverages - Coca Cola Japan's Venus White is the latest example.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
KitKat Yubari Melon
The latest Kitkat flavour is Yubari Melon - and a percentage of profits go to the famous melon producing (but recently bankrupt) town of Yubari.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Deo Natulle
Just in time for the hot and humid rainy season, Deonatulle has released this foot deodorant in a nice, faux-European design. Background and concept of the ad, however, are purely Japanese, with a tatami mat - the traditional flooring found in many homes and restaurants that requires taking off one's shoes - and the caption "Uh-oh, I have to take off my shoes..?".
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
The Oolong tea wars
Suntory has been so successful with its tea drink Black Oolong TTP which it claims suppresses the increase in serum triglycerides that osmaller manufacturers are trying to launch copycat products.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Mega Teriyaki
Mc Donald's giant hamburger MegaMac has been so successful that the company will release a teriyaki version soon.
(Teriyaki is a cooking method where meat is broiled in a sweet soy sauce marinade.)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Peach John goes retro
Lingerie mailorder Peach John goes retro with its latest catalogue featuring model Dita von Teese for a distinct 1940s atmosphere.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
NTT DoCoMo goes RED
NTT DoCoMo has joined the (Product) RED initiative and released the M702iS(RED) handset developed by Motorola. A percentage of the profits from sales will be donated to the global fight against AIDS.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Lawson Plus
The barriers between convenience stores and supermarkets are disappearing in Japan. Latest example is convenience store operator Lawson with its Lawson Plus stores, which offer fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables alongside the standard convenience store offerings.