Advertising Done Right

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The videos posted here are just the last five compilation videos released on their YouTube channel. There are a handful of good CMs in this video above, but I’d have to say my favorite is the Maple Story one at the very end.

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Oh man. So many good CMs in this one. I don’t think I can pick just one. The face wash one, the lip animals, and the Merry Christmas one near the end were the ones that stood out to me the most I think. But like I said, lots of good ones in here.

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Tommy Lee Jones! I haven’t even watched the rest of this compilation and I’m calling it right now. Tommy Lee is one of the CM kings. And then I saw the boob commercial. And then there was a Doraemon commercial, another classic. And then there was a World Order CM too. Dang, Japan has a lot of awesome commercials. The light commercial at the very end was pretty cool too.

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Well, the Obama commercial definitely takes the cake in this set. Other than that, the CMs here were just pretty average I think. Decent but not great. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing these all the time instead of the ho-hum ones we get in America.

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I have to admit, I’m a little partial to the Softbank CM near the start of this one just because it has Golden Bomber in it. If you don’t know who they are, check out the last video in this post here. Hilarious. Also Jack Daniel’s because reasons.

You can check out JPCMHD (Japanese Commercials in HD) on their YouTube channel and also on their Tumblr page. The compilation videos are released on both, whereas each standalone CM is only put up on their Tumblr. In no time you’ll be wasting your life away, 15 seconds at a time.

So tell me, which CM was your favorite? How do Japanese commercials compare to those in your home country? Let us know in the comments!

Of course, no product in Japan is without goofy advertising campaigns. Some of my favorite commercials (CMs) of all time are for Nissin’s Cup Noodle. The premise: aliens walk among us, and they want to add delicious toppings to your instant ramen! I think that was the plot of Signs, right?

The CMs start out simply enough: a cheese alien (チーズ星人) shows up to put cheese into a woman’s instant ramen. How thoughtful!

But, like pretty much every Japanese CMs, over time they grow increasingly complex. Other characters, like mozerella and garlic aliens, were added on to complement the original cheese alien.

Even with all of the other characters, it’s clear that the break-out star of these commercials is the original cheese alien himself.

He started a solo career of sorts, appearing in his own CMs and even making TV appearances.

Now, all of these commercials are well and good, but I don’t know how I would react if I saw one of these aliens in real life.

They walk among us.

My best guess is I would act like the people in the commercials and just have a full-blown panic attack. That seems reasonable, right?

(Although I’m sure people outside of the US who have seen the berries and cream or “I feel great” commercials have probably wondered WTF is up with American advertising.)

But what’s the story behind these ads? As much as I’d love to imagine that these bizarre ads just occur naturally in Japan, it takes a lot of hard work and creativity to crank out these wacky ads.

While the real advertising world isn’t quite as glamorous as Mad Men depicts (although Japanese ad execs probably drink just as much), it’s still a powerful, competitive industry with high stakes.

Just take a look at Dentsu, Japan’s most powerful advertising company. Dentsu is huge. It’s the biggest advertising company in the world, raking in over $4 billion last year, and controlling almost a third of advertising in Japan.

Some classic Dentsu advertising

But Dentsu doesn’t just make the goofy, wacky kind of commercials that are known the world over. The agency has an incredible breadth of talent that ranges from the strange to the serious. Just take a look at this bullet train ad that won Dentsu several awards:

In the aftermath of the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, Dentsu’s feel-good commercial with its message of unity really struck a chord in Japan and abroad. (You can read more in the post we wrote last year.)

Even ex-Dentsu have gone on to do incredible things. Dentsu alumni Hiroshi Sasaki went on to create the Soft Bank “Shirato family” and Tommy Lee Jones Boss coffee commercials (both of which I love).

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And, thankfully, these wacky Japanese ads might just be coming to your country not too far in the future. A lot of Japanese ad agencies are looking to expand overseas, and have put their money where their mouths are. Last year, Dentsu spent $5 billion dollars to buy a British ad agency.

Between that and SoftBank’s recent acquisition of American telecom company Sprint, I can only hope that I’ll be able to see the whole Shirato family here in the US.

There are some other parallels between the Japanese advertising industry and Mad Men — let’s just say that Dentsu has been behind things much more dubious than uplifting commercials about trains. The agency found itself ensnared in scandal a few years back when it was discovered that the Japanese government had been holding town hall meetings with paid actors planted in the audiences.

This town hall scandal helped bring down the then-Japanese prime minister. Who collaborated with the government in orchestrating these meetings? None other than Dentsu.

So while Dentsu, along with other Japanese ad agencies, make incredible commercials, billboards, magazine ads, and all sorts of promotional materials, remember that they might be a bit more Don Draper than you would like.

Read More: Otosan, Japan’s top dog, The lion’s Dentsu

But some of those commercials are more strange than others. Case in point, Jean Reno’s recent commercials for Toyota in Japan.

Jean Reno, if you don’t know him, is a French actor who’s had crossover success in the English-speaking world, with a handful of high-profile movies like Leon: The Professional, Ronin, and the trainwreck that was the American Godzilla remake (but we don’t talk about that).

What’s weird about these recent commercial isn’t the actor nor the company, but the fact that they feature Jean Reno dressed as cartoon character Doraemon.

Doraemon is a classic Japanese kid’s cartoon about a time-travelling, robotic cat from the future (who for some reason doesn’t have ears), who hangs out with kids and inexplicably pulls magical items out of a pouch on his stomach.

These Toyota commercials feature a live-action, future version of all the beloved Doraemon characters with Monsieur Reno as the eponymous character.

It’s be like if Chow Yun-fat came to the US to play a live-action Scooby Doo in a commercial for Ford.

The premise of the whole sieries is a little sad, though. It follows the lives of the kids from Doraemon all grown up. The main child from the series, Nobita Nobi, is now 30 years old, single, and without a driver’s license. So who’s to help them?

Nobita has to compete with his rival, Suneo Honekawa, to win the affections of his childhood friend, Shizuka Minamoto. Unfortunately for Nobita however, Suneo has not only a driver’s license, but seemingly unlimited financial success.

But all isn’t lost for Nobita. His old pal Doraemon can help him check out all the sweetest new cars, get his license and hopefully, win the heart of Shizuka.

Doraemon’s help comes in many forms. Hi magical contraptions include a door that leads everywhere; a tiny, head-mounted helicopter; and a phone that shows the future. Not bad for a guy without ears.

One commercial even features AKB48 singer Atsuko Maeda, making the “six degrees of separation” game a snap. Jar Jar Binks to AKB48? Easy!

Jar Jar Binks was in the Star Wars franchise that also starred Natalie Portman, who appeared in Leon The Professional with Jean Reno, who was in a Toyota commercial with Atsuko Maeda who is a singer in AKB48! No problem!

In the end, it’s unclear if Nobita ever gets his license, a car, or the lady of his dreams. But if nothing else, Nobita gets to hang with his futuristic cyber cat and, in the end, isn’t that what’s more important?

Which commercial was your favorite?

Coffee And Japan

Japan only ranks as the 39th largest consumption per capita for coffee, tallying in at 3.2 kg per individual. However, they are the 3rd largest importer of coffee, sitting behind the United States (1st) with 4.23 kg per capita and Germany (2nd) with 6.93 kg per capita.^1,2 Working out the numbers, Japan imports over 440,000 tonnes of coffee annually.³ This means they import about 7% of the world’s annual coffee exports.⁴ So what is a country where tea is the more common mainstay brew doing with a product that is common in the West and Near East? Is it to fill all those coffee bean sniffing cups for all of their insane department stores’ fragrance floors? Nope. Like a KFC Christmas, it is the result of fifty years of clever marketing and Western influence that helped coffee become the go-to-brew for the Japanese.

Brief History of Coffee in Japan

Nothing like a refreshing, cold bottle of coffee before battle.

Like so many Asiatic nations, Japan’s first introduction to coffee occurred in the 1800s via Dutch trade ships. However, coffee didn’t start booming until the 1960s. Shortly after the import suspension ended in 1949, coffee started to trickle itself back into the Japanese market. As noted earlier, Japan imports more than 440,000 tonnes of coffee annually. Back in 1960, the yearly import was 15,000 tonnes.⁵ Quite a huge difference, wouldn’t you say? A 3,000% increase in only 50 years.

Interesting there wasn’t much of a drop after the 1990s bubble.⁶

What is responsible for the coffee boom? It’s a combination of many things, but it can be boiled down to Japanese interest in everything Western (especially after World War II), and large investments in marketing and R&D.

The first breakthrough for coffee came in 1965, when Japan released the world’s first かんコーヒー (canned coffee) called Mira Coffee. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a success as the hype cooled down(!) shortly after. Four years later, UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., who is often credited for pioneering canned coffee, released their product to the masses and the rest is history.

Although the concept of canned coffee was a success, it alone was not responsible for the bean’s early success. In 1973, the hot and cold beverage vending machine was introduced in Japan. Coupled with the 100 yen coin that began circulation in 1967, vending machines and subsequently canned coffee became a huge hit. Ready-to-drink (RTD) products were just part of the equation for the rise of coffee.

On a different part of the spectrum, Japanese coffee houses and chains also began to emerge in great numbers. Doutor Coffee chain opened their first store in 1980 and established the coffee culture in Japan. Recovering from World War II, the Japanese spent great lengths to recover their economy. With their perseverance and hard work attitude, grabbing a meal and drink on the go for the long commute to work or the late-night working sessions was becoming a more common sight. Doutor Coffee anticipated this. In response, they modeled their business for the on-the-go working Japanese. This has been a successful model that many associated with coffee until the mid 1990s, when Starbucks entered the marketplace with their friendly, casual “third place” model.

Coffee Products in Japan Today

Can you spot the famous Starbucks located in Shibuya?

The Japanese Coffee market is a very competitive, saturated market. A few of the popular Japanese canned coffee brands are Boss (produced by Suntory), Georgia (produced by Coca-Cola), Nescafe (produced by Nestlé), and Roots (produced by Japan Tobacco). Quite a diverse group of producers we have here, wouldn’t you say? Liquor, soft drink, food, and cigarette companies all making canned coffee. Some of the aforementioned popular coffee shops are Doutor and Starbucks. Starbucks entered the Japanese canned coffee market in 2005, partnering up with Boss’ producer, Suntory. Fast food joints are also joining the fray. McDonalds, not wanting to be left out, launched their own chain of coffee store fronts, McCafés, across Japan a few years back.

As with anything Japanese, coffee isn’t exempt from their weirdly fascinating marketing. Take for example Boss coffee. In 2006, the company hired Tommy Lee Jones to be their spokesman. Since then, he has appeared in many commercials as character “Alien Jones” who was sent to Earth to examine the human society. Roots Coffee also has their own celebrity spokespersons (Ewan MacGregor and Brad Pitt), however they aren’t on the same level as Tommy Lee Jones. Here are a couple commercials for your viewing pleasure:

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Who watched all seven and a half minutes of these BOSS commercials? *Raises hand*

So, what Japanese coffee brands do you prefer? I don’t think I really have a preference, but I think the BOSS ads have affected me. Tommy Lee Jones coffee all the way, baby.

P.S. Want your daily dose of caffeine tweeted at you? You should follow us on Twitter.
P.P.S. More of a tea person? Perhaps Facebook or Google+ will meet your fancy.

¹ Takada, Aya (February 4 2003). “Japan brews record coffee demand, more growth seen”. Reuter News.
² ”Resource Consumption: Coffee consumption per capita“. World Resource Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
³ ”Imports By Selected Importing Countries From All Sources: August 2011“. International Coffee Organization. Retrieved November 31, 2011.
⁴ ”Medium-term prospects for agricultural commodities: Coffee“. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
⁵ Lewis, Leo (November 23 2010). “Coffee at heart of a new cultural revolution”. The Times. London.
⁶ ”Resource Consumption: Coffee consumption per capita“. World Resource Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2011.

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25. Rick Astley

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Rick Rolled! From Japan! Bam!

Oh, Rick Astley – anything you touch turns to pure gold. And also becomes instantly hilarious. Mitsuya Cider is a popular soft drink in Japan and tastes kind of like a cross between lemon-lime soda and ginger ale. It’s pretty good and also comes in a variety of flavors other than the traditional “white cider.” There’s also candies manufactured to taste like the flavors of Mitsuya Cider. Those are pretty tasty too.

24. Britney Spears

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G, G, Tea? Tea doesn’t start with a G!

I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing Go Go Tea, but if it makes you look and dance around like this, I don’t want it. Also, how does this song go with the commercial at all? Anyway, Goo Goo Go Go Tea is a tea that is also a soda. Like I said, I’ve not had it before so I can’t comment on what it tastes like – but I’d actually be willing to give it a try. But not because of this commercial. It’s no good I tell you.

23. Michael Jackson

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People usually wink with one eye, Michael, ONE EYE.

This one’s not too silly until the very end. Was he supposed to wink with both eyes? Is that part of the script? I don’t get it. It’s pretty clear that he’s advertising a scooter, and he’s advertising it with love. So naturally he does what he does best: dancing. Not a particularly thrilling commercial, but it’s certainly unexpected. Plus he’s a better dancer than Britney.

22. Ringo Starr

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Ringo whaaat?

This commercial plays on the oh so clever pun involving Ringo Starr’s first name. In Japanese, ringo means apple. Hence the confusion. I’ve never had this apple beverage, so I can’t comment on the taste, but if it’s good enough to have a musician named after it – it must be pretty darn good.

21. Harrison Ford

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Learn how to order beer with Harrison Ford!

Harrison Ford’s Japanese commercials for Kirin Beer are definitely some of the most respectable in my opinion. Harrison is a classy guy and he even speaks his own Japanese lines in these commercials. Not bad, Harry. Not bad. You should check out some of his other ones too- they’re pretty solid. And Kirin Beer isn’t too bad either, you can find it in most restaurants and markets in the States, too!

20. Charlie Sheen

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MATA?!!?!?

The end is my favorite part. Other than that the commercial is pretty blasé. But I mean, it’s the Sheen. Auto-funny. So, in the other units of the apartment, the couples are fighting over the temperature being too hot or too cold, but with the advertized gas unit, everything is just right. Other than the fact that Charlie Sheen is there. Oops.

19. Quentin Tarantino

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Tara-chan: he’s a looney.

Quentin Tarantino is kind of a goofball if you haven’t noticed. He’s always been very influenced by Japan and it shows though in many of his movies. I guess this is his way of “showing his thanks to Japan.” Softbank is a Japanese telecommunications and media corporation and the product being advertised here is a portable speaker shaped like a dog. There are a handful of other commercials in this same vein with the talking dog and all, but this one is definitely the goofiest.

18. Bruce Willis

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I DON’T UNDERSTAND.

No really, someone explain this to me. WHAT IS GOING ON. Eneos is a brand of motor oil, and then something to do with a credit card… and too many telephones.. and.. then… an electrocuted gas pump (or is that a hot glue gun from the future? I CAN’T TELL). Bruce Willis in a nightcap is pretty normal though, but the rest of this commercial just doesn’t add up!

17. Jean Claude Van Damme

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Black Black, it’s crack!

A bulky action star advertising something tiny like chewing gum doesn’t really compute for me, but hey – money’s money. Black Black is a caffeinated chewing gum. I don’t really care for it all that much, and there’s some side effects. Withdrawal from it can cause visions of girls in swimsuits, too many clothespins, and even explosions. And as we all know, once you go Black Black, you never go back back.

16. Ben Stiller

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UMASUGIDAYO!

This would have been a lot more impressive if Ben had actually spoke Japanese instead of having it all dubbed over. He does speak a bit of his own though at the end when he slurs うますぎだよ all into one word (disdericious!) Kirin Chu-Hi (like other chu-hai) is a flavored alcoholic beverage that is delicious and really needs no advertising at all because it is so amazing. Seriously, why haven’t they brought these to the states? They’d sell like crazy!

15. Tommy Lee Jones

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Quiet! QUIET!!

This one really isn’t all that wonky except for his face near the end, but it cracks me up every time. Tommy Lee Jones is one cool dude, and also he’s an alien. He’s advertising BOSS Coffee because he himself is a Boss (with a capital B). There are a series of these commercials and he’s somber and Boss-like in almost every one of them. You too can be somber and Boss-like if you consume BOSS Coffee! And BOSS is one of the top canned coffee brands in Japan, so yeah, it’s pretty good.

14. Rowan Atkinson

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The name’s Bean. Mr. Bean.

I love Mr. Bean. How I managed to miss the fact that he did a handful of Japanese TV spots is beyond me. But here you are, Mr. Bean advertising the Nissan Almera Tino. He doesn’t even have to say anything to be funny, but his saying the name of the vehicle at the end is just icing on the bean cake. I also stumbled upon this little gem while digging this up. You’re welcome.

13. Andy Warhol

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Kill Day E? What did Day E ever do to you, Andy? Huh? Huh!?

Ok, so Andy Warhol’s Japanese accent is pretty bad, and all he’s doing is naming colors. It’s just the way he says it though – with his eyes closed, like he’s in some sort of Japanese color trance, and then he opens his eyes into a cold stare urging the audience to kill Day E. The advert is for TDK color video tapes, and it makes sense since Andy Warhol is an artist, and artists use colors when they do art and stuff. You would have thought they’d take a different approach in the commercial though. Andy’s presentation doesn’t really get me all that excited about video tapes.

12. Michael J. Fox

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And a good afternoon to you as well, Mr. Fox.

My favorite part of this commercial is the scream in the middle. Like Michael J. Fox is afraid of some silly old maid. Please. The product he’s advertising is called afternoon tea. It is forbidden to drink this tea before noon, or after 5pm. There are laws. People have died. I’ve had this drink and its variants before and it’s just fine for a tea – if you’re into that sort of thing.

11. Hulk Hogan

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Who knew Hulk Hogan could be so delightful? Also, why is there a baby?

Why would anyone choose Hulk Hogan for this commercial? If you had to be serenaded by someone, would your first choice be a pro wrestler? Yeah, probably. So he’s advertising an air conditioning unit that works every day of the week. Hence the silly song? But what sort of respectable machine doesn’t work every day of the week? Machines don’t get weekends and holidays off! Come on!

10. Kiefer Sutherland

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I LIKE TRAINS.

In this commercial for CalorieMate, Kiefer Sutherland does what he is known around the world for. Yelling? At Japanese school girls? Wait a minute… Well anyway, CalorieMate is a variety of energy supplements ranging from the traditional energy block (bar) to gelatin energy from the future (the future tastes like apples!) And I’ve never tried it before, but they do have the delicious canned flavor of corn soup. Yum.

9. Sylvester Stallone

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I like Byron!

This one’s just silly. Stallone’s accent when he says the product name sure doesn’t help either. But hey, sausages! Not much to say here about the product itself – they’re sausages, from Japan, and Sylvester Stallone likes them. But only when they’re prepared by Byron. And what do sausages have to do with bicycles?

8. Eddie Murphy

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Supa supa stylin~!

I’ve the feeling that Eddie Murphy would make a great car salesman in real life. He really sells you that Celica (it’s supa supa!) My favorite part is when he throws in the random Japanese asking if the audience understands (wakatta!?). And you really know how much he loves that car when he kisses it. When’s the last time you saw a car salesman kiss the car they were trying to sell you? Never. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go buy a Celica, brb.

7. Nicolas Cage

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Trip-p-plets? OMGOMGLOL FEVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR~!~!

Yep. Nicolas cage really will do anything for money. There’s a series of these commercials and in pretty much every one, Nicolas Cage is his usual ridiculous self, and also bat-crazy for pachinko. Sankyo makes pachinko machines. The commercial makes perfect sense. Triplets? Three in a row like a slot machine? There we go, it all comes together, see? I’m not a big fan of pachinko myself, but that could also be due to the fact that I had close to no idea what was going on when I played.

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger

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HOW CAN SUCH A LARGE MAN FIT INSIDE SUCH A TINY BOTTLE? This commercial makes NO SENSE!

Arnie just by himself is pretty funny as it is. But seeing the governator in this goofy commercial for V is priceless. You gotta give the man credit though – he really gets into it. The product he is advertising is called V. V is one of those fancy energy/vitamin drinks that come in teeny tiny bottles. Who better to advertise such a product than the Terminator himself? V tastes about how you would expect though. Pretty average.

5. John Travolta

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Tokyo Drink – the drink from Tokyo! God, I want a Chu-Hi.

Have you had a chu-hai before? If so, then you know it pretty much makes you feel like these commercials. And that feeling is totally awesome. Seriously, drink one can and everything in these commercials will happen to you all at the same time. It’s fantastic.

4. The Simpsons

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Kimochiiiii~

Drinking C.C. Lemon makes your clothes come off. Or so this commercial and the Japanese Simpsons would have you believe. (Perhaps C.C. Lemon should be served at college frat parties instead of alcohol?) The Simpsons speaking Japanese in itself is enough to make me chortle, but having them naked in the kitchen as well? Too much. C.C. Lemon is a soda that tastes like lemons (who woulda thunk?) It’s actually quite good though, and was also a popular choice among the other Americans when we studied abroad in Japan. In addition, it’s another beverage that can be easily found in many Japanese markets in the States. So get out there and git yer kimochi on!

3. Sean Connery

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Bio bio bio guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu~

Okay, so maybe Sean Connery’s standards were a little lower back in the day, but who else can make yogurt look so frickin awesome? No one. The man is truly capable of playing any role and making it credible. Who else has that sort of power? Have you seen Zardoz? Well, neither have I, but it looks trippy as hell. Anyway, in the commercial, Sean Connery takes a leisurely drive through the countryside accompanied by his trusty demon bunny before arriving at his humble abode, which also happens to be a ginormous carton of yoguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu *ahem* yogurt. Sorry.

2. Brad Pitt

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EDAWIN!

Ohhhh man. This commercial is just too much. And I bet he’s pretty proud of these commercials too – they really show off his acting chops. In one of his other commercials, he urges you to, “Please. Please, check out my ASS!” Believe it or not though, little Brad here is still advertising Edwin jeans to this day. Gotta give him and his ass credit for sticking with it, right? I actually own two pairs of Edwin jeans – they were the only ones I could find that fit right.

1. Bob Sapp

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It’s Super Italian!

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It’s delicious, isn’t it? ISN’T IT?!!?!?

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wtf Bob Sapp. srsly. wtf.

Robert Malcolm “Bob” Sapp is a kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor, and former professional football player. You may not have heard of him before, but he is super well known and popular in Japan. He appears in countless commercials, television shows, and has even released his own CD. But these commercials pretty much speak for themselves. I don’t think I need to explain why he takes the number one spot on this list.

Honorable Mention

Touch de Pon Lady

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Konnichiwizzle!

Ok, so this girl’s not a famous actor, but her acting should definitely be famous. There’s a handful of commercials featuring her and her atrocious butchering of the Japanese language skittered across the internet. Is her god-awful pronunciation part of the appeal? Why did they do this? Either way it’s a good example of what speakers of Japanese should not sound like. She’s advertising Bold by P&G. It makes your clothes smell like rainbows and cupcakes every time you touch them. Remember, touch them and they will pon.

So, what are your favorite Japanese commercials featuring famous westerners or otherwise? Any commercials you think deserve a spot on this list? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.

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