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Religious Cues in Brand Architecture
In early February, a jpeg of a pixelated, pale, bandana-wearing alien sold for nearly $24 million dollars. Why? It is an NFT (non-fungible token) from a 10,000-strong collection of digital avatars called Crypto Punks, many of which are also priced in the millions. Each Punk has differing ‘unique’ attributes or traits, whose rarity affects the value: the alien trait, which appears only nine times, is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. To true believers, this alien represented a piece of crypto history and would thereby allow its owner to gain membership of an exclusive inner circle of NFT elite collectors.
Cult Brands: Creating Fandom in Japan
In early February, a jpeg of a pixelated, pale, bandana-wearing alien sold for nearly $24 million dollars. Why? It is an NFT (non-fungible token) from a 10,000-strong collection of digital avatars called Crypto Punks, many of which are also priced in the millions. Each Punk has differing ‘unique’ attributes or traits, whose rarity affects the value: the alien trait, which appears only nine times, is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. To true believers, this alien represented a piece of crypto history and would thereby allow its owner to gain membership of an exclusive inner circle of NFT elite collectors.
China Brand Cults vs Western Brand Cults
In early February, a jpeg of a pixelated, pale, bandana-wearing alien sold for nearly $24 million dollars. Why? It is an NFT (non-fungible token) from a 10,000-strong collection of digital avatars called Crypto Punks, many of which are also priced in the millions. Each Punk has differing ‘unique’ attributes or traits, whose rarity affects the value: the alien trait, which appears only nine times, is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. To true believers, this alien represented a piece of crypto history and would thereby allow its owner to gain membership of an exclusive inner circle of NFT elite collectors.
NFTs – what’s all the fuss about these jpegs anyway?
In early February, a jpeg of a pixelated, pale, bandana-wearing alien sold for nearly $24 million dollars. Why? It is an NFT (non-fungible token) from a 10,000-strong collection of digital avatars called Crypto Punks, many of which are also priced in the millions. Each Punk has differing ‘unique’ attributes or traits, whose rarity affects the value: the alien trait, which appears only nine times, is the rarest and therefore the most expensive. To true believers, this alien represented a piece of crypto history and would thereby allow its owner to gain membership of an exclusive inner circle of NFT elite collectors.
Metaverse: A Replica of Reality or a Land of Imagination?
In 2018, the movie Ready Player One piqued Chinese consumers’ curiosity about the Metaverse. In one scene, a particularly stark transition between dreary everyday life and fantastic cyberworld showed a fantastic vision of where this all may take us one day.
Since then, many prototypes have been made in speculative works, immersing audiences in wild journeys. Yet, as Ready Player One cautions, the Metaverse is “a place where the limits of reality are your own imagination” – and these limits still appear quite narrow.
The Japanese art of collaboration
Japanese consumers are particularly fastidious. They are highly self-conscious about what any given consumption choice tells others about themselves. They identify themselves as part of certain lifestyle tribes or kei (系) from which it is possible to guess at their preferred colour codes, brands and styles; and from there what and whom they are likely to be reading, listening to and following.
Authenticity in the time of over-used celebrity ambassadors
Take a walk through the shopping districts and subways of Shanghai, and one face stands out.
An actor with over 4.6mn Twitter followers, Eddie Peng is plastered all over advertisements: from Adidas to Hugo Boss, from Vivo to the Yili dairy drink, from Shiseido’s male skincare range to Wrigley’s chewing gum, and from Longines watches to Bluemoon anti-bacterial handwash.
His ubiquity as a brand ambassador is seemingly endless.
Does investing in China’s over-endorsed variety and talent shows really benefit brands?
It was more than ten years ago when talent shows first arrived on TV in China.
The new entertainment format was immediately identified by the country’s corporate sector as a perfect vehicle for raising brand awareness and boosting sales.
Masculinity in Japan: Beyond the Singularity
Going, going, not quite gone: the “man’s man”
Showa Man is the embodiment of residual masculinity. He personifies the Showa era of high growth where company life and hard work was everything: the fiercely loyal, hard-working, cigarette-smoking, whiskey-drinking, golf-playing, hostess bar-frequenting, monosyllabic personification of a man’s man. As a modern incarnation, this mixture of the Marlboro cowboy, Samurai legacy and physical prowess is now fairly niche, and largely confined to older generations. The image has even sunk enough in repute to be occasionally equated with an oyaji or ossan: a cantankerous, grumpy old man.
Nevertheless, residual does not mean dead, and many products and services still cater to those who identify with its tropes.
Japan: can it recognise strength in diversity?
Every nation has an identity, a narrative that it tells itself about its history, the character of its people, its preferences. Japan relies on an idealised collective imagination perhaps more than most, given its history of isolation and today’s continued resistance to any major influx of immigrants. This lack of any major influence from the ‘other’ has left aspects of Japan’s culture consequently preserved in aspic, despite the fabled modernity of much of its industry.
The Paradox of the Inner Man
In the previous article, we have seen that it is women who have driven appreciation of a new androgynous aesthetic. As a result, intensive grooming and beautification are now the norm for countless younger men. They feel free to express themselves outwardly in a way that generations before them would never dare. It is an evolution in masculinity that is far beyond anything in the West: Chinese men in the largest cities can, without fear of any judgement, openly buy and wear make-up in public.
Shifting Sands: Masculinity in China
In February 2021, China’s Education Ministry issued a notice that called on schools to reform their physical education lessons. The aim? To make boys more traditionally ‘manly’. This immediately generated huge controversy, colliding with the belief of young Chinese people in particular that a man should be allowed to display ‘characteristic, simple human emotions.’ To this cohort, to be timid or gentle is not to deny one’s manliness. Many public discussions ensued, within which we can see clear shifts in views on masculinity in China.
The Cool Factor for Japanese youth
To the very young, earlier generations’ lives must seem redolent of ancient history; and hearing too many details of pre-meme days either engenders a horrified shudder or absolute boredom. This is of course matched by their parents’ utter mystification at how they spend their time. For the corporates trying to reach these consumers, however, the messaging service LINE’s regular surveys on the ‘hottest’ interests of Japan’s youth (15-24yo) offer valuable insights. And for much of 2020, both the girl band NiziU and the anime Demon Slayer (鬼滅の刃, Kimetsu no Yaiba) have dominated every ranking.
Socially conservative attitudes? The online behaviour of Japan’s young digital natives.
It is natural, when contemplating the mysteries of youth culture, to think only about what is different, new or emerging. And Japan is of course home to a plethora of unusual sub-cultures that evoke fascination around the world. It can be just as interesting, however, to look at societal trends that remain stubbornly consistent within every rising generation, rather than being turned on their head by teenagers determined not to become their parents.
The death of young romance? Singletons and the brands they love.
As in many countries, marriage rates in China have been declining sharply. In a recent attempt to raise awareness of this, a hashtag was started by older users of the country’s main social media platform, Weibo: #结婚率创近10年来新低# or ‘marriage rate hits a new ten year low’. The idea was to inform their younger counterparts of the situation, in the hope of encouraging them to reverse the trend and marry.
However, the message quickly backfired, and was transformed into the ironic meme ‘why get married?’
Balenciaga’s 2020 Qixi Campaign: Another cultural misstep by a luxury brand or deep-rooted understanding of Chinese Gen Z subculture?
Balenciaga’s 2020 Qixi campaign has often been talked about in the same way as other luxury brands such as D&G and Burberry that have made ‘missteps’ in their attempts to appeal to Chinese consumers. We question whether the campaign truly deserves to be viewed in the same light…
Okinawa’s Moment: Rethinking Japan’s hinterland
It doesn’t take a pandemic to make Tokyo a challenging place to live in the summer months. But when the trials of two people working from a tiny apartment in stifling heat got too much, I decamped to Okinawa and six weeks later am still here. If this sounds sybaritic, I am of course working no less than usual: I have merely joined the digital nomads who long ago understood how positive a move to Okinawa can be.
Foreign but not Alien: International brands in Japan
Japanese consumers understand the tropes and perceptions of other nations in a very distinctive and sometimes limited way. This is a real challenge for foreign brands which would otherwise safely assume that their products’ packaging speaks volumes about origins and quality to global consumers.
Cultural Influences: China’s regions reverse the flow
We are starting to see brands succeeding – and trends originating – in ‘lower tier’ China before they then sweep across the wider country. To realise fully the potential of these regions, underestimated regularly by outsiders, Beijing and Shanghai’s realities must cease to be the default definition of China.
Silver fashion: How Japan’s ageing population is turning the tide
Japan’s experience shows how vital it is for brands to engage with how consumers are being influenced to reframe their view of themselves as they age. How can brands offer a diverse range of options that allow these older customers – usually with greater spending ability and financial stability – to stay inspired, forward-looking and active?
Guilt-free chocolate: Japan’s unexpected take on Corporate Social Responsibility
A couple of years ago, I sat behind the ‘magic mirror’ of a Japanese focus group as they went through a conventional round of concept testing. A confectionary company was assuaging consumers’ guilt at indulging in sweets by emphasising that they used only free range eggs, milk from ‘happy cows,’ and fair-trade vanilla beans. This quirky messaging jarred spectacularly with the Japanese audience. This brand has been a rip-roaring success around the world for its stance on taking social action, and yet in Japan it hit a wall: hard. What could have gone so wrong?
Cornering the market in consumer trust: Chinese online influencers
In the West, social media influencers are on the wane. Industry surveys show decreasing levels of consumer faith in influencers in both the US and UK. This stands in total contrast to China. Brands have never been more reliant on social influencers whether to drive awareness, positive consumer sentiment or ultimately sales. So what are Chinese influencers doing right?
Understand, Inspire, Engage
To shape conversations – or to engage people – businesses need to address notions of creativity, innovation, purpose and empathy. These motifs have been at the very core of the artistic process ever since. How can art help to master today’s challenges in branding?
Human touch in a “contactless” world
Covid-19 has swiftly turned ‘social distancing’ into the phrase for us all to live by. We can see from China what the future might start to look like, as businesses are starting to reopen and citizens to emerge from their homes
Brand News: Tokyo Frenzy
Shibuya continues to rejuvenate at breakneck speed. Recent developments are part of the effort to safeguard its position as Japan’s top shopping destination, including Shibuya Stream, Shibuya Scramble and the new PARCO department store. Each of them is trying hard to differentiate themselves. Nevertheless, there are some unifying elements.
China and nostalgia: both evolving
In the past few years, Chinese nationalism and pride have grown to such an extent that many domestic brands are now perceived to be on a par with foreign ones. The Guochao or ‘Rising China’ (国潮) trend makes this particularly clear.
Preparing for the Past
During a visit to Daikin’s Innovation Centre in Osaka, I came across a beautiful air-conditioning unit from the 1960s or 70s. My suggestion that a relaunch could turn it into a hit product, was dismissed: “It’s old-fashioned, no one wants that ‘70s stuff over a sleek new white one”. But that was my point: old-fashioned nowadays can be good.
Ogranised Chaos
In the early 18th century, Tokyo became the largest city on the planet. Since then, Japan has been a country of urban sprawl, with an exaggerated scarcity of space, time and resources. In consequence, clutter has defined its aesthetics.
Loving the Yuzu
For us, the yuzu is everything we love about Japan. Tangy yet mellow, the yuzu’s subtlety and nuance are a revelation: when you first taste it, it is both oddly familiar and yet an unforgettable surprise.
Monks and Brothels
A number of years ago, I found myself celebrating Christmas in the depths of Kyoto’s red-light district. The club was a time capsule of the bright and brash 1980s, albeit sparingly decorated in 100 yen store-bought tinsel, draped over the neon lights.
One-stop persona
Standing before the magazine rack of a kombini , anyone would marvel at the sheer number of titles catering to every interest. Some, like Classy, have hundreds of thousands of readers; others, like Oggi, will be more niche. But what is even more remarkable is something not immediately obvious: the power that all these magazines exert.
Everyday Objects
In this series, we look at mundane objects from everyday life in Japan. Based on our first pop-up exhibition, and including many of your personal contributions, we use every day artefacts as starting points to learn about cultural frameworks.
Yuzu Trend Tracker
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Yuzu & Market Research
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