It's just not all about ME...in Japan

Back in the 80s when I started working in advertising in Atlanta, the baby boomers were the target of almost all marketing.  We worked hard to get inside their (our) heads and figure out how to reach them (us).  The hot buttons for boomers were something like...prestige, control and self-indulgence.  Marketing types would wax eloquent describing boomers without seeming to notice how really obnoxious the "me generation" seemed to be.  Can you say narcissistic?  We boomers were all about getting what we wanted, but we made a great target audience, especially for anything that appealed to our inflated sense of self.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry right now.


I'm sure consumer trends have changed in America since those halcyon days when being in advertising was f-u-n.  But compared to Japan, Americans are just self-centered and there's no way around it.  Now, this isn't to say selfishness doesn't exist in Japan because it is basic to human nature.  But you don't hear a lot of talk about "my needs," "getting what I deserve," or "taking care of myself first."  Because it is a group-oriented culture, everyone is taught from a young age to "awaseru," or "fit" others.  This can be jarring to an American who just expects everyone to suit themselves.


While in American advertising, the word, "you," will be used a lot, in Japanese marketing messages, the word, "mina," meaning "everyone," is pervasive.  For example, a well-known housing construction company's tagline is, "Everyone hopes for a bright life."  This appeals to the Japanese desire to include and be included.  One set phrase often heard here (okagesama de) means something like, "thanks to you."  It is used when answering any inquiry positively, such as, "Is your business going well?"  "Yes, thanks to you."  This is just the Japanese way of making you feel included in their good news...something like, my happiness is bound up in yours.


The tsunami has just increased this sense of interdependence.  The badge, like the one above, is appearing on all sorts of products and services.  It is roughly translated as "Let's overcome/not give up/do our best together, Japan!"  This kind of mindset is like a breath of fresh air for this ex-yuppie.  Make the Japanese feel included in your marketing message...www.noah-digital.co.jp/english/.