A friend sent me a 30-second youtube clip of a Japanese advertisement which appears to be for a bean company that sells not only beans but other merchandise such as stationary. Japanese marketing, though in many ways from the west is effective for the people group it reaches within Japan (perhaps the need to stand out is much greater in such a densely populated country with a very different culture). The marketing campaign uses animations of dog-bean hybrids who give random trivia to unsuspecting consumers which usually results in awkward situations.
I think the bulk of the appeal for this company lies in the affective component of a consumer’s attitude towards the line of products. The dog-beans are perceived to be very cute, and then when combined with the randomness of the trivia makes a humorous video which the consumer likes or even loves.
This is evidenced as now the company has moved on to sell mameshiba key chains and stationary. This also builds a large amount of customer loyalty as the consumer moves from being someone who simply buys the product to an advocate who sends video links to their unsuspecting friends (like me).
If you want more information about this company or just want to watch the videos, visit the english website! (I hope I don’t sound too much like an advocate here too)
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