http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbqjv1_dan-rei-suntory-kinmugi_shortfilms
Look at the commercial above. It’s a beer commercial in Japan.The woman was waiting for the return of her husband making his dinner. There was a big controversy about it. Men basically liked this commercial. On the other hand, most women didn’t like it as this commercial reminds viewers of the traditional image that wives stay at home all the day waiting for the return of their husbands.
In Japan, there was a tradition that men worked outside the house and women worked inside it (doing housework). But, the situation has been changing over the last 30 years. More and more women work with men and a greater number of men help their wives with housework, though the gender gap still exists as shown in the Global Gender Gap Report by World Economic Forum (Japan’s rank is 101).
The commercial above obviously describes Japanese traditional wives. Of course, the company knew about it. But, why did the company make it?
One answer is that the target is men, especially 30~50 year old men. These men may tend more to like traditional women. In fact, 30~50 year old men bought this product the most.
However, there is another possible answer. The company intended to cause a controversy and increase the customer’s interests by doing so. Actually, this commercial became very popular and I heard a lot of people talked about this beer.
Therefore, in terms of marketing, this commercial succeeded in providing the ideal image to the target audience and increased sales dramatically.
However, in terms of ethics, it involves the risk that it could lower women’s social position.
I don’t know whether it is right that the company draws customer’s attention by intending to cause a controversy. We have to continue to think about this problem.
sources:
http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2012
This post reflects a great deal of issues and faces the world of marketing can exhibit. The post is nicely written and I would like to support and add to some of the points mentioned.
It is interesting to note how the cultural and regional dimension play out in marketing. As I understand from reading the article, some gender gaps happen to exist in Japan. Clearly, the add creators have tapped onto a rather sensitive issue. As stated, the add has actually appealed to men. That being said, it’s interesting to notice how crucial is the cultural background when it comes to approaching consumers. To actually exploit a fact like that and design a commercial to address it can only be done by people who fully understand the culture.
However, in my opinion, people behind the add have certainly expected similar interpretation when they come up with the idea from the first place. And I think it is unnecessary to risk the brand’s image by crossing the line of ethics, or even come close to do so.
Thank you for your comment!! and sorry for late reply.
I agree with the idea that it’s unnecessary to risk the brand’s image by crossing the line of ethics. However, I think that there are a reason for the company to draw customer’s attention even if it may hurt the brand’s image.
Among beer companies in Japan, there is a tacit understanding that they don’t compete with price of beer. They compete with advertising and taste. In fact, you will find that the price of all beers is same when you come to a liquor store in Japan. The sales mainly depend on advertising. Therefore, commercials of beer companies may be forced to be extreme.