3 in one year the niche of fanning the covetous

The Japan serious, hardworking, conservative, is mutating, sweeping at the same time images o how many traditional country symbolized by its kimonos, Mount Fuji and the sacrosanct cherry blossoms! Also forgotten classic of the Japanese pub where a preference-international star comes boast a product like Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation", the Sofia Coppola film. "It looked more fame than the mark it presented", said an expert. "Creativity changes and modernizes" finds its Hidetada Kochi, Director General of Mediahouse.

Akira Odagiri, Special Advisor to Ogilvy & Mather Japan is of the same opinion. This creative, multirécipiendaire awards by the profession, including at the Cannes advertising film Festival, admits readily that the "creativity was at half-mast for many years." A view shared by Guillaume Canard-Duchêne, Eurosport Asia Pacific commercial Director: "when I arrived at the Japan in 1998, remembers, creating agencies were the image of the enterprises of the country. Everyone was aligned in dark clothing on trays, facing the head. Arriving in New York, where the atmosphere was still cool, the contrast was total.

The fault lies, essentially, the take-over of the large Japanese groups such as Dentsu and Hakuhodo throughout the sector. In a country, where creative and buyers of space are one, these groups have long held the "vectors" traditional with extremely simple advertisements. For television, for example, a flurry of films from 15 seconds had invaded the screens. "When we look now at the small screen, is more than a succession of flashes, without great interest on creative", continues to regret Akira Odagiri, who founded his own agency in 1998, and accuses without detour "large groups of advertising have themselves helped to create this environment." But highly profitable, these spots have enabled agencies to achieve comfortable margins without renewing the creative advertising.

"Hello Kitty" and the Pokemon

However, the Japan wake now with new tricks as to better mark this revival. The range of derivatives products (bags, beach towels, plates,...) from the cartoon "Hello kitty" becomes as popular as the cars of Toyota or the Sony Walkman, like the Pokemon, Super Mario or even manga, these comics that Europe has discovered in recent years. The Japan lived at the time of the "kawai", a term meaning "mignon". "What is"kawai"can be operated anywhere in the world to reach younger consumers," says this expert to advise companies in their communication.

This renaissance is expressed in a particular channel, the new media via the canvas accessible by computer or, better yet, the mobile Internet. Akira Odagiri is convinced: "there are many opportunities new media because this segment escapes always Japanese Giants still very focused on traditional niches."

Passionate about high-tech Japanese enthusiasts are des des de à le point de faire de leur pays une de de à le point de faire de leur pays une to the point of making their country a kind of laboratory scale. It must be said that with 85,29 million Internet users in the Japan at the end 2005 ( 7.3 in one year), the niche of fanning the covetous. Of this total, more than a quarter (22,37 million) SURFs at high speed. The advantage of ADSL is double for advertising, because users are not limited in time and enjoy a quality of connection and services improved significantly.

Another more interesting phenomenon even through mobile phones. There, they were 80,09 million end of December according to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication have subscribed contracts "mode i" NTT DoCoMo or "Ezweb" with KDDI, two major mobile operators. A 70 penetration rate!

An archipelago hyper-segmenté

It is therefore surprising that the "e-advertising" literally explodes. "Spending on the Internet grew by 150 in two years", welcomed to share Osamu Nishimura of Hakuhodo, the second Japanese agency Dentsu behind. The part of the Internet in total spending climbs very quickly and reached 4.7 per cent against 3.1 last year. After having already exceeded in 2004 radio in value, advertising investments made in the Net heels now those vested in magazines. The rise in the regime is fast since the investments in these new media rose 55 year 280,8 billion yen (1.92 billion) last and again expected to increase by 30 this year according to forecasts of Dentsu. What offset the decline in other media, including the ubiquitous television ( 0.1).

More dynamic, Internet advertising becomes more targeted here convey a corporate message, then the image of a product. Mobile operators have already established regional portals to segment their offer. Yahoo Japan Corp. divides on the other hand the archipelago in seventy-two regions. A popular method among real estate developers to propose a new program or construction companies. At them two, these body of trades represented about half of the ads between October 2005 and March 2006. The rest is divided between automotive sales networks, the airlines and travel agencies. Not question to stop in so good way for Yahoo Japan launches this month service analyzing the key words of research of the largest users during the month to identify more messages.

Question is whether that will be tomorrow on these segments. Reconciliations were already held between operators and advertising. NTT DoCoMo and Dentsu have even been up to create a joint venture to manage these new media. Above all, for many, it needs to be make sure not to let this market in the hands of some who eventually concentrate too much power in their hands. "They are so powerful that they attract the young talent," says Akira Odagiri.

The opportunity is too good for foreign agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather do not pursue the attempt a breakthrough. This twelve years in the archipelago, "Ogilvy represents a credible alternative to the three majors Dentsu, Hakuhodo, Asatsu, Editor's note," explains John Goodman, President of Ogilvy & Mather Japan. "Here, continues, new media grow much more quickly than across elsewhere in the world, a figure moving in our favor.". Necessarily.