Japanese EV Marketing - Warning Slightly Inappropriate

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kovalb

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Chelsea Sexton tweeted this You Tube video. It appears to be for DC-QC stations at a Japanese convenience store chain. Definitely shows differences in the cultures. :eek: The starring LEAF looks identical to mine. :D Warning, slightly inappropriate, kind of like something Go Daddy would want to air for the Superbowl but might catch flack over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk6Lqjb7xOQ&feature=youtu.be
 
Ai Shinozaki (the female in the video) is a Japanese pop-idol (something along the lines of what a supermodel would be here in the U.S.) and this is a promotion for Family Mart and the new Ultraman Galaxy S movie releasing this spring. If you see the slide at the end of the video, they're giving away two custom Nissan EVs, one Leaf model and one E-NV200. The song is called "Charging Love Story."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Shinozaki" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.family.co.jp/campaign/charge/open/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://m-78.jp/ginga/2014/movie/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BTW, a translation wouldn't help it make any more sense... :D
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
How come "FamilyMart" is in English?
Click to expand...

Even though English proficiency over there seems to be limited (from what I've been reading up on), it still doesn't negate the "cool factor" of using English terms. Perhaps it even enhances it. No different than seeing Japanese words over here, though the popularity on our side pales in comparison.

Apparently t-shirts and other things with English words and sentences are popular over there. Often the phrases make absolutely no sense, or worse are embarrassing. http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/japanese-discount-store-shirts-with-random-english-words/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is just one example from a quick Google search.

BTW Japan is not the only place where English has crept into the language. Go to Germany and you will see English names and phrases being used for marketing purposes everywhere you look. But again we've done the same with Deutsch, adopting terms like "uber" and "fahrvergnügen" into our language.
 
RonDawg said:
BTW Japan is not the only place where English has crept into the language. Go to Germany and you will see English names and phrases being used for marketing purposes everywhere you look. But again we've done the same with Deutsch, adopting terms like "uber" and "fahrvergnügen" into our language.
Click to expand...

I was in Germany recently and noticed the very phenomenon you mentioned. I did not see the silly shirts there, though. That could be because most people in Germany know at least some English. In fact, I found most younger people (30 or under) could speak English pretty well.
 
It's so clear I grew up in the auto industry- the video (found by LAB member Brian Henderson) struck me as odd, but totally in line with Japanese marketing I've seen, and not really inappropriate or gratuitous in the grand scheme of auto marketing. :)

In line with the positioning of EVs and charging there, Family Mart is somewhat akin to 7-11 in Japan (another prominent "American" brand among many in the metro areas). While still a minority of vehicles, not the same novelty as in the US or Europe. But Toyota and its subsidiaries still comprise roughly half of the auto market in Japan, so Nissan and Mitsubishi--as the more EV-embracing companies--still seem to have ground to cover.
 
Strange video...
adric22 said:
Wish I could understand what they were saying.. But dang, that Japanese girl is so cute.. I'd take her home with me!
Click to expand...
Heh. She's cute but you can see a lot of cute booth babes at Tokyo Motor Show (http://www.tokyo-motorshow.com/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Been there 3 times myself. :D I wrote about it at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=6834" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I believe it's still only once every 2 years now.

Tokyo Auto Salon (http://www.tokyoautosalon.jp/2015/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) should be good for that too, but it was last month, it seems.
RonDawg said:
Apparently t-shirts and other things with English words and sentences are popular over there. Often the phrases make absolutely no sense, or worse are embarrassing. http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/japanese-discount-store-shirts-with-random-english-words/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is just one example from a quick Google search.
Click to expand...
Yeah, apparently, it is novelty, it seems. http://www.engrish.com/2001/11/i-hate-myself-and-i-want-to-die/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is the one I think of.
 

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