An interview with 'Ascendant Business'

Totally in Character
Japan is a land dominated by super-adorable mascots and characters, and their powers extend deep into the world of commerce and affect the psyches and buying habits of the country's consumers. The sources for these characters runs from the expected—people and just about every animal imaginable—to the inanimate and downright weird, such as fruit, plants, teeth and, well... poop. Gag-inducing elsewhere, turd mascots such as "Unchi-kun" (Mr. Poop) are vastly popular among young Japanese kids and even adults. Go figure.

For insight into Japan's love affair with these characters and their use in marketing, Ascendant View polled two experts, Burton Blume and John Shelley.

Blume is the executive strategy director for Interbrand Japan in the Asia-Pacific, and a former creative director at Hakuhodo. Shelley is an award-winning commercial artist whose work has appeared in animated TV ads, poster and newspaper campaigns to character merchandising and editorial illustration in Japan and overseas.

Innovative uses for characters continue to pop up. A local official makes a play on words using his name, which includes kuri (chestnut). Embodying Japan's military:
Prince Pickles.

Back Story

How did manga-type characters and mascots become so integral to promoting businesses, products and services here?

Brat, a mascot Shelley developed, has appeared on clothing and as a limited edition figure. "The Japanese affinity for mascots and characters can probably be traced to animist superstitions and religion," Blume responds. "Buddhist images have long been revered, including the ubiquitous, red-bibbed jizo statues. Netsuke carvings and amulets, many in the form of animals, were personal talismans. Even the mythical creatures from Japanese folktales known as yokai can be considered mascots."

Such characters found a new calling in the world of marketing and mass media, Blume says, and really came into their own in the sixties and seventies with the advent of color television. They eventually gave way to a new breed of character such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon, Ultraman and Pokemon.

"People in the first generation to grow up with these characters are now entering their forties, and they feel tremendous nostalgia for the icons of their childhood," Blume continues. "Mascots also relieve social stress and remind people of happier times. Many Japanese have an unfulfilled longing for pets, too, since few have the space or lifestyles to keep them."

Shelley also believes these characters offer a form of escapism from the stressful realities of modern life.

A character John Shelley created for WorldCom. "They enable people to live in a city the size of Tokyo without going crazy," he explains. "Associating warm, friendly characters with mundane services or products adds emotional attachment to the inanimate and banal. This may sound strange when you think of the disposable nature of so much in Japan, but considering that women often make the household purchasing decisions, the intuitive reaction is very important.

"The Japanese are also very graphic–aware, because the writing system is based on pictorial symbols, and most of them grew up reading manga," Shelley continues. "A cute graphic can therefore be more effective at grabbing and retaining attention than a string of copy."

Consumers here are as interested in the look and feel of a product as its performance, he stresses. "I'm often reminded of the notion that Japanese will not buy cars that appear to scowl—they must have 'smiling' radiator grilles and headlamps."

Questions of Image

Generating characters is a serious and tricky business, Shelley indicates. "When I'm asked to create a character for a presentation I'm often given words like genki and akarui - essentially, characters that uplift the viewer with energy - or kawaii, atatakai and yawarakai (cute, warm and soft) on the other, meaning a character that invokes maternal instincts with its engaging vulnerability."

Shelley believes that some characters effective in the West may miss the mark here because they lack vulnerability or a quality of the ridiculous.

However, not every warm and fuzzy creation developed here survives, either. "I once worked on a character meant to promote a hay fever drug," Shelley recalls. "It went through every conceivable version, including a nurse, a monkey, and an anthropomorphized flying pill with a cape. Sadly, that job never came to fruition."

Foreign businesses have successfully used mascots and characters for some time in Japan, Blume points out. "Some, like Col. Sanders and Ronald McDonald, were imports. The Mars M&M mascots, a top-ranked brand icon, have been a hit here as well. The granddaddy of them all, though, is Michelin's Bibendum. He bounced onto the scene in 1898 and is one of the world's most recognizable trademarks."

Sometimes a character takes on a commercial life of its own. PepsiCo, Inc. created the Pepsiman character specifically for the Japanese market in the nineties, Blume adds. The lovable, accident-prone mascot spawned cult websites, computer games, and even a female counterpart, Pepsiwoman.

Another more recent success is insurance giant Aflac's duck, which now boasts its own website and collectible character goods. The duck's abrasive U.S. persona was softened for the Japanese market.

A sweet little mascot that resembles the croissants sold inside. Even elevators are anthropomorphized. A station employee character gives instructions. This character welcomes people to a local shotengai (shopping street).

A Little Creative Advice

Shelley and Blume had some recommendations for foreign companies considering creating a character for the Japanese market.

"Market research is naturally important," Shelley says. "Japanese trends tend to focus on the 14–25 female age group, which can change quickly. However, the most successful characters appeal to both children and adults. An example is the frequent use of children's book characters like Peter Rabbit and the Little Prince, which connect to the Japanese love of meruhen, from the German word marchen, meaning whimsy."

In recent years, Shelley says, there's been a boom in more graphic and original characters that are proudly absurd and exotic, energetic, stylish and humorous. Annoyingly commonplace, and better avoided, is a certain style of pithy characters deliberately crudely devised and drawn.

Doctors and dentists often use characters to give a warm impression. "Their lack of finish is seen to reflect their vulnerability," he notes. "You see them on lots of consumer goods now, but that's not the kind of image Western companies should present here."

Blume advises: "First of all, make sure the personality attributes of the mascot or character complement your brand's values, or at least link to your promotional message. Second, find a talented illustrator or animator to create the mascot and bring it to life. There's no sense in going cheap on this critical step.

"Third, conduct qualitative research to find out whether the characters actually appeal to your target group," he continues. "This will also turn up any significant negative associations. Finally, if you see the mascot or character as essential to your brand promotion, consider registering it as a trademark to protect yourself from infringement claims. If the character is wildly successful, like Pepsiman was, you may be able to license it to other parties."

"When I'm asked to create a character for a presentation I'm often given words like genki and akarui - essentially, characters that uplift the viewer with energy - or kawaii, atatakai and yawarakai (cute, warm and soft) on the other, meaning a character that invokes maternal instincts with its engaging vulnerability."
JOHN SHELLEY

John Shelley Illustration Studio
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All illustrations on this website are copyright and may not be
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John Shelley's commercial, editorial and children's book illustration portfolio spans newspapers, corporate image work for international companies, free clip art ( for MSN / Microsoft), stock illustration, syndicated cartoons, kids books, poster illustration, fashion illustration, mascots, licensed character design, merchandise, fantasy illustration, fairy tales illustration, fairy pictures, book covers, children's illustrations and illustrated graphic design. Artist materials include pen and ink, watercolor , pencil sketch and Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop.

John Shelley's Illustration clients include publishing companies, newspapers, corporate advertising, marketing, trade marks, licencing, television broadcasters, including animated TV commercials and illustration for clients in Kansai * Fukuoka * Hiroshima * Kamakura * Kobe * Kyoto * Nagasaki * Nagoya * Nara * Osaka * Sapporo * Tokyo * Yokohama * Seoul * New York * Miami * Los Angeles * Manchester * London * Birmingham * Paris * Bologna