Fashionable Beverages: TGC Milk Tea & Lawson

Written by: Rebecca Milner on March 23, 2009 at 6:21 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 2 Comments

Popular fashion festival the Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC) has released a chilled cup beverage called Collaboration Blend: Royal Milk Tea. The special edition beverage is available exclusively at Lawson convenience stores and went on sale March 10th, just a few days after the latest successful edition of the event.

While the TGC is produced by influential fashion and lifestyle portal site Girlswalker.com, it is the recognizable pink logo of the TGC that is displayed more prominently on the packaging and in-store promotional material. According to the press release, the executive committee of the TGC selected the blend of Assam tea and fresh cream and the ladylike pink stripe of the package design.

What’s more, on the back of the package and above the requisite nutrition information, is a QR code that links to the TGC mobile website where consumers can check out photos and reports from the recent show. This feature works to reinforce the link between the product and the event.

Trend Potential
CScout covered the fashion show in-depth, but for us the most interesting aspect is the e-commerce integration and collaborations that have made Tokyo Girls Collection such as hit. Our mini reports on collaborations, including lots of descriptions and photos, are available in the Mobile Trendpool.

Tags: beverages, Collaborations, Convenience Stores, Fashion, FMCG
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Veggie sweets and snacks get fashionable

Written by: Rebecca Milner on January 8, 2009 at 11:57 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 1 Comment

I hate to keep harping on this vegetable boom going on Japan, but on the other hand, it is interesting to see a trend become, well, actually a trend. As in one that show some significant trajectory and a whole lot of new product developments. If the last year was all about drinkable veggies (a move that created some pretty unlikely combinations like the tomato flavored liquor) then the current convenient store situation is all about vegetable snacks and sweets.

Major confectionaries like Meito and Fujiya have weighed in with items such as pumpkin pudding and sweet potato flavored cookies, respectively. Snack giant Calbee now has a whole line of vegetable snacks including hits like Vegips. Meanwhile Socio has carved out an image of using “farm fresh ingredients” in snack products like the colorful sweet potato chips pictured below (right).

Really, there is just too many to mention individually. Suffice to say that the convenience store is looking a lot healthier these days.

It was upon discovering these tomato and sweet potato chocolates produced by patisserie Potager on the shelves, however, that a connection appeared between the trendy cake shop and products like sweet potato cookies being on the shelves now.

Located in fashionable Nakameguro, Potager always seems to have a crowd these days of women lined up to purchase such goodies as “tomato cheesecake” and “turnip roll cake.”

Though the shop/café has been around for a couple of years now it has continued to pick up a steady stream of media (most recently in TV Japan, Elle a la Table, and Biteki magazines and appearing on Fuji TV), casting a spotlight on 31-year-old head chef Aya Kakisawa.

Tags: Convenience Stores, FMCG, food
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Meiji Melty Kiss rotating winter chocolates

Written by: Rebecca Milner on November 11, 2008 at 3:14 am | In MARKETING IDEAS | No Comments

In a country where FMGC are already ultra-seasonal, Meiji’s Melty Kiss chocolates don’t just arrive with the cooler weather, they actually announce it. Like the changing of vending machine canned coffee from cold to hot, the presence of Melty Kiss on the convenience store shelves is an indicator that sweater season has officially arrived.

You see, Melty Kiss just wouldn’t work in the summer, because the melt-in-your-mouth soft chocolates would become a melty mess in the hotter months. Each year Meiji issues exactly three flavors, rotating old favorites and introducing new ones. This time around will include Creamy Chocolate, Fruity Strawberry, and Dark Rum.

Though the product, which debuted in1993, is enjoyed by adults and kids alike, the Dark Rum flavor is meant to appeal to grown up tastes. Case in point, the commercial features popular Classy magazine model Sayo Aizawa (who has actually starred in previous ones as well) and would probably gross kids out.

Tags: celebrity, chocolate, Convenience Stores, FMGC, Meiji, Seasonal goods
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Lawson x Eirakuya - Kyoto textile manufacturer

Written by: Rebecca Milner on October 29, 2008 at 11:36 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION | No Comments

Convenience store chain Lawson has tied up with the 393-year-old Kyoto textile manufacturer Eirakuya to produce a line of stationary items to be sold at Lawson shops around Japan.

Specifically, the collaboration is with Eirakuya’s considerable newer brand Enveraak that creates designs for the teens through 30s market. In clever patterns that incorporate decidedly modern elements like telephones, the line-up includes pens and pencils (¥399, about $3.75), ring notebooks (¥420, about $4), and memo-pads (¥263, about $2.50).

Lawson looks to be channeling the “back to Japan” trend that has been making a mark on the fashion and beauty industries for many years now—though a trend that has seen a recent boost from the association between “traditional” and “natural,” thus eco-friendly and safe. Then there is always the quick turnover that a hit stationary line can create, a la the Beams meets 7/11 retro line we covered earlier this year.

Tags: Back to Japan, Convenience Stores, design, Kyoto, Lawson, Stationary
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Showa Era retro snacks at Lawson

Written by: Rebecca Milner on August 3, 2008 at 11:54 pm | In MARKETING IDEAS | No Comments

Lawson is currently featuring a special summer Showa Fair with a line-up of packaged snacks from the era. The 13 item series, available though August, includes long-selling favorites from the 60s to the 70s in their original package design. Although the Showa period technically lasted from 1926-1989, Lawson’s retrospective, and other similar ones, focus on the latter half.

Some, like Glico’s Pocky look wonderfully outdated while others, like Calbee’s Ebi-sen look pretty much the same as they always do.

Lotte is even bringing back its yellow packaged “Juicy and Fresh” gum, though with a modern update of extra vitamins. The prices are, unfortunately, all modern as well.

The Showa retro boom has been going strong for at least a year now, so it does seem like Lawson is getting into the game a little bit late. Perhaps it took that long to get all the different companies to cooperate. Or marketers who like beating a good boom to death. Either way, there is no time like the summer for nostalgia!

Or a cold glass bottle of cider. Three F is releasing a series of classic, locally inspired cider in seven varieties.

Included in the line-up is “Yokahama Cider,” supposedly where cider made its Japanese debut, and “Ramune Shop Cider,” with a Showa era label in homage to the original ramune, which reportedly first appeared in Tokyo’s Nakano district around Showa 30. Taste apparently differs based on the local water and fruit juices used.

Tags: beverages, Convenience Stores, FMCG, Lawson, Localization, Retro, Showa
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS