Fun Being Key to Successful Business
It is important to have a great product and it is also important to have great design. However, a humorous product name can also do miracles in bringing sales. Earlier this year, a line of tofu with eccentric names like “Kaze-ni-fukarete-tofuya-johnny” (Johnny the Tofu Maker, Blowing in the Wind),”Otokomae tofu” (Handsome Tofu),”Kenka-jyoutou-yakko-yarou” (The Fighting Fool), grabbed the attention of consumers and became a big hit. Ito Shingo, the master mind behind these new creations was able to help his company escape sluggish sales from having to produce low-priced tofu by producing these not just buzz worthy but very flavorful high-priced tofu.
By realizing that a product as traditionally Japanese as tofu cannot just be healthy or delicious but must stand out also by other means, Ito was able to not only survive but shine while other companies were filing for bankruptcy left and right. The eccentric ideas did not stop there. The line of tofu has its original theme music adding to the brand’s image.
Humor is key to Ito’s success. Perhaps you can bring humor to Japan’s market.
B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound in Washington.