Trends in Japan - CScout Japan Blog » Marketing fun in Shibuya with Hachiko and J-Pop

Marketing fun in Shibuya with Hachiko and J-Pop

Written by: Rebecca Milner on May 29, 2008 at 11:59 pm | In Marketing & Ad Trends |

Zexy, a popular bridal magazine, has co-opted Shibuya’s beloved icon Hachiko for its current elaborate marketing campaign. While the original dog statue was created to commemorate the loyalty of a dog who met his master everyday at Shibuya station, this new effigy of Hachiko has been created by Zexy to serve as a mascot for women in love.

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From this week in honor of the magazine’s 15th anniversary, Zexy is launching a one-month limited-time site for PCs and mobiles, called the “Love Special Site,” that is overseen by the image of a doe-eyed, tiara-wearing, Chihuahua-esque character named Hachiko. The site features a daily love horoscope and a love message board, plus information about Hachiko’s very limited appearance this week in front of the Tsutaya media store at Shibuya crossing.

The “real” character is a surprisingly natural looking robot dog, atop a pedestal modeled after the original statue, that needless to say attracted crowds of mobile phone picture takers. While you have your mobile out, you can also scan a giant QR code poster to take you straight to the website.

Meanwhile, down the street, pop idol duo the Vanilla Beans staged an interesting publicity stunt in a truck parked in front of Shibuya 109. In promotion of their new single Nicola, the pair donned retro flight attendant ensembles and hung out (looking kind of bored) inside the window-fronted truck.