Who are you talking to?

On August 11th, I wrote that some U.S. companies think they just have to put their products into Japan and they will have instant success. That might be true for a well branded product like the I-Phone, but for lesser known products, you need more. Now, I want to give an example from the opposite end as well.

An associate of mine had a Japanese health-care client trying to enter the U.S without doing the necessary in depth due diligence and work needed to ensure their success.

The Challenge: 
They planned to launch two personal care products in the American market. However, they did not perform adequate market research and analysis. The only thing they knew was that they wanted to sell in chain drug stores. 

The Issues the client faced:

1.) Planned to use the same packaging and graphics used in Japan, here in the U.S. without making significant changes to it.

Packaging and graphics that appeal to the Japanese consumer are quite different from what appeals to an American consumer. For example, Japanese make use of cartoon/animated characters on packaging no matter what the age of the desired consumer. I still have my bank card from one of the major Japanese bank with characters from the Peanuts comics. In the U.S., cartoon characters are not often used in advertising for adult consumers.

2.) Direct translation of Japanese text into English

Direct translations are never perfect. Certain words when translated do not convey the correct meaning in another language.  Also, certain phrasing in one language is often not customary in another. Japanese often use double negatives on packages in Japan and such phrasing is not common here.  It is best to translate and then do a rewrite to make wording culturally sensitive.

3.) Insufficient Market Research and Competitive Analysis

Therefore, they lacked:

• Detailed knowledge of the purchasing behavior of their target audience
• Information on competing products
• How to position their product to appeal to a certain consumer
• Pricing information

This initial strategy was not going to produce the best possible results for them. Fortunately, they realized this sooner rather than later and my associates of Marena Studios were brought in.

Their first step was to perform the necessary market research and competitive analysis. They also researched the packaging that was used by competitors with the same types of products here in the U.S. in order to create packaging that would have appeal in the U.S. market.

The eventual solution created for this client included:

• Market and demographically appropriate focus groups and a professional facilitator to gain valuable feedback on product and packaging
• Package design based on what was reported from testing 
• Copy written to make wording more “positive” to attract the American consumer  
• Utilizing a marketing strategy that targeted a particular customer base
• Usage of popular buzz words such "organic" and "botanical" on packaging  that are important to female consumers and a popular marketing trend today

                      

Some lessons learned:

When a company is operating under a limited budget, they often mistakenly try to find the cheapest ways to get things done. However, this often times ends up costing more in the long run because it is ineffective and doesn’t produce the needed results.
1.)  Implement one solution that  gets you as close as possible to the direction and information you want even if it takes your entire budget.
2.) Packaging in Japan or graphics on a package that appeals to Japanese consumer does not necessarily appeal to U.S consumers. TRUST me on this. The same is true of the reverse as well.
3.) Trying to cater to all types of consumers with one product rarely works. If there is no differentiation to appeal to your desired consumer, your product will sit on the shelf.  _______________________________________________________________________________________
Marena Studios provides quality advertising, collateral, and marketing materials both in print and on the web. If you need powerful, results-driven communications materials designed for U.S or Japanese audiences and don't have a six-figure budgets necessary to get the full attention of a large advertising agency, contact Kathy Marena at info@marenastudios.com.

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Comments

[Nishi Chandradas]

I think what you wrote about the graphics not appealing to the US crowd is correct.

[Nishi Chandradas]

I think what you wrote about the graphics not appealing to the US crowd is correct.