Hello Everyone!

A student shared this commercial with me the other day. (Thank you!) I imagine many of you have seen it, but I'll share it just in case.

This commercial makes me realize there is a stark difference between Japanese commercials and American commercials. This type of commercial - with a story and meant to evoke an emotional response - is quite common in Japan.

This type of commercial is not very common in the U.S. however. For one, the commercial content of the U.S. is very different, with most commercials advertising household products, dating/lifestyle aid, awareness ads (drugs, drinking, etc) and animal commercials. Another thing that is Very common in American commercials (but I hear is not even done in Japanese commercials) is comparing a product to a 'leading competitor'. Very frequently, American commercials try to show how much better their product is than another (they will not usually say what brand they are comparing their product to, but they will say 'leading competitor' instead.)

So, what do you think about these differences? Which advertisement style do you think is most effective? Do you like the long, story-telling style of Japanese commercials, or the shorter, to-the-point style of Amercian commercials? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!