This is an exploration of how Japan has influenced and revolutionized global branding. Japan is at any given time the number three or four largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) country in the world at $4.1 Trillion. Japan’s GDP puts it roughly ahead of Germany and behind the number two in China and number one USA.
On a recent visit to Japan I took the opportunity to note the degree of innovation in branding throughout the country. Japan is no stranger to innovation. Seeing a 13,000 year old vase in the Tokyo National Museum that had such intricacy in its design you would have thought it was a movie prop from the House of the Dragon to the Edo era streets of Kyoto where one feels an other-worldly era come to life. Japan is the G.O.A.T. when it comes to branding.
To understand Japan’s relative history with branding, we need to start at the origins in a country that has always balanced its isolation and engagement with innovation. The first Europeans arrived on Japan’s shores, all by accident as Portuguese traders Antonio Mota and Francisco Zeimoto’s ship was blown off course to Japan in 1543 while trying to reach China. Some of the earliest examples of branding can be witnessed on the exterior bulwarks of the Osaka Castle. A building built by Japan’s first unifier in Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583. The branding resulted from the defeat of Hideyoshi in 1615 and the subsequent burning and rebuilding of the castle by a shogunate driven coalition in 1620. The shogunate recruited individual families and clans to collaboratively rebuild Osaka Castle. The clans included engravings of their family seals on the castle walls as a testament to their involvement in the building process.
The Concept of "wakon yosai" (Japanese spirit, Western learning) and its Influence on Branding Strategies.
Seventy-five years after the Portuguese arrival, Japan launched itself into a period of deep introspection called the Edo period. The Edo period represented 250 years of Shogunate rulers presiding over an isolationist policy that cutoff trade and influence with the outside world.
The Edo period lasted from 1603 to 1868. The timing is critical as this overlapped the global transition from the agrarian period to the industrial era. This was a time of massive upheaval, change and innovation throughout the world and subsequently the Edo period ended three years after the United States Civil War ended in 1865. For example the first steam engine was patented in 1698 by Thomas Savery, an English military engineer. You can imagine as news trickled into Edo era Japan of all of these fantastic inventions that it created pressure to open up to the outside world.
Late in the Edo period, a scholar named Sakuma Shozan urged the country's leaders to re-engage the outside world and adopt Western science and technology. Shozan rationalized wider Western adoption by linking it to the Confucian epistemological framework. Some scholars place Shozan insight as the key influencer to “wakon yosai”, the idea of the intersection of Japanese spirit and Western learning as the foundation to Japan’s next historical period.
The Meiji Period’s Impact
Three-hundred and twenty-five years after the first Europeans arrived in Japan, came the Meiji Period of Japanese history. The Meiji period ushered in a new policy of modernization under Emperor Meiji. After 250 years of isolation, Meiji encouraged “wakon yosai” or for Japan to adopt Western ideas and principles while retaining Japanese traditions. The Meiji period helped Japan become a fast follower who took new ideas and converted them into their own into a level of unprecedented innovation.
The Modern Role of Traditional Japanese Aesthetics in Modern Brand Design and Packaging
Wakon yosai catapulted Japan into the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Within less than fifty years after the beginning of the Meiji period Japan cemented itself as a growing world influencer in design and innovation.
Following World War II, Japan picked up where it left off with the help of more influences from the former Allies. Those of us who grew up during the 1970s can recall the influence of Japan as the forerunner to what we see with “Made in China” today. It was common to see items from household goods to children’s toys stamped with the familiar “Made in Japan”.
How Japanese Companies have Adapted Global Brands to Suit Local Tastes and Preferences
Japan’s foundational wakon yosai helped it to comfortably straddle Western influences and their own tradition. As a result Japan became good at adapting their own brands and manufacturing to suit local tastes, preferences and demand. Below we will investigate further how this came to be.
The Impact of Kawaii Culture on Product Branding and Marketing
We would be remiss to ignore the impact of Japan’s kawaii culture on branding. A culture rooted in Japan’s homegrown Shinto religion. In Shintoism there is a belief that views humans as children of the kami, or deities and spirits that inhabit everything. This belief influenced a focus on cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity going all the way back to the Edo period and extending into today’s fixations on manga and anime.
As a result, Kawaii was a key influence in the launch of Sanrio’s Hello Kitty brand in 1974. Sanrio saw an insight in the trend towards cuteness and large headed characters and capitalized on it with Hello Kitty. From Hello Kitty to Pokemon, Kawaii has been a huge driving force in Japanese culture and branding.
The Impact of Japanese Global Brands
The broader impact of Japanese culture can be seen in its global brands. Uniqlo started as a local textiles merchant revolutionizing fast fashion with high-quality basics and innovative fabrics. I for one am a fan of their innovations in self heating winter wear. Uniqlo is also an innovator in collaborations with artists and other brands such as their collaboration with Kaws. The Kawas collaboration is an example of fashion meeting art in an affordable clothing collection.
Another example is in Muji and how that brand demonstrates how Japanese aesthetics can have universal appeal when properly marketed. Muji began as a private label brand for a Japanese supermarket chain. It is a brand whose core competency is in being built on minimalism, functionality and sustainability. Muji was able to expand internationally by positioning itself as a lifestyle brand, not just a retailer.
Finally Shiseido is one of the oldest cosmetics companies in the world, having been founded in 1872 a mere four years following the end of the isolationist Edo period. Shiseido’s super power is in its ability to successfully blend traditional Japanese ingredients and aesthetics with cutting-edge technology. In a very wakon yosai way, Shiseido has adapted its marketing strategies for different global markets while maintaining a consistent brand image. Shiseido is a great example of a brand that leverages its heritage while staying innovative and relevant.
From Japanese global brands to the presence of international brands, Japan is a study in branding that can’t be ignored. Around every corner there is something to be learned about the fascinating culture and its impacts on fashion, innovation and branding. The key takeaway is how Japan is able to walk the fine line between its foundational heritage and outside influences. As brand marketers there is so much that we can learn from Japanese branding and how we can enact a level of balance into our own brands. Japan is like a music DJ who creates a music set that takes bits and pieces from different elements of music and effectively blends them into a master work of art. For my two-cents I will always be intrigued by the innovative branding that Japan has brought to the world and I will always be a fanboy of their branded “music” set.
Below are examples of branding I captured while on my recent trip to Japan:
Picture Credits: Dylan Labrie