Who is the target audience?

[gmat]

Saw this ad on an Odakyu Line train. For your inspection.








Best wishes,
Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

English speakers, Koreans, and Chinese.  Those are the languages in small print below the "Special offers start from Sept. 1, 2011". Though I think the primary target is tourists from Asia, as I don't think many westerners know what a maneki neko is or the significance.  The old slogan "Yokoso Japan" has been replaced with "Japan. Endless Discovery".

[cteno4]

odd thing is the ad is in japan to visit japan... you are already visiting if you read it!

perhaps to get folks to get their friends and families to visit?

the Yokoso Japan campaign made it around the world quite a bit. ended up seeing it in quite a few places. but then again it was around japan a lot as well.

jeff

[gmat]

Yes,
That's what struck me. Is the coupon available even if you're already in Japan? What do you get?


Thanks,
Grant

[bikkuri bahn]

I assume you can get coupons off the website, just like coupons you get when you buy a pass or visit a tourist information center and receive a brochure, like when I visited Korea this summer. Likely the Odakyu Line sees these ads b/c of the Hakone connection.  There are no such ads on the Sapporo Subway, as most foreign visitors (overwhelmingly Chinese) come on pack tours and are bussed everywhere. As for say, U.S. tourists,  unless you live in a big city like NYC or Los Angeles, for example, it's hard to get any information first hand other than from the net, I doubt you'll see these advertisements in Wichita (anyway, most are looking to vacation in Cancun or Europe if they're thinking of going somewhere foreign.)

[Mudkip Orange]

I don't think many westerners know what a maneki neko is or the significance.

Are you kidding me? The internet is obssessed with cats of all kinds, and these statues are on the front counter of every single "Grand Palace Golden Dragon King Buffet" from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Gulf.

I even once knew a girl who had a giant maneki neko tattooed on her back.