Do you know what Monaca is? I didn’t when I first came to Japan, and I was sent here to sell ice cream! Monaca モナカ is a wafer type of ice cream product except it is fully surrounded by the wafer, unlike most wafer-sandwiches elsewhere in the world. Cones, wafers and Monaca are similar types …
The soggy secrets of marketing ice cream in Japan Read More »
Hokkaido is the crystal jewel in Japan’s crown. I confess it’s one of my favourite parts of the country. Besides winter sports, flowers (Furano & Makkari) and of course food in abundance, Hokkaido is home to one of Japan’s first whisky distilleries. Established in 1934, Nikka whisky is produced in Yoichi, a small town to …
A Saudi version of hit comedy show The Office is reportedly in the works. I tend to blog about consumer goods businesses but this example of a creative product expanding internationally caught my eye. It is also an interesting case study in adapting a winning formula to diverse cultures. Branded El Maktab, the Saudi version …
Gervais’s ‘The Office’ eyes Saudi Arabian expansion Read More »
Interested in exporting to Japan? The EU-Japan commissioned me and my colleague Hiro Tsujioka to write a report on the marketing challenges in Japan and we’ll be giving a webinar on this topic tomorrow. Details are here! Please join us!
Most Japanese companies wanting to do business internationally traditionally look first across the Pacific to North America, second to South East Asia and China, or third Europe. India has not traditionally been a consideration. Japanese food companies may have been missing a trick. India of course has a huge population and burgeoning middle class, many …
I was recently invited to be a guest on the popular Export to Japan podcast. Steve Crane, the host and founder of Export to Japan, asked some incisive questions about market research, Japanese consumer habits and also what companies should look for in a research partner. Interested to know more? Please see it here!