And a thought of what do I really want out of the time I’m allotted here.” “It has brought out, I think, a more independent spirit within the Japanese people, and a more questioning spirit. In addition to the pain and legacy the country is still dealing with, the disaster also caused a major shift in attitudes, notes Cundy. Says Anthony Cundy, CEO of Wunderman Japan, a network of advertising, marketing and consulting companies, “just occasionally something happens that is so dramatic, that it forces things forward. A magnitude nine earthquake which shifts a whole continent three meters to the left in a matter of seconds, that’s pretty dramatic.” But the triple disaster: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown of 2011, created a massive physical and emotional upheaval. Societal changes tend to creep forward slowly in tradition-bound Japan. So Panasonic created a lighter vacuum.īut companies aren’t just making changes to products, they also have to change the way they’re advertised. And for them, the average weight, four kilo, was very heavy.” Almost nine pounds. “And these people will clean up their house, stairs, holding up vacuum cleaners. In rural areas, many Japanese live in houses with two stories. “In Japan, most people have backache,” Yamanaka said. For example refrigerators and washing machines designed for them to easily take things out.”īecause of their stature, products designed elsewhere can be inconvenient for a smaller Japanese population, requiring climbing or reaching to access wet clothes in a washing machine easily. “So we make products which is more suitable for them - this height. The average height of a Japanese woman, notes Yamanaka, is 157 centimeters (5 feet, 1 and a half inches), “however, this senior citizen, 50s and 60s, the average height is 152 centimeters, (just under five feet), five centimeters shorter,” she said. The company, she said, took into consideration that Japanese seniors, already petite by American standards, tend to become even more so with age. So we decided to introduce products, targeted for these people.” “So we regard them as people who aggressively choose to buy good things. “ They are very discerning,” she said of the older generation of consumers. Panasonic spokesperson Mio Yamanaka says the company surveyed consumers in their 50s and 60s reaching more than 30,000 people. Japanese stalwart Panasonic created J-Concept, an entire line of products - just for seniors. Stores are slowing down escalator, and you can order groceries without the internet - even using the old fashioned telephone. dollars, notes Yamaguchi - “this is not something you can ignore.”Īll kinds of companies are having to shift what they produce in order to keep up with a changing consumer landscape. While there are many estimates as to how much Japan’s senior population is worth – up to $900 billion in U.S. “I’ve seen this not just food, retailing, or even hygiene, it’s almost everywhere,” Yamaguchi said. “Of course Japanese manufacturers have to deal with these changes,” Yamaguchi said. But according to the Pew Research Center, in Japan there are now more diapers produced for adults than for babies.Īnd it’s not just hygiene products. This means seniors have fewer grandchildren to reach into their pockets for and more money to spend as they see fit. At the same time the country’s birthrate is plunging. While an ad for incontinence products for seniors might not sound like a big deal, a ccording to the World Bank, more than a quarter Japan’s population is over 65. Hiromi Yamaguchi, a research analyst with Euromonitor International, a global market research firm, translated the scene, explaining “she is more of looking for toilets rather than enjoying the time with her friends.” But one of them seems to be distracted - worried about something. Just turn on the TV and it’s likely you’d spot something like the following scene: t hree ladies of a certain age, sightseeing and strolling, arm in arm, down a city street, dressed in pastel jackets. But there was one easy way to spot the shift. It wasn’t like you could see it while walking around Tokyo, or the countryside (at least, not in most places). Japan is now arguably the oldest country in the world.
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