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U.S. Stars Shine Again in Japan Ads
Cameron Diaz looms over Tokyo shoppers in a SoftBank cellphone ad. As Japan revels in growth, top-dollar celebrity commercials have made a comeback.
(By Mariko Yasumoto -- The Washington Post)
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Diaz and Pitt began plugging Tokyo-based telecommunications giant SoftBank Mobile Corp. in October, after the company splurged on the duo to promote its entrance into Japan's cellphone market.
In one of Diaz's three saucy spots, all of which were filmed in Los Angeles, she saunters down a Latin-flavored street with a thin cellphone tucked into the back of her tight jeans. Pitt, whose spots were filmed on location in India, does a walk-and-talk turn while appearing to be nervously avoiding someone (perhaps his American fans?).
Like most companies hiring Hollywood's top talent, SoftBank declined to comment because its agreements forbid it to discuss the stars' Japan ad spots with U.S. news media. But industry sources suggested the pair were paid more than $1.7 million each, a figure some analysts have called the highest amount ever for a Japanese commercial.
Many other firms are launching their priciest ad campaigns in years.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., makers of health supplements and power bars, traded up, replacing their former spokesperson, a Japanese actress, with Kiefer Sutherland. They also hired the full team of set, makeup and costume artists from the American actor's hit show, "24," which is extremely popular in Japan. The result is a spot that looks and feels like an episode from the show, but with Sutherland gripping a CalorieMate power bar. It was Otsuka's most expensive ad since hiring the Rolling Stones in 1989, said Yuki Kudo, the company's advertising manager.
Japanese companies insist that investing in top stars results in big dividends. Cosmetics giant Shiseido Co. hired Jolie for a series of commercials for a line of lipsticks. Shoichiro Terashi, a Shiseido marketing specialist, said the Jolie campaign marked the first time the company has hired a high-priced Hollywood celebrity for one of its spots. But since the ads began running last year, sales of the new line have bested even its highest projections.
"Our surveys showed that people in Japan think that Angelina Jolie has the most beautiful mouth in the world," Terashi said. "For a company selling lipstick, that's worth a great deal."
Special correspondent Mariko Yasumoto contributed to this report.
