Why it took Japan 20 years to drink coffee

Business Unmasked

10 Apr 202111:32

Summary

TLDRThis video tells the story of how Japan transformed from a tea-drinking nation to one of the world's top coffee consumers, thanks to a groundbreaking marketing campaign by Nestlé and the innovative strategies of French psychoanalyst Kloter Rappaye. By targeting children with coffee-flavored candies, Nestlé created an emotional bond with the coffee flavor, which later translated into a massive coffee market. The video also highlights Rappaye's other successful projects, such as revamping the design of Chrysler's PT Cruiser based on emotional responses.

Takeaways

🇯🇵 Japan was not traditionally a coffee-drinking nation 60 years ago, with tea being the preferred beverage.
📈 Today, Japan is among the top 10 coffee consumers globally, largely due to a successful marketing campaign.
🧐 Kloter Rapi Rapaye, a French psychoanalyst, played a pivotal role in transforming Japan's coffee culture through emotional marketing strategies.
🎬 The 1952 film 'The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice' highlighted the deep-rooted tea culture in Japan, making it a challenging market for coffee.
💡 Nestlé initially struggled to popularize coffee in Japan despite high-quality products and competitive pricing.
🔍 Rapaye's research revealed that Japanese consumers lacked emotional connections to coffee, as most had never tasted it.
🍬 Nestlé's strategy shift involved introducing coffee-flavored candies to children, creating an early emotional bond with the flavor.
🍫 The popularity of these candies, possibly including early versions of KitKat bars, paved the way for Nestlé to re-enter the market with coffee products.
☕ By 2014, Nestlé successfully established a coffee market in Japan, with instant Barista products catering to the needs of working adults.
🌐 Nestlé's long-term commitment to the Japanese market led to them becoming the market leader in coffee.
🚗 Rapaye's success with Nestlé was not an isolated incident; he also helped Chrysler redesign the PT Cruiser to evoke a sense of safety and security.

Q & A

Why was coffee not popular in Japan 60 years ago?
-Coffee was not popular in Japan 60 years ago because the country was primarily a tea-drinking nation, with no significant coffee culture at the time.
Who is credited with changing Japan's coffee consumption habits?
-Kloter Rapi Rapaye is credited with changing Japan's coffee consumption habits through a highly successful marketing campaign.
What was the role of Kloter Rapi Rapaye in Nestle's marketing strategy for Japan?
-Kloter Rapi Rapaye, a French psychoanalyst, was invited by Nestle to understand the emotional bonds of Japanese people with products. He conducted experiments to pinpoint why certain products were more favorable and advised Nestle on a long-term strategy focusing on coffee-flavored candies for children.
What was the initial strategy of Nestle to introduce coffee to Japan post-World War II?
-Nestle initially introduced coffee to Japan post-World War II with the hope of exploiting the new market. However, despite advertisements and promotions, coffee did not become mainstream.
Why did Nestle's initial attempts to popularize coffee in Japan fail?
-Nestle's initial attempts failed because coffee was not part of the Japanese culture and the emotional connection with the product was missing among the Japanese public.
How did Nestle's strategy evolve after Rapaye's advice?
-After Rapaye's advice, Nestle shifted its strategy to target children with coffee-flavored candies, aiming to create an emotional bond and imprint of happiness associated with the coffee flavor from an early age.
What was the impact of Nestle's coffee-flavored candies on the Japanese market?
-Nestle's coffee-flavored candies became extremely popular among Japanese youth and parents, which eventually led to a curiosity and acceptance of coffee as they grew older.
How did Nestle reintroduce coffee to the Japanese market after the success of coffee-flavored candies?
-After 10 years, when many of the candy customers were of working age and already consumers of caffeine, Nestle re-entered the market with new coffee offerings like instant Barista, which was perfect for making a quick cup of coffee.
What was the significance of the introduction of coffee-flavored KitKats in Japan?
-The introduction of coffee-flavored KitKats in Japan signified that consumers were well acquainted with the coffee flavor, and it added another product to the coffee empire that Nestle had helped establish in a tea-drinking nation.
What other successful project involving Kloter Rapi Rapaye is mentioned in the script?
-Another successful project involving Kloter Rapi Rapaye mentioned in the script is with Chrysler and their design for the PT Cruiser, where Rapaye's archetype research helped in understanding the emotional response to the car's design.
How did Rapaye's research contribute to the design of the PT Cruiser?
-Rapaye's research contributed to the PT Cruiser's design by identifying the emotional response of safety and security. As a result, the car's fenders were made more bulbous, the hatchback window smaller, and the windshield more upright to give it a truck-like look, resonating with people on an unconscious level.

Outlines

00:00

🇯🇵 Japan's Coffee Revolution: From Tea to Coffee Craze

The first paragraph introduces the remarkable transformation of Japan from a nation of tea drinkers to one of the top coffee consumers globally, within just 60 years. This change was orchestrated by a successful marketing campaign led by Kloter Rapi Rapaye. The narrative takes us back to the 1950s, highlighting Japan's preference for tea, exemplified by the film 'The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice.' Despite Nestle's efforts to introduce coffee post-WWII, it failed to resonate with the Japanese public. The turning point came when French psychoanalyst Kloter Rapi Rapaye was invited to understand the emotional connection between Japanese people and products. His findings led to a strategic shift in Nestle's approach, focusing on marketing coffee-flavored candies to children to imprint the flavor in their early memories.

05:02

🍫 Nestle's Sweet Strategy: Conquering Japan with Coffee Candies

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of Nestle's strategic shift, detailing how they leveraged coffee-flavored candies to capture the Japanese market. Initially, the focus was on children to create a positive association with the coffee flavor. This approach led to the popularity of coffee-flavored treats among both children and their parents. Nestle then gradually introduced a variety of coffee-flavored candies, possibly including the precursors to the famous KitKat bars. After a decade, Nestle re-entered the market with a range of coffee products, capitalizing on the established familiarity and preference for coffee among the now adult candy consumers. By 2014, Japan's coffee market had reached new heights, and the introduction of coffee-flavored KitKats further solidified Nestle's position as a market leader.

10:04

🧠 The Genius of Kloter Rapi Rapaye: Transforming Industries

The final paragraph shifts focus to Kloter Rapi Rapaye, the mastermind behind Nestle's successful campaign in Japan. It outlines his transition from a child psychiatrist to a renowned marketing strategist with a string of successful projects. One notable example is his work with Chrysler on the PT Cruiser, where he applied similar research methods to identify emotional responses and design elements that resonated with consumers. Rapaye's innovative approach to marketing and product design has led to significant victories for various companies, showcasing his ability to understand and influence consumer behavior on a profound level.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Coffee Consumption

Coffee consumption refers to the act of drinking coffee, which has become a significant part of many cultures around the world. In the video's context, it highlights the transformation of Japan from a non-coffee drinking nation 60 years ago to one of the top 10 coffee consumers today, illustrating the impact of Nestle's marketing strategies.

💡Marketing Campaign

A marketing campaign is a series of promotional efforts from a company aimed at boosting the visibility, product awareness, brand image, and sales. The video discusses how Kloter Rapi Rapaye engineered a successful marketing campaign for Nestle, which was instrumental in creating a multi-billion dollar coffee industry in Japan.

💡Tea Drinking Nation

The term 'tea drinking nation' describes a country where tea is the predominant beverage of choice. The video script uses this to contrast Japan's historical preference for tea with its current status as a major coffee consumer, emphasizing the cultural shift that occurred.

💡Acquired Tastes

Acquired tastes are flavors or preferences that develop over time through exposure and experience. The video mentions this concept when discussing the shift from tea to coffee in Japan, suggesting that the preference for coffee was not innate but developed through Nestle's strategic marketing.

💡Nestle

Nestle is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate known for its diverse range of products. In the video, Nestle plays a central role in the story of how Japan's coffee culture was established through the company's innovative marketing and product development strategies.

💡French Psychoanalyst

A French psychoanalyst, in this context, refers to Kloter Rapi Rapaye, who was invited by Nestle to understand the emotional bonds between the Japanese people and their products. His research was pivotal in devising a marketing strategy that would eventually make coffee popular in Japan.

💡Emotional Bonds

Emotional bonds refer to the connections or attachments that individuals form with certain objects, experiences, or concepts. The video describes how Rapaye's research into these bonds was key to Nestle's strategy of creating a coffee-flavored candy that would form positive emotional associations with coffee among Japanese children.

💡Coffee-Flavored Candies

Coffee-flavored candies are sweets that incorporate the taste of coffee. The video explains how Nestle used these candies as a long-term strategy to introduce the flavor of coffee to Japanese children, creating a new generation of coffee consumers.

💡KitKat Bars

KitKat Bars are a popular chocolate-covered wafer bar brand owned by Nestle. The video mentions KitKats as an example of coffee-flavored candies that became popular in Japan, contributing to the overall acceptance and popularity of coffee flavors in the country.

💡Instant Baristas

Instant Baristas refer to Nestle's line of instant coffee products designed for quick and easy coffee preparation. The video highlights how these products were successfully introduced to Japan after the company had already established a coffee-flavored market through candies.

💡Archetype Research

Archetype research involves studying universal patterns of thought, imagery, and behavior that are present in people's minds. In the video, Rapaye applied this method to understand consumer responses and successfully redesigned the Chrysler PT Cruiser to resonate with consumers' subconscious desires for safety and security.

Highlights

60 years ago, Japan was not a coffee-drinking country.

Today, Japan is one of the top 10 coffee consumers globally.

Kloter Rapi Rapaye engineered a highly successful marketing campaign for coffee in Japan.

The 1950s Japan was a tea-drinking nation, highlighted by the hit film 'The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice'.

Nestle initially failed to popularize coffee in Japan post-World War II.

Kloter Rapi Rapaye was invited by Nestle to understand Japanese cultural preferences.

Rapaye used psychoanalytic methods to explore emotional bonds with products.

Japanese participants had no emotional connection or memories associated with coffee.

Nestle was advised to focus on coffee-flavored candies for children to create an emotional bond.

Coffee-flavored candies became popular among Japanese youth and their parents.

Nestle reintroduced coffee to Japan after a decade, targeting now adult candy consumers.

By 2014, Japan's coffee market was at an all-time high.

Nestle's strategy led to them becoming the market leader in Japan's coffee industry.

Kloter Rapi Rapaye transitioned from child psychiatry to marketing strategy after his success with Nestle.

Rapaye's archetype research helped Chrysler redesign the PT Cruiser for emotional appeal.

Chrysler's PT Cruiser sales skyrocketed after incorporating Rapaye's findings.

The video discusses the power of emotional connections in marketing and product design.