I like watching TV and online commercials, especially the award-winning ones from Asia.
Those from Japan and Thailand are my favourite. They are always creative and entertaining. The ads can be a funny episode, a humorous situation or a touching story. At times, they keep you guessing until the very end what they are really advertising.
(Not sure whether it is the problem of the agencies or the clients. But those made in Singapore can hardly leave an impression on the audience.)
Nissin Cup Noodles Es Club Commercial
Early this month, Nissin re-launched their three ethnic favoured cup noodles. It is an unexciting current product line with slight improvement of the old formula. Besides, cup noodles is considered an instant food consumed to fill up your stomach only when you are alone and hungry.
How did the advertising agency manage to wow consumers?
They released a new commercial titled “Club Es Noodle Eating Calls” (ヌードル食べコール). The top three male escorts of a night club, namely Thai tomyum, Singapore laksa and Black pepper crab, promise patrons a “spicy paradise” with their “call boy” service.
With three gigolos flaunting their toned bodies and dyed long hair, the “cup noodles” immediately become the symbol of seduction. The 2½-minute music video is filled with flirtatious lines, provocative postures and sensuous lower body shots. There is no lack of suggestive props such as bedsheets, chains and boots.
The excitement of watching the video can no doubt help ladies to drive away their morning blues, premenstrual syndrome and menopause discomfort. The only disappointment is that it is in anime rather than featuring real actors. Fortunately, it has three popular anime voice actors doing the voice-over.
(Caution: M18 rating with some mature content. Restricted to persons 18 years and above. Watch the original version in Japanese. Watch the video with Chinese subtitles.)
How online order fulfils customers’ wildest dream
There is also an online order page sharing the Es Club theme. Each top male escort (Thai tomyum, Singapore laksa and Black pepper crab) has their individual profile, listing key information including their height, horoscope, hobbies, clothing ornaments, special skills, favourite type of women and customer comments.
It clearly states what makes them so popular in the club, with a Q&A session on their customer service principles using analogy of noodle ingredients. Click the voice buttons and you can hear how they greet customers in the morning and at night using their sensual tone of voice.
Patronizing gigolo clubs and splurging over call boys are no longer a taboo in modern Japanese society. In fact, “host clubs” is a US$10 billion industry in Japan with some 800 outlets in operation.
In the article “Japan’s flirty male escorts sell dreams”, The Star interviewed male escorts working in these clubs.
“Hosts exist to fill a void in someone’s life.”
“We’re selling them dreams, so you lie about loving them in return for serious money.”
“It’s important the customer believes there’s a chance of love. After all that’s how you get her to come to the club and spend more.”
Lonely women are buying attention, affection and love. Sweet-talking gigolos are selling them dreams.
But not all Japanese women have the means, guts or intentions to spend money on male escorts. That’s where Nissin’s Es Club commercial and online order website come nicely into play to fill the gap.
It helps to satisfy the curiosity, meet the fantasy and fulfil the dream of women about call boys, by resembling ordering cup noodles online with ordering male escort services – except with no guilt, no risk, no social stigma, no money wasted and with complete privacy.
Buying a home or a dream?
How many home buyers know exactly what they are looking for? How many first-time buyers or amateur investors can articulate exactly what they want?
Developers and their marketing agents help to fill that gap by telling property buyers and investors who are no experts in properties what, when, why and how they should be buying.
The original market value is $1,000 psf. The developers bought from en bloc owners at a 20 percent premium at $1,200 psf. With construction, marketing and other costs, the developer must sell the new project at above $2,000 psf to make a small profit.
But how can the developer tell property buyers that the asking price is a simple cost-based model? This boring fact is not sexy at all and won’t attract property buyers.
How to sell at $2,000 psf? How about spurring property buyers’ imagination, relating to their dream, and spiking up those feel good factors?
Just show them an advertisement filled with buyers’ fantasies — an artist’s impression of a stylish development, condo blocks against the background of infinite blue sky and lush greenery, and adorable wife and kids enjoying themselves in a huge swimming pool.
Never mind whether these are actuals facts or not. Any way, no buyer will sue the developer if they find none of these after collecting the key to their unit.
Property advertisements project buyers’ aspirations into a dream home that is purported to fulfill their hopes. It is all about hyping up the feel good factor and creating the delusion of instant gratification.
– Reader of Propertysoul.com
Above all, bombard the public about the new launch with the same ad on TV, radio, newspaper, internet, e-mail, mobile and in the mail. Deploy aggressive advertising and extensive media coverage that work 24/7 to brainwash target customers.
For property buyers who are impatient of waiting to buy a home at reasonable prices, who are tempted by the analysts’ biased comments, who are convinced by smooth-talking property agents eyeing at their commission, these alluring ads that promise to fulfil their Singapore dream just nicely come into play to fill the void.
Buyers are looking to buy a home. Developers are there to sell them a dream.
A dream is priceless. Whether it is $1,300 psf, $1,800 psf or $2,000 psf, it is up to developers to set the price and up to the buyers to pay top dollar.
Did you watch my video “2018 Singapore Property Market – what developers, agents, banks and analysts are hiding from you”? Watch it now!
Do YOU yourself also HARBOUR such DREAMS and FANTASIES? How about creating ONE for us in SG, not of ANIME MALE MODELS ( or lady ones for those of the opposite sex) but of luxury housing way way beyond our reach and expectation. ONE SG dream that we can open and feel and wade our way in every night to salivate and wallow in eternal joy before we go on switch off mode in slumberland.
I am not greedy. Most of the things I dreamed of I already have. The rest (dreams or fantasies) are only good to have.
Yours is a great idea. To save the trouble, just watch Netflix’s “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes”.
I thought the Singapore dreams and fantasies are no other than striking the jackpot of 4D, Toto or en bloc sale?
Precisely! 🙂
A good salesperson can sell comb to bald man.
The art of sales is not only to provide tangible “goods & services” — any 3-year old kid can do that, but more to sell to people’s ingrained desire — and that’s something human have in common, and our weakness.
In the end, the winners are a few, and the losers are majority — a sad but true fact
Good salespeople understand the needs of customers and can relate to them. But integrity and honest representation are more important.
yes, integrity & honest is for the long-term and lasting relationship, and it doens’t come “cheap”
Aggressive marketing tactics may and usually will work in the short term. However, they should be done with caution for developers looking to establish and grow their reputation for the long term.
Absolutely. The problem with the property market is: There are too many industry stakeholders who believe in making money from buyers in one-time purchases instead of building their reputation and a long-term relationship. They just aim to take the money and go.