In the battle for a slice of the ?8.1 trillion ($72 billion) retail electricity market, Japan¡¯s biggest power companies are lining up against a cuddly bear, a fluffy white dog and a gorilla in business attire.
As the government starts fully liberalizing the power market in April, new entrants are jumping on the yuru-kyara (mascots) bandwagon to lure new customers away from its 10 regional monopolies. Tokyo Gas Co. has introduced a new yellow and white bear character called Denpa-cho, while wireless mobile carrier SoftBank Group Corp. has deployed Oto-san, the white dog named ¡°father.¡°¡°In the West, adults tend to avoid cute characters that seem childish, but in Japan these characters are thriving,¡± said Tatsuya Yamamoto, a Tokyo-based character consultant with the advertising and public relations juggernaut Dentsu Inc. ¡°Businesses use them because children, as well as adults, recognize them.¡±
In the land of Hello Kitty and Super Mario, mascots promote everything from motor fuel to the military. Now they¡¯ve been enlisted in the fight for a piece of Japan¡¯s shrinking electricity market amid Prime Minister Shinzo Abe¡¯s efforts to boost corporate competitiveness. Power usage last year fell to a 17-year low as households and businesses conserved electricity amid stagnant growth and a falling population.
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