There is another group of people who come to make a killing in Japan – Hollywood stars.  The Japanese watch Hollywood movies in droves.  Most movies are released in Japan relatively soon and it is customary for lead stars to make a trip to Japan to promote the movie.  In fact most male Hollywood stars are big celebrities in Japan though female stars are known but Japanese men tend not to show the same passion in embracing them as women do.  The Japanese companies realize this and in one of the world’s largest markets for advertising, they hire the most popular Hollywood celebrities to promote all kinds of products.  The reason is also simple – money.  Millions of dollars are paid by Japanese corporations to fit these Hollywood icons into their advertising strategy.  Here is a sampling of what some of these stars are currently promoting/advertising or have promoted/advertised in the past:

The interesting part is that none of these stars would advertise/promote these products in the United States.  The commercials in Japan for consumer products have a totally different feel – the kind run by your local hair salon.  Many people call these commercials ‘tacky’, ‘cheesy’, or simply ‘stupid’.  Plus, some of these stars push alcohol or tobacco products – a complete NO in the US.

The reason for the success of Hollywood stars in advertising/promoting Japanese products to Japanese is simple – the fascination with Amerika.  In a country where almost all mannequins in department stores and hair salons are blonde, it is not difficult to identify with Harrison Ford selling Kirin beer.