Advertising Tissues

One of the more novel forms of advertising in many of the high traffic areas especially around Shibuya and Shinjunku are the tissue packs. These small plastic packages with advertising and packages are handed out in their tens of thousands every day by young people typically advertising mobile phone deals, dating services or party lines.

The people handing them out usually form part of a team called the Brand Ambassadors which are usually young and good looking people dressed in a bright T-shirt or some kind of uniform. They usually have a loud PA system close buy playing screeching J-Pop advertising of the product in question, and can’t be missed.

This form of advertising dates back to the mid 1970’s and has become a huge form of marketing in Japan. An estimated 4 billion packs of tissues, representing 1 billion dollars, are distributed every year making it one of the most successful forms of advertising in the country.

The tissue pack works much better than brochures or other hand outs as people treat them as a real gift and usually keep them instead of discarding them in the closest rubbish bin, this gives the advertiser continued exposure.  Lately many luxury brands have jumped on board the wave and also started advertising with tissue packs.

The packs have caused such an impact it is virtually impossible to purchase pocket size tissues in stores throughout Japan as everyone expects to be given them in the streets as part of a promotion.