Yuzuru Hanyu: Commericals: Ghana Chocolate

If Yuzuru was popular before, after winning the Olympic Gold Medal, you haven’t seen anything yet!!!  YUZU-MANIA has started!!!  Of course, he is every marketers dream….good looks, charming yet humble, well spoken, and so so talented!!  Everything he touches and/or wears sells out immediately, and every product he endorses results in sales numbers gold!!!  Some thoughts on each of Yuzus’ commercials since becoming the Olympic and World Champion in 2014!!

Let’s start with the Ghana chocolate commercial.  The initial press conference event was spectacular, and what i mean by spectacular is spectacularly RED!!!  Serious overkill on the red!!!  While Yuzu looks good in pretty much everything he wears, I think the full red suit, in front of the full red backdrop was a bit too much.  Having Yuzu appear out of a giant white and red present while holding his signature Parisienne Walkways pose, while every girls’ dream, was a bit cheesy.  But, I’m sure I will try the chocolate if I ever see it.

Ghana followed up with a pretty decent chocolate commercial, where they had Yuzu skating, performing his signature moves and executing a triple axel in yet again, a bright RED costume, but at least this time, they had the common sense to make the pant bottoms black.  My favourite part of all Yuzu commercials is that the producers always publish the “making of” videos showing the behind the scenes footage.  This is where Yuzu is the most charming!!!  He rushes to the aid of someone who falls down, he gets on his hands and knees to clean the ice, and is generally just cute as he is embarrassed at what they make him do.

Link to the Ghana chocolate commercial:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moh6r8JhwEM&list=FLVMzucO94bLbF9CWlmAIvFA&index=188

Link to the making of the Ghana chocolate commercial:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bw48lE1KAg&index=189&list=FLVMzucO94bLbF9CWlmAIvFA

Link to Yuzu interview for Ghana: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuOQfbQuf7Y&list=FLVMzucO94bLbF9CWlmAIvFA&index=187

Yuzu-mania: When the commercial first came out, Ghana chocolate bars were suddenly sold out everywhere, shelves in stores were empty!!  My one complaint in this promotion is the actual pictures of Yuzu used for the promotional materials.  Whomever did the hair/makeup and/or photoshopping needs to learn what to do with natural good looks!  It almost doesn’t even look like him in the photo below.

The most recent followup to this promotion was the Yuzu folders.  Smart marketing promotion here.  It looks like they have printed 7 different folders with 7 different Yuzu photos, but the only way to get these folders is through product purchase.  You have to buy 2 Ghana products to get one folder.  Good for product sales!!!  Again, most places are sold out of the folders as well.

Bottom line, I would try the Ghana chocolate because Yuzu promotes it!!  A win for Ghana as many of Yuzu’s fans are desperately trying to locate some of this chocolate!

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