Apply Character Business Know-How to Increase the Probability of a Hit!

[Introduction]

Hello.
I worked at Bandai Co., Ltd. from 1990 to 2019, and during that time, including a nine-year secondment to Namco Ltd., I was in charge of planning and marketing for a wide range of businesses, including toys, games, events, and theme parks.
Through my experience in the field—such as working on product planning and promotion for Hyper Yo-Yo and Charawheels, producing the arcade game event 'Taiko no Tatsujin Japan Championship,' handling content planning and promotion for character theme parks, and producing anime programs in Asia—I realized that hits are not accidental. If you plan and produce while focusing on a few key points, you can increase the probability of a hit.

I also realized that these points can be applied not only to the character business but also to other industries.
I have organized these into '5 Points' and will introduce them in a shortened version.
I hope this will be a hint for your business success.

[Point 1: The Golden Age]

'Childhood experiences shape lifelong values. If you want to appeal to a brand, start with children!'

Characters and games encountered in early childhood remain in the heart as 'nostalgia' and 'attachment' even after becoming an adult. 'Adult buying' can be said to be one manifestation of this.
The excitement gained during the *Golden Age (ages 5-12, elementary school years), when the brain's nervous system is most developed, leads to long-term brand love.
In other words, if you want to cultivate brand fans, appealing to elementary school students, whose nervous systems are flexible and in the midst of rapid development, increases the likelihood that they will become future fans and customers. Conversely, once they reach junior high school and beyond, their interests, hobbies, tastes, and personalities become established (fixed) with age, making it more difficult to propose new values or appeal to a brand.
In the world of sports, there are many episodes of top athletes who started sports under the influence of manga or anime. It is also a fact that in schools, there have been phenomena where the number of club members increased rapidly due to the influence of hit works about basketball or soccer.
From these events as well, it is highly likely that childhood experiences shape lifelong values.
*Source: 'Scammon's Growth and Development Curve' by American scholar Scammon

[Point 2: Learning from the Past]

'Examining the 'past' of customers reveals hints that lead to hits in the present and future.'

If you research the manga, anime, music, sports, hobbies, and fashion that the target generation was obsessed with as children, you can get hints that will move their hearts now that they have grown up.
Visualizing this is the 'Memory Hit Map.'
For example, let's assume the target is a 30-year-old woman as of 2025.
She spent her Golden Age from about 2000 to 2007. The map is complete if you list the content that was popular in each year.
Creating such a map provides a persuasive basis for planning.
When cultivating brand fans, once the target is decided, I think using the Memory Hit Map will make it easier to grasp hints for planning.
I called this 'Learning from the Past (knowing the past and applying it to the present).'

[Point 3: 6-Year Cycle]

'Trends are reset in about a 6-year cycle. Anniversary events are a prime example.'

It takes about 6 years for an elementary school community to cycle through (from 1st grade to 6th grade).
It takes a total of 6 years for a junior high to high school community to cycle through.
If you re-introduce products that were hits in the past through renewal or resale after more than 6 years, the probability of them regaining freshness and becoming a boom again increases.
The reason is that for children who do not know the past, resold or renewed products are accepted as fresh, and for children who have grown up, they are favorably accepted as 'nostalgic things.'
Conversely, if you introduce them before the community cycles through, it will be emphasized within the same community that they are old, childish, or outdated, such as 'Are you still playing with that? Are you still watching that?', and it will be perceived negatively.
Although there are individual differences in the timing when negative emotions change favorably to 'nostalgic,' based on experience, I think 6 years is a guideline.
This is the idea that 'trends are reset in about 6 years.'
On the other hand, various anniversary promotions for products, services, and character content are being carried out under the names of '5th anniversary' and '10th anniversary,' but isn't this also a variation of the 6-year cycle in a sense?
In cultivating brand fans, I think it is inevitable that continuing this cycle or anniversary becomes an important factor.

[Point 4: Three-Generation Strategy]

'If you involve children, parents, and grandparents, the brand will live long. Even with the same brand, it is important to provide products and services for each generation!'

The market expands as three generations of parents and children share the same work, such as Gundam, Kamen Rider, and the Super Sentai series.
The nostalgia effect and shared family experiences create long-term brand assets.
In particular, the Super Sentai series will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, and it has literally succeeded in cultivating fans across three generations: 'children, parents, and grandparents.' Persistence pays off.
The secret to this success is that they are constantly supplying videos, books, products, services, events, etc., according to the growth of each target: children, parents, and grandparents.
In cultivating brand fans, I think that by applying the methods that are successful in these character works, it is possible to create a success model even in other industries.
For example, let's explain using seasonings such as soy sauce and sauce as an example.
In the Showa era, scenes like the whole family sitting around the dining table were common. There, the seasonings prepared by the mother became 'part of the family's memories,' deepened attachment between generations, and even after the children grew up, there was a purchasing trend of naturally buying products of the brand that the mother had prepared.
On the other hand, in modern times, the scene of families sitting around the dining table is on a downward trend. As a result, opportunities for the transmission of specific seasoning brands from parents to children have decreased, and coupled with the increase in competing products, it has become difficult for long-established brands to maintain market share. Also, from the perspective of modern children, there is a risk that it will be interpreted as 'things parents used = old-fashioned, not for young people,' and there is a possibility that long-established brands will be increasingly shunned by young people.
In such a market environment, I think that product development by target, which changes package design, taste, and ingredients while grouping under the same brand, is effective, but what do you think?

[Point 5: Creating Emotion]

'Five senses + surprise + memory move people = emotion. Let's visualize the emotion points!'

Emotion is not something invisible; it can be visualized.
I named the tool for visualization the 'Emotion Meter.'
With the Emotion Meter, you create a radar chart with 7 evaluation points. Those 7 evaluation points are 'sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, surprise, and memory.'
By applying most things, such as products and services, to the Emotion Meter, you can grasp weaknesses and strengths.
For characters and video works, you can change the evaluation points to create a dedicated chart.
The evaluation points are as follows.
(1) A specific indicator stands out.
(2) The balance of all indicators is high.
How to use it is to first create an Emotion Meter with past products or services with a track record, and then create and compare it with new products or those under planning.
By accumulating this data, the accuracy of the Emotion Meter increases.
If you can master the Emotion Meter, the points that move people will be visualized, and the possibility of leading to emotion creation will increase.

Hits are not accidental.
From 'Golden Age Theory' to 'Emotion Creation'—the 5 methods can be applied to any industry.

What they have in common is to science how to move people's hearts and incorporate it into a mechanism.
If you do that, you will be able to increase the probability of a hit and visualize the evaluation.
I will continue to disseminate methods and practices for creating emotional experiences.
(Since this is a shortened version, please forgive any lack of explanation.)

👉 I would be happy to receive your impressions and feedback.
👉 Please also see 'ChatGPT Utilization Techniques for Manufacturer Planners' regarding AI utilization.