Much has been written about sophisticated Japanese consumers and their legendary high standards.
Despite some shift in spending habits due to the economy, brand still matters in Japan, says John Parker, president of Amway Japan. John was one of three Japanese execs interviewed for a video about Japanese consumers just posted to McKinsey Quarterly.
“Consumers today don’t want to be told about a brand or product—they want to discover it. In fact, there’s a certain amount of cachet for a consumer that discovers a cool product or maybe a new or unknown brand and shares it with others,” says John. “And the digital form allows that to happen in a way that’s so much faster than in the past.”
The Japanese consumer is often online sharing their “finds” and opinions about brands—and listening to the views shared by others. Which means “heard it from a tomodachi” — a friend — carries heavy weight when it comes to building brands in Japan.
Amway Australia. Amway Distributors. Ambassadors. Athletes. Aid to charity. Artistry product focus.
It all adds up to one full-page advertisement in The Australian and one full-blown bold move on the part of our colleagues at Amway Australia.
This “A-team” decided to reallocate its 2010 marketing dollars - wisely, we think - to spread the word about Amway’s family of brands, business opportunity and citizenship efforts. In the past, those dollars were used to publish a monthly distributor magazine. It’s a move that’s received accolades from Amway advocates, prospects and distributors alike.
Every month, a similar insert will appear in Australia’s top newspaper, sure to be a marketing effort that makes the grade.
After righting the wrongs of the wild American West, the famous Lone Ranger character would ride away on his horse, prompting the question, “Who was that masked man?”
In similar vein, our friends in Australia pose the question, “who is that company?” in a new video designed to make people realize they may not know Amway as well as they think they do.
Hosted by three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer and Amway ambassador Libby Trickett, the video is already sparking conversation. Trickett’s accomplishments make her anything but incognito and now, the same is true for Australia and New Zealand’s 100,000 Amway business owners.
But this isn’t the first time Candace has been honored by the magazine. She graced the cover of Black Enterprise in September 2009 as its Corporate Executive of the Year.
You might say this is well-deserved recognition to the second power.
It’s only natural that we have baseball on our minds this week.
But every week, we’re thinking Twitter. We’ve seen people use it to find each other during disasters, raise millions, and spread urgent news around the globe.
We Tweet to engage with people interested in our business opportunity and product brands — our Amway Business Owners, media, customers, and sometimes, critics.
You’ll find enough Amway handles on Twitter to load the bases at several ballparks, but here’s our official line-up:
Today Orlando community leaders and Orlando Magic officials ”topped off” the Amway Center currently under construction in Orlando, Florida.
By hoisting the final beam in place, workers placed the roof on what some are already calling the greenest arena in the country and the first NBA facility to be LEED certified when it opens in late 2010.
Today, it’s raising the roof. Next fall the Amway Center will raise the bar as one of the nation’s premier sports and entertainment facilities and green public buildings.
Amway does. So much so that starting today we’re sponsoring Orlando Magic training camps and player practice jerseys. It’s the the first season in which the National Basketball Association has granted permission to have a sponsorship presence on team practice jerseys, and we’re stepping up to the line.
We’ve also stepped up our presence in Orlando. As announced earlier this year, Amway acquired the naming rights to the new Amway Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010. In addition to being the home court for the Orlando Magic, Amway Center will play host to an array of national events, concerts and family shows.
Our chief marketing officer Candace Matthews calls this a unique opportunity to build pride in the Amway business around the world. “Both Amway and the Magic have fans around the world, and in both organizations, we are committed to the hard work it takes to succeed.”
The Amway-tagged jerseys will be worn during Magic training camps, regular-season practices, post-season practices and pre-game shoot-arounds.
Between the jerseys, training camps, and Amway Center opening next year, Amway’s going to be hard to miss in Orlando.
When it comes to getting connected, Amway Australia/New Zealand has the hook up.
Amway has teamed up with one of the world’s largest mobile phone companies, Vodafone, to provide service to New Zealand Independent Business Owners. Vodafone will better equip Amway business owners when connecting to their customers.
And the company’s got some high profile connections as well. A recent advertorial in The Australian linked the company to sprint star Libby Trickett and cricket player Adam Gilchrist and connected Aussies to the company, products, and business opportunity.
Our Australian PR mate Kevin Lowe began blogging earlier this year to share a down under perspective on Amway’s 50th anniversary events in the U.S. Now Kev is at it again, blogging about Amway Australia/New Zealand’s Achievers event in Tokyo. That’ll keep all of us connected with what’s going on at the business recognition event.
Connecting with customers and business owners is what we’re all about - down under or wherever we operate.
You’ll find enough Amway handles on Twitter to load the bases at several ballparks, but here’s our official line-up:
