Friday, December 21, 2007

Is Krispy Kreme cool?


Photographer/visual artist Annette Dorfman from San Francisco is so impressed Japanese will line up for a product sitting around in the frozen food section of a Safeway she is compelled to take a photo.
A new Krispy Kreme opened in Yurakucho Marui (Itocia), where long lines are forming as well.
My story on "gatsoon-kei" food. On the other hand, Annette showed a mysterious penchant for things Japanese that we who live here would find undistinguished.
She bought the new white Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo, tiny figures she thought were cute, "shiso" body soap and other products found collecting dusting on MatsuKiyo shelves.
Human nature is to want hard-to-get things.
Rarity breeds value.
Something to keep in mind when you go Christmas shopping for friends living abroad!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

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DANIELBLOOM said...

so ''in your face'' food is "gatsoon kei" food? had not heard that term before. interesting. I think the big lines are really part of a marketing gimmick, PR hustle, than a real thing. I think the firms that release these new products ask their own workers to stand in line to create a line circus, and then the media follows and takes photos and it's free advertising, and the next day, more people who are curious come. This happens in Taiwan too, when new stores open. It's all a marketing hype. I would NEVER stand in line for such crap donuts. But I would eat them in there were no crowds. Who wants to wait in line? What a waste of time? Pure marking hype, IMHO. And it works! SMILE

Dan in Taiwan

Yuri Kageyama said...

Yup, big lines draw more lines.
At least, here.
It would seem like a big line would drive people away.
The idea is: If it's good enough to wait for, it must be good.