We’ve seen a revival of the Cosplay Sells phenomenon in the past few weeks, and let me tell you, it’s not over just yet! Cosplay does sell, even medicine! Like this ad where a metallic football player tackles down some pollen before it can get to your nose.

Cosplay sells, but in this case it works on a much better level; while the western world sells medicine with images of supportive families and hollow 3D blue bodies with glowing red areas, the Japanese are going all out with violence. Let me tell you, next time I have a cold, the first lab to show me an ad with a 60ft tall mecha reigning hell over the virus gets my money.

[Japan Probe]

Here’s the First Corollary to Cosplay Sells: When humans cosplaying as animals doesn’t work, have an animal cosplay a human. Like this ad for a hotel booking service in Japan with a cat cosplaying as a salary man. Damn it, Japan! You’ve got this down to a science, now I want to book a room I’ll never use. This gives me a great idea though… be right back, trying to put a tie on my cat. This cant go wrong, can it?

Hat tip to Ben!

[Japan Probe]

Once again, marketers take advantage of the only surefire way to sell stuff in Japan: cosplay. This time we learn a bit about the etiquette of car damages for giant monsters. Bonus points if you can correctly tell if the person in the monster suit is a man or a woman.

[Japan Probe]

Ah, good new additions to the Cosplay Sells series are starting to reappear. Today’s example comes from Kuroneko Yamato Transport Company, a small parcel delivery service in Japan. They’ve decided they needed some star power, so they hired Seishiro Kato, a child actor who’s all the rage right now. Then they figured it out that cosplay sells, probably an epiphany after realizing how many Canon copy machines they had bought and how much tea with milk they were drinking.

So they decided to have this kid dress as a cat and do a little dance, because in Japan you cant go wrong with a little dance. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kuroneko Yamato becomes the go-to parcel service for lolicon and shotacon material. You can watch the dance video in question on youtube.

[Japan Probe]

This isn’t exactly a new entry in our long series of cosplay sells TV ads, but it is a derivative of one. Kyowa, a brand of backpacks in Japan, is taking a page from Aeon with their latest TV ad. In Kyowa’s ad we see a foreign aerobics instructor doing an energetic routine while repeating a tagline and… weird creatures dance in the back.

Aeon’s ad featured a cute anglo-japanese idol doing a dance along with little kids dressed as bears in the back. Perhaps when it comes to Japan and backpacks you better not mess with the formula. It’s almost like mad libs!

Foreign female dressed as NOUN does VERB while little PLURAL NOUN dance in the back.

I propose: Foreign female dressed as a zebra does pantomime while little ducks dance in the back. I’d buy that backpack! Now its your turn guys, show us your ideas in the comments!

[Japan Probe]

Its been a while since we last examined proof of the 1st rule of Japanese marketing: cosplay sells. Its still true though, it even sells backpacks, or bear suits, I’m not sure it matters. Here we have Becky, an anglo-japanese idol, promoting backpacks while cosplaying as a polar bear. Perhaps Coca-Cola could learn a thing or two about marketing with polar bears from Japan.

[Japan Probe]

A computer virus has infected your system, oh sweet Eris! Who do you call?! Norton Fighter, of course!

Norton fighter is the newest attempt by Symantec to win ground in Japan, the masked hero goes around fighting viruses in typical Japanese superhero fashion. Even when viruses try and appear friendly with their fancy emoticons, Norton Fighter never drops his guard! Here’s a video of Norton Fighter ducking it out with some viruses in Japan.

I suppose they forgot to add the part where after winning the fight Norton Fighter goes on to hog your computer and become paranoid of everything you attempt to do.

If you’re not new to Dark Diamond you’ll know that we are faithful believers of the first rule of marketing in Japan, that is, Cosplay Sells. We’ve seen it many times before. Usually its pretty girls in costume but there are exceptions to every rule.

[Norton Fighter / Via Japan Probe]

We’ve said it before, perhaps too many times, yet we’d never refuse an opportunity to see it in action once more. I’m talking, of course, of the first rule of Japanese marketing: Cosplay sells. Even when its animated cosplay like in this milk ad. It might be real, it might be fake but one thing is for sure, your next glass of milk wont be the same.

I was about to eat some apple pie with a glass of milk, now I’m not so sure. Maybe I will just have the milk.

I haven’t been able to eat McDonalds since I was 7 years old, the stuff makes me puke. So Ive grown to be a Jack in the Box kind of guy. But Japanese marketing just might make me eat the stuff again.

Remember the first rule of Japanese marketing, cosplay sells.

Japanese TV ads are super short compared to western ones. With 15 seconds in length you’d think they’d take every chance to get product screen-time. But no, a girl in a chicken suit is much much more effective. Thats Japan for you, right there. Well that and the Canon girl.

That would be an awesome ringtone!

Thanks SW