Facebook and Dentsu ink marketing deal for Japan
February 28, 2011 – 4:11 pm
There were those who said McDonalds or Starbucks wouldnt succeed in the Japanese market. And those who claimed the iPhone wouldnt gain much traction in Japan appear to have fallen silent. Of course, Facebook has had its naysayers as well, with countless articles telling us why Facebook didnt have what it would take to truly penetrate the Japanese market.
There are times when the naysayers are right; Vodafone didnt really get Japan and the verdict is still out on Hooters. But, one of the main arguments against Facebook was precisely the reason why Ive been holding that it will expand and become a heavyweight. Facebook, they say, just isnt that popular and not all that many people use it. Of course, that means Facebook has far more growth potential than any existing domestic social network.
Earlier today, it was announced that Facebook and Dentsu have joined forces and that Dentsu will provide consultation on effective Facebook Page (see Note 1) development, exclusively market Facebook Premium Ads, and offer new marketing strategies utilizing Facebook that are tied into ad placements in the mass media to advertisers in Japan.
In other words, like it or not, Facebook is about to get a ton of attention in Japan and will become quite popular. Softbanks White Family was seemingly born to have a Facebook fan page run by the company (errDentsu). And dont forget that DoCoMo and AU, Japans two other relevant mobile service providers, are also Dentsu clients.
Lets be honest: If Krispy Kreme could get people to stand in line for hours to buy doughnuts, Facebook shouldnt really have trouble getting millions of people to sign up for their website.
Tags: Japan