It's no secret that companies around the world know how influential anime can be. They jump at the chance to collaborate with an animation studio and TV company, promoting their products with short but colorful and fun presentations.
Marketing with anime has become more popular over the years, with Japanese companies and even companies around Asia creating multiple-episode "anime-style" commercials to sell their various goods and services. It's a smart business move to use eye-catching aesthetics to appeal to a broader audience. And in the age of social media, word travels fast. Well-known anime like One Piece, Attack on Titan, and Gintama have collaborated to advertise drinks, sporting events, and even razors. But there are some anime-style commercials and promotion works that even seasoned fans may not know about.
10 An Up And Coming Anime Studio Collaborated With A Big Video Game Company (Puzzles & Dragons)
No one would expect Studio Colorido, the anime studio behind titles like Burn the Witch and Star Wars: Visions, to be behind the animation for a popular mobile game.
Japanese game company GungHo Online Entertainment collaborated with the anime studio for two 37-second anime to promote one of their most famous games: Puzzles & Dragons. In one of the commercials, a group of high school students gathers to play the game on their mobile phones. This is coupled with a few colorful, chaotic scenes with motifs related to the game. Puzzles & Dragons came out in 2013 and exceeded more than 50 million downloads worldwide.
9 The Scratch X One Piece Collab Gives Fans The Best Of Both Worlds
Japanese companies have found many unique ways to promote their products, and one of the ways is through the most popular anime. In 2016, Takarakuji, Japan's lottery system, partnered with One Piece to promote their newest scratch cards.
The 15-second anime played in tandem with the One Piece: Gold film that aired in July 2016. Of course, the Straw Hat Pirates' captain, Monkey D. Luffy, rushes to find an island stand where people are playing with the new scratch cards. His enthusiasm is infectious as he learns more about the lottery, something Takarakuji was banking on when creating this promotional anime.
8 Studio Ghibli Refreshes Viewers With Iced Tea (Umacha)
Well-versed Studio Ghibli fans would probably remember Umacha, a two-episode anime from the early 2000s. The studio behind famous movies like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle released this short series as part of a partnership with Asahi Beverage Company.
Umacha's animation style is a sketchier, storyboard version similar to their 1999 movie My Neighbors the Yamadas. In typical Studio Ghibli fashion, both episodes are lighthearted as everyday adults go about their lives while enjoying Asahi Beverage Company's iced tea.
7 Love Live! And Watering KissMint's Promo Featured μ's Beloved Tsundere First-Year
Love Live! fans (especially Maki Nishikino fans) are probably the only ones who remember this 15-second promotional "anime." The collaboration was released as a project with famous food company Glico in 2015. Fans voted for which μ's character would be Glico's new campaign girl, and the piano-playing tsundere was chosen.
To the tune of μ's' single "Angelic Angel," the short featured Maki dancing around in various costumes while chewing on Glico's new gum, "Watering KissMint." The gum came in multiple flavors while the packaging featured μ's' sub-groups in their Angelic Angel costumes from the Love Live! movie.
6 Tottori U-Turn Encourages Youngsters To Look For Work
There's no shortage of strange anime that Japan has created, and Tottori U-turn is on the lighter side. There's very little information about this 30-second anime, and the Tottori Prefecture is assumed to be its creator.
It centers around a swimmer who leaves Tottori University to compete professionally, but he has a last-minute change of heart and "U-turns" back home to find a job. It's an odd marketing tactic nonetheless, but it's unclear if it was necessary. After all, Tottori was already attracting tourists after the prior release of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, which takes place in the same prefecture.
5 Kyoto Animation Brings In Customers With Their Own Anime (Shops You'd Want to Visit)
Kyoto Animation has a way of showcasing its breathtaking and unique art style. They delivered with their 30-second anime Shops You'd Want to Visit.
The anime aired in July 2012, featuring an unnamed girl as she disembarks from a mechanical plane. She travels through a field and discovers a mysterious shop in what seemed to look like an abandoned building. The anime was meant to advertise Kyoto Animation's gift shop. They sell various goods such as animation cels, keychains, and other items related to their many popular anime.
4 The Taisei Kensetsu Series Showcases The Most Breathtaking Scenery
Taisei, a Japanese construction company, is another prominent business that uses anime to promote itself. They have used 30-second "anime" to advertise their services since the early 2010s, and their construction projects can be seen around different parts of Asia.
Their most recent project was Taisei Kensetsu: Singapore, another anime promotion that was released in 2018. Taisei constructed the Thomson–East Coast Line, a subway system that connected the Thomson and East-Coast lines. The beautiful and dreamy imagery is reminiscent of Makoto Shinkai's other films.
3 Road To You - There's Nothing More Romantic Than Tires
The short but sweet anthology anime Road to You has as much drama as a standard-length series. But what fans may not know is that the three-episode ONA series was meant to serve as advertisements for a tire company.
Dunlop Tyres Japan collaborated with Sunrise to create the Road to You series back in 2017, with a new episode coming out each year. Each episode focuses on relationships between childhood friends, family members, and coworkers. They all have relatable plotlines that anyone can enjoy, leaving the viewer feeling warm and fuzzy... and maybe wanting to buy some Dunlop tires.
2 An Anime Commemorates A Famous Company's 100th Anniversary (With Love That Lasts A Lifetime)
With Love That Lasts a Lifetime is a particularly "sweet" way to advertise caramel candies. Morinaga Milk partnered with Detroit Metal City's Studio 4°C to create a 2-minute "movie" to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
The 2013 anime focuses on a young housewife jumping in between her chores and caring for her crying baby. She notices a box of Morinaga Milk Caramels open and one of the caramels floating closer to her. The young woman finds herself reminiscing her childhood and how her mother would give her the caramels to calm her down.
1 Instant Noodles And Romantic Misdirection Make The Perfect Combination (Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War)
The instant noodle company He Wei Dao has a history of advertising its products through anime collaborations. They've worked with a couple of big-name titles such as Gintama, Re:Zero, and Sword Art Online.
In 2020, He Wei Dao partnered with A-1 Pictures, birthing a two-part OVA series with characters from the well-known anime, Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The anime garnered massive success in 2019, spanning substantial social media attention through hilarious memes and addictive dance sequences. It's a mystery that no one knows about such a collab given its popularity.