Lettuce with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s Face Sells Out in Japan
A campaign by Ajinomoto, a Japanese food company, caught attention in Japan by selling lettuce with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s face, featuring the famous Japanese actor. The campaign was carried out in partnership with JA Zen-Noh Nagano and aimed to increase lettuce consumption during the summer while also reducing food waste.
The campaign, called “Cook Do Oyster Sauce Tatsuya Fujiwara ‘Please Buy Lettuce’,” had a limited production of just 10,000 units. Even so, the product quickly disappeared from shelves in several regions across the country.
Lettuce with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s Face Sells Out in Japan
The campaign was launched in late July and caught the attention of shoppers who found entire supermarket aisles decorated with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s face.
In addition to its eye-catching packaging, the product also featured a QR code on the back. When scanned, customers were taken to a website with various lettuce recipes, encouraging them to use larger quantities of the vegetable before it went bad.
The idea was directly connected to efforts to reduce food waste, especially during the summer, when fresh produce can spoil more quickly.
Why Did They Choose Tatsuya Fujiwara?
According to the person in charge of the project, choosing Tatsuya Fujiwara was no coincidence. The goal was to clearly convey the message “Please buy it!” while also representing the appeal of the farmers themselves.
The actor was chosen because of his strong presence and his ability to make expressions that immediately grab consumers’ attention.
To make the campaign even more eye-catching, the expression used on the packaging was specially created for the project. The artwork was inspired by the gekiga style, known for its more dramatic and expressive illustrations.
The result was a rather unusual package, with Tatsuya Fujiwara practically begging shoppers to take the lettuce home.
The campaign’s success ended up being much greater than Ajinomoto expected. At several stores, lettuce with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s face completely sold out on the very first day.
The situation even surprised the retailers themselves. One store employee said they had never seen customers buy lettuce like that before and described the reaction as incredible.
The person in charge of the lettuce with Tatsuya Fujiwara’s face campaign also admitted that the public response exceeded all initial expectations. The team thanked everyone for their tremendous support and said they hope to continue finding ways to help reduce food waste.
It seems that putting Tatsuya Fujiwara’s face on a package really can sell almost anything.