Streaming Platforms Make Anime Marketable For Brands
Recently, Adidas revealed in a sneak-peek pic that they will release a new collection of shoe-wear based off the popular anime, Naruto. Considering that I'm an avid fan of the show, I was beyond excited to hear this news; I could sport my inner prepubescent tomboy in trendy, hype-beast fashion! (That’s right, athleisure is unfortunately still in).
Not much information has been leaked about the line, but I’m sure it’ll be a hit and we will see plenty of 8-year-old boys and 22-year-old men rocking them in the sandbox or in the weight room. In this blog post, Hollywood Branded examines the upcoming shoe-wear collaboration between Adidas and the popular anime, Naruto.
Mastering The Immortality Jutsu
Now mixing fashion with fiction is always a marketable move, but Naruto? That’s genius. Why? Because it's loved by children and the childish. This anime’s targeted audience is primarily kids and teens, and considering that the series is old(ish), airing from 2005 to 2017 in North America, it was and yet, still is incredibly influential to many millennials and gen z. In other words, this series somehow exceeds its targeted range, as even though its audience ages, the series doesn’t; while those who have grown up watching the show continue to mature, their interest in the series is never entirely outgrown.
Considering that I'm in college, all the people that I encounter who watch the series are at least twenty-years-old and of those people, most of them are guys. Some of these Naruto nerds are newbies like me (I started the series about five months ago), but some are also veterans; they watched the series as a kid and for some reason, returned to it as a young adult. However, it seems that each and everyone one of its fans is a die-hard dweeb for it, and I, myself, and am included; I have sacrificed my soul, my sleep, and my hostessing tips to Crunchyroll (a.k.a. the Netflix for all things anime). Okay, yes, Naruto is objectively bad-ass and cooler than cool, but I do think it is a bit odd just how everlasting this kids' or teen show seems to be and how it creates such an obsessive, ageless, cult-like following.
Blame It On Netflix
Shows from our childhood hold a special place in our heart because they bring us back to simpler times; they remind us of hope and possibility, that we can be whoever we want––even the Hokage! It’s always enjoyable to return to them, but over the years, the hands behind the remote who decides how and when we can time travel through our T.V. has completely changed.
When my parents were young adults, they would stumble across their favorite childhood cartoons on the television, say Tom and Jerry, out of pure chance, and though they would enjoy the show, they would only watch it out of convenience, not really choice. Back then, it was CBS or ABC who made the decision for you, but now that I am a young adult, it's all me! Unlike our parents, we can binge all day long because the monthly subscription on our computers allows us to; it gives us the freedom to revisit our inner child whenever we want.
But Make It Fashion
Streaming platforms, like Netlix or Hulu, definitely have some responsibility in Naruto's everlasting success, allowing for its audience to expand over a wide range of ages and countries, for it to stay relevant to man-babies (or lady-babies, if you're like me), all around. This hereby makes this show, along with any other anime or illustrated, cartoon, incredibly marketable for brand partnerships. By combining the uncommon with a common commodity, like Netflix or Hulu, Adidas might just help make these Asian shows in other regions of the world garner more of a North American following.
I’ll say it once more–––nothing is more chic and fresh af than dressing like a gym rat, and because of this fad, this shoe collaboration might just thread dweeb into designer. When we can acknowledge our childlike selves in a socially acceptable way, through something that is wearable, casual, and convenient. We can feel like a hero and act like we have superpowers, while still 'adulting.'
If you are interested in learning more about marketing and anime or brand partnerships, check out these blog articles our team wrote:
- Anime Licensing: Hulu And Funimation's Market Domination
- The Transforming Relationship Between Product Placement And Anime
- Case Study: Brand Integrations In Black-ish
- Top Brand Partnerships With Avengers: Endgame
- Ariana Grande's Partnership With Starbucks
Want to learn more about brand partnerships or or how to make it happen for your own business? Make sure to check out our podcast, Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them, hosted by our CEO, Stacy Jones.
