24's Kiefer Sutherland Latest Star
in Japanese Commercials
Screenshot from
www.cmt24.net, a
sub-site of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., owner of the Calorie Mate
product line. Three (no doubt costly) TV commercials have been
produced for the nutritious snack bars and drinks.
Unbeknownst to many Americans, stars from the USA have appeared in Japanese commercials
for years. The latest is Kiefer Sutherland, aka Jack Bauer from ABC's
hit series 24. In a run of three television commercials (so far) Jack
Bauer is seen in hot pursuit of ... Calorie Mate? Yes Jack, in true 24
fashion, is under pressure and in Japan. While chasing the fictitious
villain, Jack finds sustenance and energy to carry on with Calorie
Mate snack bars and beverages. Truly entertaining. These commercials
certainly cost a pretty penny to produce but will also find new
Calorie Mate consumers worldwide.
ABC's 24 has been a huge success in Japan where fans fill message
boards with chatter and produce websites dedicated to the TV show. Looking for
rhyme or reason to the success of 24 in Japan? Perhaps it lies in a
common bond between the US and Japan in fighting terrorism as
portrayed in 24, or perhaps it's just a cool show.
Kiefer follows a long line of US superstars who lent their name to
Japanese trademarks. It's a shame that Americans have never seen
Leonardo DiCaprio selling credit cards, Dennis Hopper selling bath and
herbal medicines, Madonna selling liquor, Tiger Woods selling coffee,
Arnold Schwarzenegger selling ramen, Nicholas Cage selling pachinko,
Meg Ryan selling Nescafe and Brad Pitt selling blue jeans. All of
these are true and unseen by all but Japanese.
"Lost in Translation" with Bill Murray may be a fictional story,
but the tale of an American movie star traveling to Japan for a
whiskey advertising contract is not based in fiction. This is business
and American stars are big business in Japan. Big business in the US
too but stars and agents (and attorneys) aren't as willing to sell a
face to their own audience.
See the three Calorie Mate TV ads featuring Kiefer Sutherland here:
