European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 stars and stripes sunday March 25 2007 everything cute in Japan even cars by Yuri Kageyama the associated press Yokosuka Japan m Yano Sasao is defying the conventional Wisdom that cars targeted to a Niche consumer category Jav such As Young women Are doomed to fail the 18yearold japanese Hospital worker just bought the Nissan Pino a to like minibar just 11 feet Long with Star stamped upholstery a Hook for a handbag and a Chic milk Tea beige exterior although she says she almost went with the Pink its so cute i just love it she said to make sure women like Sasao get the message Nissan motor co launched a merchandise line for Pino including Pink Bea shaped cushions seat covers with hearts a cd Case that looks like fat red lips and a colourful cover for a tissue Box Pino int even made by Nissan japans third biggest automaker its made by Suzuki motor inc but under a manufacturing agreement Nissan packages Suzuki Alto Model differently with fancier seat fabric a Dis Tinct front design and a Hubcap inspired by a Snowflake so the wheels appear to sparkle on the Road All touches to give the car that cute look Nissan had 5500 orders for the Pino in the first month since it went on Sale in Jan uary More than double the company tar get of 2500 a month Sasao knew Alto looked a lot like her Pino and was quite a bit cheaper Pino starts at about while Alto starts at f but she still was willing to spend More and take out a six year Auto loan for the Pino because she thought it was so much cuter while models such As sport scars or fam ily minivans target segments of the popu lation Auto companies generally avoid producing models aimed at narrow Niche markets because they usually dont sell in numbers Toyota motor corp officials often say they dont believe in Overly specific marketing tactics which Are Apt to backfire for an automaker known for bestsellers such As the camry and Corolla and in most countries experts tend to advise against making autos Pink or add ing other cute features to Appeal to female Drivers partly because that May smack of sexism and turn off women except in Japan Here Young women Are extremely pow Erful in setting trends and the culture of cute is so prevalent grown men Arent embarrassed about dangling Little mascots from cell phones also japanese Consumers frequently use personal products to show off who they Are often buying designer Brand products to make a statement said Kazuo Ikegami marketing expert and professor at Ressho University photos by Shizuo left eighteen Earold Ayano Sasao shows off her Nissan Pino in Yokosuka Japan the minibar is just 11 feet Long with Sta pattern seating a Hook for a handbag and a Chic beige exterior above Sasao left and her Mother Mayumi examine animal shaped cushions that Are part of a line of merchandising for the Pino that Nissan motor co launched to target Young women product image is far More important for japanese Consumers than american Consumers Ikegami said theres a much bigger element of personal identity in japanese marketing even the advertising for Pino is tailored to women who Are about 20 years old the pamphlet is Manga style like a Jap anese comic Book depicting the Story of three Young Well dressed women going shopping together manicuring their nails to match the Sta patterns on Pino seats using aromatherapy oils in the car the to ads also Tell a similar Story Nissan marketing manager Miwa Ishii says one goal for Pino is to court Young Drivers to the Nissan Brand with Hopes  move on to buy More expensive models in the future Ishii said the net store Nissan opened especially for Pino goodies is aimed at attracting online shoppers who tend to live in areas far from the glitzy stores of Tokyo and other cities exactly the demographics of those who buy minibars China cartoon sensation is bad girl with positive message by Evelyn Iritani los Angeles times Beijing Little p is a re haired joker with a robot dog and a mind bursting with rebel lion she has a closet filled with tight Midriff Baring clothes her biggest worry is getting fat meet bad girl a cartoon aimed at a generation of Young chinese raised on a diet of imported video games Kentucky Fried Chicken and communist rhetoric when song Yang published his bad girl comic Book last year his friends asked whether the character was him in disguise i guess i am a lot like her said the elfin 25yearold dressed in a pair of tight Black jeans and a shirt asked what that meant he tilted his head and smiled in naughty song a bad boy with a pen and paper has the oversized Ambi Tion of creating a cartoon charac Ter that can help redefine the worlds image of modern China and boost a Domestic Industry overshadowed by Manga from Japan and Manawa from South Korea China with its 13 billion people boasts one of the worlds biggest cartoon markets but the vast majority Are imports but song is trying to catch a popular culture wave in a coun try where the tide shifts quickly the Competition for the youth Market is fierce and the Genera Tion Gap is measured in years rather than decades chinese kids especially in the cities have a cocky smart Urban Edge to them said Stacey Duff the arts editor for time out Beijing an English language Magazine to which song is a regu Lar contributor if they see some thing that Doest match their chinese cartoonist song Yang bad girl lives there going to lose inter est fast Newsstands Are filled with Glossy magazines promoting the hottest taiwanese pop stars and latest weight reduction Miracle but chivas youths also face stressful Competition for Good schools jobs and even relation ships because the on child policy and the cultural Affinity for boys has led to a worrisome Gen Der imbalance and the contradictions Between the governments communist ideals and the Getrich Quick Economy have exacerbated the cynicism that per meates youth culture in most countries Little p int exactly a Paragon of modern chinese virtue she talks Back to her parents makes fun of ancestor worship and secretly smokes cigarettes her Dys functional family is More like the Simpsons than the cleavers but look More closely song said and bad girl offers a Posi Tive message a lot of chinese Young peo ple they appear to be very bad on the surface he said they might appear to be Lazy they May cheat people often there crazy about Money but when they come across serious things the kindness in their heart will be expressed song finds his inspirations near by in places such As Hou Hai Lake where he hangs out with his friends in the old Stone buildings that have been refashioned into trendy cafes and nightclubs i dont have a very Rich life be cause of my Young age he said in not in a position to advocate love and peace and such big ideas what i can do is try to under stand the life around me song is Riding High bad girl is featured in an advertisement for Hugo Boss Man fragrance he has a gallery show in Beijing trendy Dashanti Art District and he is working on a cartoon based record for a foreign music com Pany featuring original songs Sung by him and a voice created for bad girls character the record is due out this year