Birthday Design

Foto: Kikkoman

Already developed in 1961 by Japanese designer Kenji Ekuan, the original bottle from Kikkoman has since found a permanent home in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. On the occasion of its 50th birthday, Kikkoman has now developed a limited edition designer bottle which will be supported by numerous promotions at the PoS.

Globally, it is now commonplace in Japanese restaurants and is also synonymous with the Kikkoman brand – the global market leader among soy sauces. In 2011, the designer classic will celebrate its 50th birthday. Reason enough for Kikkoman to bring a colourful limited edition on the market.

The history of Kikkoman originally begins in the 17th century in the Japanese city of Noda. The favourable location on the banks of the Edo River facilitated access to raw materials which were used for the production of a soy sauce and transport to the city of Edo which is now named Tokyo. There, the first Dutchmen discovered the “black gold” and brought it back to Europe. In 1873, Kikkoman received the first award at the World’s Fair in Vienna and another one in 1881 in Amsterdam. In 1917, the Mogi and Takanashi families founded a company which then became the “Kikkoman Shoyu Co. Ltd.” in 1964 and the “Kikkoman Corporation” in 1980. Today, the company employs approximately 6,500 employees at its own locations in Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Australia, Canada, the USA and Europe. Production is carried out in Japan, the USA, Singapore, Taiwan, China and the Netherlands. Approx. 400 million litres of naturally brewed soy sauce start out from here annually on the journey to the supermarkets and delis on all five continents.

Promotion at the PoS

This year’s birthday of the famous soy sauce will be supported by numerous, attention-grabbing promotional campaigns for the consumers: Whoever, for example, buys two bottles of Kikkoman in a retail shop, will receive the limited edition designer bottle upon a free-of-charge basis. The exclusively designed bottle is unfilled, but can be filled again at any time. The limited edition designer bottle is not only particularly stylish, but it will above all bring colour to the kitchen and to the dining table.
Campaigns such as these campaigns or on-pack promotions have since become completely classical marketing tools and offer a magnificent option to improve customer loyalty. However, it only then becomes a highly effective promotion when the consumer himself is allowed to design and participate in the promotion. Kikkoman has now also used this opportunity to its advantage and invites the consumer to use the Kikkoman dispenser to design his own designer bottle. Exclusively in order to introduce the special edition, Kikkoman is starting its own promotional campaign web site with a design competition in which each person can create his own stylish soy sauce dispenser. Such campaigns are expected to appeal to above all young consumers upon a sustained basis – and last, but not least, will ensure high identification with a product.

The Classic

“Design is the source for the improvement of life” – this is the motto of the celebrated Japanese industrial designer Kenji Ekuan who has played an important role in the Japanese designs for packaging and logos. One of his most well-known designer pieces is the Kikkoman dining table bottle.
Already developed in 1961, the 150-ml bottle is still quite modern today. With its curved silhouette and the subtle product lettering, its appearance is simple, elegant and timeless all at the same time. However, the designer classic not only looks great, but is also very practical in its use. With its contoured bottle spout, even small quantities of Kikkoman’s naturally brewed soy sauce can be poured precisely and without any dripping. For Kikkoman, the designer dining table bottle is commonplace these days. The unmistakable dispenser has become synonymous with the Kikkoman brand over the last 30 years. The combination of functionality and aesthetics has also received much praise from international designers. Thus, Kenji Ekuan was given the Lucky Strike Designer Award in 2003 for, among other things, the design for the dispenser-and, owing to the fact that it is a designer classic, the dining table bottle is now even displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.