Maho Nabé
By Tiger Corporation
Total Branding, Outbound Marketing
We assisted Tiger Thermos in entering the EU market by branding their new product development.
Tiger Thermos is extremely popular in Japan, but back in 2016, its brand recognition in the EU was poor.
We started by creating a scenario for entering the EU market to get an idea on how to form a brand for a new product in such environment.
This is an exciting project for us, as we are involved in everything from planning to distribution negotiations.
First of all, as the new product is a cookware, we decided to start in France, a country of gastronomy.
We thought that France was the most suitable location to launch this product because of its pro-Japanese character and deep understanding of Japanese food and culture. We also searched for an agency in charge of local marketing, advertising and PR, and developed sales channels.
Maison&Objet 2019, TIGER Booth
As a part of branding, we took short films to give the audience a glimpse of what is it like using the Thermos.
The new product is called Maho Nabé. It is a Japanese name, but with the French letter 'é', it will be more familiar to the local people. It expresses the concept of a thermos as a pot. The trademark has also been acquired internationally. Maho Nabé has been in preparation for about two years, and has invited three-star French chef Alain Passard to be its ambassador. It has developed a wide range of creative measures that will be accepted in France, including food photography by a top-class photographer who has shot products for Bulgari, Hermès and Cartier, a promotional video, and a brand book. The brand has developed a visually-oriented creative policy.
In September 2018, the brand was unveiled at Maison & Objet (hereafter M&O), the world's largest international trade fair in Paris, and in December 2018, the brand was successfully signed for exclusive sales at the long-established luxury department stores' Bon Marché.
In 2019, Maho Nabé showed its rapid progress by expanding its sales channel at Bon Marché, as well as at BHV, a large Parisian department stores', La Bovida, a French national chain, and general shops in Paris.
Chef Alain Passard, Maison&Objet 2019, TIGER Booth
At the September 2019 M&O, star chef Alain Passard also conducted a cooking demonstration of the Maho Nabé at the TIGER stand. Like the M&O held in 2018, he attracted a large crowd. He served food to visitors and gave them an opportunity to taste the flavors cooked in the Maho Nabé.
The participants were delighted by the colorful, aromatic and flavourful dishes made by the Maho Nabé.
Left Alain Passard, Right CEO of TIGER Yoshisato Kikuike
Continuing from September 2018, it was Julie Bavan, a student, who made the TIGER booth lively with Alain Passard. Julie is also famous as a vegan cooking expert who does not use animal-derived foods. Maho Nabé has shown its full potential in vegetarian recipes.
