FALL 2018 FALL KAHLA WATKINS 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 目次 INTRODUCTION 4 THESIS STATEMENT 6 METHODOLOGY 8 Books and Articles 8 Interview 11 Observations 11 RESEARCH 12 Background Information 12 Target Market 15 Marketing and Promotion 16 Design Considerations 18 ACTIONS TAKEN 22 Brand Identity 22 Collateral 24 Advertising 28 Web Design 34 Social Media 34 Merchandise 35 CONCLUSION 36 APPENDIX 38 BIBLIOGRAPHY 38 2 3 MISO HUNGRY THESIS INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 前書き When I was young I went through the typical middle school anime phase that seems to be a common stage of life. And like most everyone else, I outgrew that interest. However, in recent years my two brothers got me to start watching it again. Because I am older now, my appreciation for the Japanese culture grew. I noticed there were specific Japanese cuisines repeated in each show. One of special dishes was Onigri, which is a rice ball. After seeing the preparation of the dish in several episodes, I thought I would try making it myself. With the help of my mom, we attempted the dish, and it was an epic fail. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a Japanese food truck that offered genuine Japanese comfort foods such as Onigri? 4 5 MISO HUNGRY THESIS THESIS THESIS 論文 This project involved the marketing and branding of a Japanese food truck called Miso Hungry. This was accomplished through extensive research in the food truck industry, Japanese cuisine, the Japanese pop culture, artists such as Takashi Murakami, and new Japanese design as well as traditional Japanese design. The final result included a logo, food truck design, packaging, merchandise, a website, and advertising. 6 7 MISO HUNGRY THESIS METHODOLOGY are considered the food truck METHODOLOGY 方法論 generation. Joseph Coughlin is the director AgeLab at MIT Descriptive research was used to “How One Korean Taco Truck (Massachusetts Institute of gather this information. Qualitative Launched an $800 Million Technology) who’s research research is primarily exploratory Industry” published in National explores how demographic change, research. It is used to gain an Geographic provided insight on the technology and consumer behavior understanding of underlying marketing, branding, and operation drive innovations. reasons, opinions, and motivations. of a food truck business. David Brindley is currently the managing “3 Reasons Websites Are Vital for BOOKS AND ARTICLES editor for National Geographic, Small Businesses” provided insight a well renowned magazine on the importance of a website for Pantone: The Twentieth Century and channel that is known for a small business in todays day and in Color provided details on color exploration and honesty. age. Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle is a trends, shifts, and reoccurrences of contributor to Forbes magazine, a certain hues. Leatrice Eiseman is “The Two Faces of Takashi well renowned magaizine, who has a color specialist who also assists Murakami” provided details on written a book about managing and companies in color choice for a Takashi Murakami’s art career as marketing a retail business. range of areas. well as explained the idea behind the “Superflat” art movement. Thinking with Type: A Critical Jeff Howe is a writer for Wired Guide for Designers, Writers, Magazine. Editors, & Students provided details on using typography in visual “Curbside Enthusiasm: A Look communication from print to digital at Mobile Franchises” provided design. Ellen Lupton is a graphic an understanding of the range designer, curator at Smithsonian of mobile business possibilities Design Museum, and the director of as well as what to do/what not the Graphic Design MFA program at to do with a mobile business. Maryland Institute College of Art. Jason Daley is a contributor to Entrepreneur magazine, which is “Japanese Design: Art, Aesthetics an informational publication for & Culture” provided specifics on inspiration and solutions one needs Japanese Design such as clothing, to succeed as an entrepreneur. architecture, packaging, and contemporary works of art. Patricia “Millennials are the Food Truck J. Graham holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Generation” provided details on art history and has been in the field the target market of food trucks for over 30 years. and why exactly Millennials 8 9 MISO HUNGRY THESIS METHODOLOGY INTERVIEW An interview with a Japanese Restaurant owner provided information related to marketing a Japanese food business. The owner has over 20 years experience in the restaurant field and was born and raised in Taiwan. Questions asked during the interview are located in Appendix A. OBSERVATIONS Observations were made at a food truck park to get a better understanding of how people interact in that environment as well as what they’re attracted to. A closer look at the designs of food trucks were made too. Observations were also made in side of a Japanese restaurant. 10 11 MISO HUNGRY THESIS RESEARCH homes or businesses” (Daley). Gold Japan capitalized on this idea States hasn’t been able to capitalize RESEARCH 研究 also suggests this when he notes because it was a way to avoid on vending machines because of “consumers have wearied of giant social etiquettes, it produces more the crime rate, so vending machines Results of the research led to chains but still demand food that is revenue, and it encourages impulse are mostly placed in front of valuable information related novel, inexpensive and fast” (Gold). buying. Because Japan’s crime rates established businesses. However, to the history of the food truck, Now, food trucks are common in are low, they don’t have to worry in Japan where the crime rate is advertising and marketing nearly every big city as well as in about vandalism, where as in the relatively low, it is common to see a commonly used in the industry, some suburbs, but the diverse food United States it is only common to vending machine standing alone in the specific target market for trucks we see today stem from Los see vending machines in front of a street (Kincaid). this business model, and design Angeles. L.A. is the “intersection established businesses. The United considerations for creating brand, between food and wheels” and is collateral, and advertising. a place where food trucks “define the landscape” (Gold). L.A. is where BACKGROUND INFORMATION Kogi’s award winning chef, Roy Choy, is from and now were food FOOD TRUCKS trucks featuring food such as “sushi, Brazilian barbecue, Greek The food truck industry has been sausages, red velvet pancakes, around for a long time. According Vietnamese sandwiches, cupcakes, to Butler, evidence of the food truck Indian dosas, Filipino halo-halo, concept predate automobiles and Texas barbecue and any of a stem from two separate dining hundred other things” can be found traditions from the years right (Gold). after the Civil War. Pushcarts and chuck wagons served cowboys VENDING MACHINES and urban workers, traveling with them to feed them. Fast Vending machines are a huge forward a few years to the Great part of Japanese lifestyle. By Recession, mobile businesses 1998, Japan had over 5.4 million such as food trucks became more vending machines (Kincaid). These ideal. Because the startup cost is vending machines sold anything much lower compared to brick- from “frozen beef, hamburgers, soft and-mortar operations, food trucks drinks, eggs, cigarettes, alcohol, can start bringing in revenue ice cream, soup, porn, towels, almost immediately, says Daley. flowers, bus tickets, train tickets, As mobile businesses became toys, batteries, coffee, DVDs, and more common “time-strapped and underwear.” Vending machines overworked consumers wanted are so popular for many reasons services brought directly to their but mostly for convenience. 12 13 MISO HUNGRY THESIS RESEARCH KARAOKE truck located in L.A., provides their and distinctive brand, but deep specific target audience as also associations with the people During the 70’s is when karaoke being Millenial. More explicitly [they] wanted to reach” (Prasad). was born and emerged in Japan. defined as “millennial shopper, They did this by bringing their Today, it is still a very popular female/male 70/30 split, ages 25-45, truck to the people rather than pastime for the citizens of Japan adventurous, diverse, authentic to insisting the people come to and at least 50% of Japan enjoys who they are” (Schwartz). A graph them. They launched Kogi in karaoke on a semi-regular basis. provided by Statista reveals 47% of front of nightclubs, set up in front The reason this love for karaoke all adults have purchased a meal of college campuses as well as hasn’t translated over to America from a food truck. tech companies “where starving is because when the form of developers needed to re-fuel entertainment crossed the seas it LOCATION between their late-night coding was adapted for Western tastes. binges,” which is what really It was made into a public event, A food truck should constantly be defined their target market (Prasad). and only ideal for the people on the move. Kogi BBQ in it’s first They also took their food truck to extroverted enough to get on year grossed a few million dollars music programs, art events, and stage. It remains popular in Japan from one and a half trucks only museums openings that targeted because of its privacy and service. selling 2-dollar tacos. They were the specific culture they hoped to All across Japan there are Karaoke able to grow that big that fast by embody. Prasad states, engaging Boxes where a group of people can only doing a few simple things. those different cultures, Kogi BBQ rent a room for relatively cheap They invested time in effort in became the bridge between them and sing to their hearts content building a culture around the ultimately cultivating their own while being served food and drinks.