Google’s New Demand Gen Features in 2026: What Advertisers Should Actually Test Now
Google just made Demand Gen more serious for advertisers who care about creative scale, creator-led performance, and YouTube-driven demand. On March 26, Google announced its latest Demand Gen Drop, adding three notable upgrades: Veo-generated video variations from static images, YouTube Creator Partnerships inside Google Ads, and optimization for follow-on views. Google’s own Demand Gen documentation […]
AI Search in Japan in 2026: What Foreign Brands Need to Do Beyond SEO
Search in Japan is no longer just a ranking game. In March 2026, Hakuhodo DY ONE released its AI Search White Paper 2026, describing search behavior as being at a major turning point and explicitly warning marketers that AI search will affect traditional SEO, search ads, and content strategy. A few weeks earlier, Google announced […]
Dual Pricing in Japan in 2026: What Foreign Brands and Tourism Operators Need to Understand Now
Japan’s dual-pricing debate is no longer a niche story for travel media. In March 2026, the Japan Tourism Agency signaled that it will convene an expert panel to draft guidelines for dual pricing at tourist facilities. At the same time, the conversation stopped being theoretical: Himeji Castle already raised admission for non-residents to ¥2,500 while […]
TikTok Shop Japan in 2026: How Foreign Brands Can Start Selling Early
TikTok Shop is no longer a future trend in Japan. It is already live, already scaling, and already proving that content can drive commerce fast. Here is what foreign brands need to know in 2026 if they want to enter early, build the right local setup, and avoid the most common mistakes.
Japan’s Inbound Tourism Rebound in 2026: What Foreign Brands Should Change in Their Marketing Right Now
Japan’s inbound tourism rebound is no longer a recovery story. It is a live growth opportunity. In February 2026, Japan welcomed 3.46 million inbound visitors, the highest February figure on record, according to official data reported by Reuters and released by JNTO. Reuters also noted that Japan ended 2025 at a record 42.7 million inbound […]
The Rise of V-Commerce in Japan (2026): How Creators and Video Are Rewiring E-Commerce
Japan is moving toward video-driven e-commerce—not as a “nice trend,” but as a structural shift in how products get discovered and purchased. If you’ve ever felt that Japan shoppers “research more” and need more trust before they buy, v-commerce is basically the perfect match: it turns product discovery into proof, and proof into purchase, inside […]
UNIQLO’s Marketing Playbook: How “Basics” Became a Global Growth Strategy
When people talk about “great marketing,” they often think of flashy campaigns, celebrity endorsements, or trend-led drops. UNIQLO built one of Japan’s most successful global brands by doing almost the opposite. They took “basics” — the most commoditized category in apparel — and turned it into a scalable strategy: simple products, consistent messaging, and relentless […]
Japan’s Digital Ad Market Is Still Growing Fast in 2026: What Foreign Brands Should Do Now
If you’re planning to enter (or scale) in Japan, here’s the headline that should change how you think about budgets: Japan is no longer a “TV-first market that also does digital.” It’s officially a digital-first advertising market, and it’s still expanding. In its official report “2025年 日本の広告費”, Dentsu estimates Japan’s total advertising spend in 2025 […]
Digital Ads Are Now Bigger Than TV in Japan: What This Means for Your 2026 Growth Plan
Japan just crossed a major advertising milestone that foreign brands should not ignore. For the first time, internet advertising in Japan has reached a majority share of total ad spend. In Dentsu’s official “2025年 日本の広告費” release, Japan’s total ad spend in 2025 reached ¥8.0623 trillion, and internet advertising reached ¥4.0459 trillion, representing 50.2% of total […]
Yahoo! Shopping Launches an AI “Shopping Agent” in Japan: What It Changes for Ecommerce Marketing in 2026
In Japan, ecommerce discovery has always been platform-first. People search inside marketplaces, compare reviews obsessively, and “verify” before they buy. In late February 2026, LINE Yahoo pushed that behavior one step further: it introduced a generative-AI feature inside Yahoo! Shopping that helps users throughout the full shopping journey, from choosing products and comparing options to […]