Japan has a population of 130 million. They love football. We've just signed their national team captain. If only 50,000 Japanese were to buy a Saints shirt, that's 2 million quid. 100,000 = 4 million 200,000 = 8 million etc That sort of income each time we release a new shirt, nice. Well done Nicola! Plus, Yoshi looks pretty decent... bonus!
So you obviously became a Real Madrid fan in 2003... I don't think the Japanese are that stupid to be honest.
Real Madrid said they got all of Beckhams's fee back in shirt sales alone in the first season of him being there...it is a sound move for Saints tapping into the Asian market and a double bonus for us as both players are pretty decent.
Are you kidding me? What kind of comparison is this? English fans have one of the top two leagues in the world and over a century of tribal-like commitment to their teams, plus an inherent arrogance aimed at all other European leagues, so therefore it is very unlikely any true Englishman would convert to a rival. However, in Japan, the J-league is far lower in popularity than our very own Premier League, and down every high street you encounter Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal shirts. If anything I was being conservative with my estimates. And yes, I've lived in the far east for over five years now, incl; Korea, Vietnam and China and have made several visits to Japan. Trust me, this hypothesis - although ashamedly simplified - has legs mate.
Apparently the Japanese are not pure club fans like us and do form attachments for players. Will certainly get us coverage in Japan, so we'll just have to wait and see. Wouldn't rule out a preseason match in Japan next August even though ostensibly NA ad NC do not favour far flung friendlies.
When I was in Laos recently I bought their national football shirt which I wear to confuse the hell out of a Leeds fan at my local gym. In the shop it was hard to find my size, so the guy was trying to sell me a Man U or Arsenal shirt on the basis that it was also red! Out on the streets Chelsea, United and Arsenal seemed to be the local favourites. This post is not an unrealistic view, in my experience of the Far East in general and of Japan in particular. I'm sure the first thought was value for money buying - Tadanari Lee is already a favourite at SMS and Maya Yoshida might provide a challenge to the chant writers but if he's as good as many think will soon be adored - but the bonus of breaking into an untapped market would not have eluded Nicola. Onward and upwards. What a great time to be or become a Saint!
My whole thing is whether they will swap those Man Utd shirts for Saints shirts. I don't see it. Perhaps we'll pick up a few who currently are without allegiance. The other problem is, do we have anybody who sells saints shirts in Japan, or will they all have to order from the OS? Be a bit weird if you can buy a saints shirt in Tokyo but not Totton...
Japanese fans who came to SMS to see Tadanari were mainly girls, so that may be the market. Shame that they'll be unlikely to get tickets this season as there will be none (apart from hospitality) for random people.
I think this could be significant. You do see folk wearing Barcelona shirts around in town and what does Southampton have to do with them. Unless it somehow escaped me that Messi was originally from Bitterne and honed his fabulous dribbling skills on Lances Hill. If every city has fans prepared to buy a shirt there are a lot of towns, worldwide. I know very little about Japan but I will happily accept the testimony of someone who has and it all looks quite encouraging. I rather look forward to the day that everywhere I choose to holiday, I will see Saints shirts emblazoned with the names of our heros, as will all the Pompey fans.
If you see a Barcelona shirt in Southampton it probably means that the wearer or a relative has been to Barcelona. I know I used to buy such shirts on holiday for my son as he would wear these things but would never wear another English club's kit.
Trust me, the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are so ridiculously patriotic, they love nothing more than seeing their own in major sporting competition. In Korea, upon realising I was English, the first question anyone would ever say to me was; "Do you know Park Ji-Sung?" They absolutely hero-worshipped him, and I can guarantee that a huge portion of those Korean Man Utd "fans" will now be switching to QPR. If Saints are able to make a bit of a name for themselves, play nice football, top-half finish or something, trust me, we're quids in. If Nicola has any sense, he will release the shirt over in Japan and fork out for a few billboards in downtown Tokyo.
I think BB makes a very sound point. I posted along similar lines when Saints first signed Tadanari Lee. Japan is still a relatively new market for PL football. People will look in this direction and some will buy merchandise. The numbers suggested seem relatively modest.
It did make me think last night that the choice of the red home shirt may have been a consideration for the marketing into the far east..... Significant lucky colour out in the far east is red.
...and, the year when Man Utd played Chelsea in the CL final (2008), the fact that SAF chose to play Hargreaves instead of Park Ji-sung was met with huge controversy in Korea, and the nation, almost en-masse, decided to support Chelsea, such was the extent of their pissed-off-ness. Man U shirt sales dropped massively, and notice how, when they returned to the final in 2011, Park Ji-sung was on the team sheet!
I just hope this doesn't mean that Adkins is put under pressure to play certain players in televised games for non-football reasons. I'd also like to think that nationality and marketing has nothing to do with signing players, as that way madness lies (although i'm not that naive).
