Marudai Foods Launches "Go Japan! Smile Campaign" Featuring Japan's Women's National Ice Hockey Team

Marudai Foods, an official partner of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), is running its "Go for it! Nippon! Smile Campaign" ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics opening on February 7. The company also serves as the official sponsor of the Japanese women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan," which earned its Olympic berth for the first time in 16 years and the first time through its own efforts. The team has been appointed as the image character for this campaign. The campaign highlights the athletes' smiles and energy to boost the supportive mood.

The TV commercial "Smoked and Aged Sausage: Ice Hockey" edition highlights Smile Japan's practice sessions with the message "Smiles made us strong." It shows the players eating sausages with energetic smiles after practice, overlaid with the team's chant "Delicious smiles give us strength!" This emphasizes the deliciousness of the product that is the source of their smiles.

 

The campaign website features not only the TV commercials but also behind-the-scenes footage from filming, recipes using ham and sausages, and the supportive messages collected during the first phase of the gift campaign. It also showcases Smile Japan's match history, game schedules, and player profiles to build excitement.

The second phase of the gift campaign starts January 10th (until February 28th). Participants can win kitchen goods by sending in barcodes worth ¥500 from eligible products. This campaign is being promoted in the commercial and at retail locations.