The transformation of anime has been remarkable—not in its style, which has remained largely consistent for decades, but in its role in consumer culture. Whereas once, the select fans of the niche style had to visit local comic book or game stores, where they might find a corner or single rack devoted to their interests, today, anime is everywhere and accessible to everyone, and it claims legions of fans and followers. 

Those followers are still relatively specific in their interests and traits though. That is, the vast current rise of anime has been mostly due to Generation Z, for whom interacting with global content is both normal and expected. Because they can find anime content easily, through streaming services, apps, and digital sites, their ability to consume existing content, and demand even more, is vastly expanded from that of their predecessors. Millennials might have known a few Dragon Ball Z references, but their younger counterparts have gone much deeper into the genre.

Part of the appeal also stems from the themes prevalent in anime, which tend to resonate with Gen Z: diversity and inclusion, fluid identities and interpersonal connections, and ethical considerations. Anime characters are fantastical and unique, representing a sort of visual diversity that consumers can interpret in relation to the real-world diversity they see in their daily lives. Many of the storylines deal with pressing ethical and social issues, such as the need to fight against oppression and reject discrimination. Furthermore, anime encourages the popular hobby of cosplaying, enabling participants to dress up in intricate costumes, as Sailor Moon or other popular characters, and explore their preferred identities, in supportive, encouraging environments.

It is not as if anime is all these fans consume though, so to appeal to them, marketers are increasingly introducing anime styles, characters, and themes into their marketing efforts. The language app Duolingo, noticing that among all the languages it offers, Japanese was the fourth most popular, especially among users younger than 30 years, saw a ready opportunity. It began collaborating with Crunchyroll, popularly known as “the YouTube of anime,” to craft some novel learning content. For example, it leveraged the “Is this a pigeon?” meme to introduce new vocabulary to users. Duolingo also added scores of new terms that it gathered from popular anime series like Naruto, so users would find phrases to which they already had been introduced, during their leisure time viewing activities. Considering that more than one-quarter of Duolingo’s Japanese course subscribers indicated that their main goal was to be able to watch their favorite shows in Japanese, these targeted content offerings are likely to be immensely popular. 

Equally popular, even if perhaps surprisingly so, was a four-hour-long Nissan advertisement shared to the Lofi Girl YouTube page. The Lofi Girl animated livestream presents a character going about her daily life, with soothing music in the background. For one four-hour block, she drove around in Nissan’s new Ariya SUV. Occasionally, billboards featuring the new model appeared in the background, but the advertising was never too obvious. Amassing more than 17 million views, the advertisement blended nearly perfectly into the content, enabling Gen Z viewers to continue enjoying their Loki Girl content while also being exposed to advertising messages.

In addition to these expansive collaborations and efforts to integrate anime, hints of it have been showing up in a vast range of other companies’ marketing efforts too, all hoping to encourage Gen Z to recognize the appeal of their brands. A series of IKEA advertisements also embrace Loki Girl, showing Gen Z how its furniture could fit their lives; several Axe body spray ads mimic a general anime style; and McDonald’s hosted an anime-styles pop-up restaurant at a recent Anime Expo in Los Angeles. In all these examples, the brands clearly target Gen Z. If they can do so by appealing to this cohort’s love for anime, all the stars might align. 

Discussion Questions

1. Do you watch anime? If it appeared in advertising, would it attract your attention/engagement? 
2. What other previously “niche” interests seem to be growing and expanding in popularity, such that they even appear in mass marketing campaigns? 

Sources: Gillian Follett, “Why Anime Is Being Used by Duolingo, IKEA, and Other Brands to Reach Gen Z,” AdAge, July 31, 2023; Jennifer Jolly, “Learn Japanese through Anime. Duolingo and Crunchyroll Partner for Immersive Lessons,” USA Today, May 16, 2023; Janko Roettgers, “How Nissan Won the Internet with a Four-Hour Ad,” Fast Company, April 29, 2023.