Saturday May 26, 2012

Would you go bananas for Y877,000 an hour?

Would you go bananas for Y877,000 an hour?

TOKYO —

Dole Japan Ltd is looking for a “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador” for its new commercial for bananas. The campaign runs until Oct 13.

The lucky winner will earn 877,000 yen (“ba-na-na”) per hour. The “ambassador” will get to work with SMAP singer Shingo Katori in the new commercial that will be aired on TV and the Internet.

To apply for the position of “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador,” visit the Official Dole Japan Facebook Page, and “Like” it. Then you need to write a comment on why you would make a good “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador.”

In order to be considered, you should match the image of Dole, have a strong desire to become the “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador.” Dancing skills are not required.

Japan Today

  • -29

    JapanGal

    Facebook? I am never buying a Dole product again.

    What kind of serious business would open a face book account?

  • 1

    Cos

    "What kind of serious business would open a face book account?"

    You think there are businesses (except the shotengai granpa stalls) that don't have a facebook ?

  • 1

    bentheredonthat

    @japangal

    uhhh, like all of them. in fact, most "serious," and non-serious, businesses are on FB and twitter. whre have you been the past 2 years?!

  • 5

    ADK99

    Took me about 90 seconds to find Toyota, McDonalds, Microsoft, Virgin Atlantic and Coca Cola all have facebook pages. A better question would be "What kind of serious business wouldn't open a facebook account?"

  • 3

    SquidBert

    I think JapanGal has a point, but I think the question should be reformulated as:

    • What kind of serious consumer uses Face Book to look for bananas?
  • 2

    hatsoff

    This is clever marketing. Lots of exposure with people visiting their Facebook page and liking it, and the money they pay to whoever becomes the “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador” will still be a lot less expensive than the amount they'd pay to Dentsu or Hakuhodo for a marketing campaign. Good luck to them. And good luck to the dancing banana too (no dancing skills required!).

  • 6

    Papigiulio

    877.000 and hour? pleh I make that in 8 months. beat THAT

  • -1

    Gurukun

    Dole Japan Ltd is looking for a “Smile♪ Dole Dance Ambassador” for its new commercial for bananas.

    I was going to apply for that, but my teeth now look worse. See the story on Tokyo Dental Fad. .

  • -1

    NetNinja

    Do your teeth have to be yellow as well?

  • 1

    Badge213

    No just crooked.

  • -16

    JapanGal

    You cannot view a facebook page unless you join facebook correct?

    That is totally wrong.

  • -11

    JapanGal

    I do not need facebook or twitter for my business, and I do rather well.

  • 7

    taj

    I do not need facebook or twitter for my business, and I do rather well.

    Looking at the photo you choose for yourself, I am tempted to write something about business and streetcorners... ;-)

    Sure there are many kinds of business that do well without creating buzz. For others, where for example, there's really no difference between your products and those of your competitors, brand is all you've got.

  • 2

    theeastisred

    I would pay that money to have Katori Shingo disappear from the airwaves.

  • 0

    risamamachan

    It is one of the strategy to attract people's attention.

    But the winner may envy from ordinary people. I hope the winner will choose from the devastated area, Tohoku.

  • -6

    JapanGal

    Thumbs up Taj and kisses

  • 0

    CrazyJoe

    そんなバナナ!(son na banana) if you know what I mean. There's no way I could dance one hour straight.

  • 0

    sakurala

    I'm going for it! It would be an interesting experience to be in a commercial and since my hubby and I just got a new house, it would definately help us out (we could finally buy a sofa for it!)

  • 1

    Papigiulio

    sakurala, for that money you can buy 10 sofas for it heh

  • 0

    gogogo

    What is the overtime rate? :)

  • 0

    nakamuran

    JapanGal - a lot of businesses this day are utilizing online tools and doing quite well. it spreads quickly and cuts advertising costs. And while many may think it to be low and slimy, most people dont think that far. 90% of people just think "oooh! money!!" and click like, there-in sharing it with everyone on their facebook. A wise man once said "you'll never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator". Appeal to the masses and their mob-mentality, and you will do well.... unfortunately.

  • 1

    sakurala

    Papaguilo:Yay! Maybe I could also get a tv stand so I can sit on the sofa while watching tv and eating bananas (^^)

  • -10

    JapanGal

    I guess Zuckerman has taken control of most of you posting here.

  • 3

    lostrune2

    877,000 yen an hour............. They'd probably only use you for 1 minute, haha!

  • 0

    Farmboy

    This DOES seem like a nice item to put in one's CV...just after prison warden, I think.

  • 2

    Christina O'Neill

    Is there an age limit and speaking of teeth, with or without?

  • -1

    Nicky Washida

    To be honest there is not much I wouldnt do for 877,000 yen an hour!

    Apply here if you can afford it......!

    But I do just have to ask: why 877,000? Why not 878,000 or 876,000? Am I missing some kind of neat "hachi-nana-nana" type language trick??!

  • 1

    papasmurfinjapan

    Hell, I'd sell my integrity for half that.

  • 0

    Mr. Bill

    lostrune2 pretty much beat me too it, but I was going to say I would not do this for one minute! You do the math.

  • -3

    steve@CPFC

    Money can't buy you love.

  • 2

    CrazyJoe

    バナナ (ba na na ) バ(ba) is 8, and ナ(na) is seven in japanese. So you get バナナ 877. It's simple as that.

  • 1

    CrazyJoe

    Since you need a facebook account to enter, you should be at least 13 years old (with teeth).

  • 0

    360LP

    ultimate -21 hits

  • -4

    JapanGal

    I gave you a thumbs up Stevie. What you say is true.

  • 3

    cleo

    Money can't buy you love.

    But it can buy you a lot of bananas.

    If one bunch costs say 150 yen and contains an average of 5 bananas, for 877,000 yen you could buy nearly 30,000 bananas. That's one banana a day for 80 years.

    You'd have to buy them in instalments though, or they'd be way too ripe to eat.

  • 3

    Ash 'Vanguard' Baker

    i applied and i wrote a very genki post :D GO ME! i have sold me soul to Dole

  • 1

    southsakai

    In order to be considered, you should match the image of Dole

    Young, black and 22/7ghetto behaviour. Guess I'm out :)

  • 1

    Farmboy

    you should match the image of Dole

    I'm planning to apply for the job dressed as a pineapple. Who's with me?

  • 2

    Serrano

    I went to Dole's Facebook page and I believe my comment will get me the Smile Dole Dance Ambassador job. I hope this job entails several hours, heck, I could do it all day!

    Farmboy - I'm planning to go dressed as SpongeBob Squarepants who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

  • 2

    Christina O'Neill

    To Steve no money cant buy love but you can be miserable in comfort

  • -1

    Pukey2

    Why does Katori always make himself look silly?

  • 0

    Nicky Washida

    バナナ (ba na na ) バ(ba) is 8, and ナ(na) is seven in japanese. So you get バナナ 877. It's simple as that.

    Ah, thank you CrazyJoe. I knew there must be a gimmick there somewhere but I can never seem to figure it out until someone hits me over the head with it!

  • 0

    SquidBert

    @Nicky and CrazyJoe

    But they missed one (expensive) chance of increasing the chuckle factor.

    If the work would have been for 10hours , then it would have ba na na man instead of ba na na sen

  • 0

    ADK99

    JapanGal, no you don't need to have a facebook to view company pages - just search on google and you'll find them and be able to view them (can't think why you would want to though). I'm not sure why you would boycott Dole for advertising on facebook. Why is it different to advertising on TV, radio, poster etc? Personally I don't see myself being influenced one way or another by this kind of thing - when I buy bananas I compare price and how nice they look. I have no idea what brand my breakfast banana was this morning.

  • -1

    Serrano

    "Why does Katori always make himself look silly?"

    Why is Katori rich?

  • -2

    JapanGal

    Thanks ADK. So you are saying I should search for their real pages and not there social networking attempts on face book?

    I had my last Dole Grape Fruit yesterday. Sour. To bad. Most fruit in Japan is perfect.

  • 0

    lucabrasi

    "Match the image of Dole...."

    Hmm. Well given Dole's record with their workers in Nicaragua, I guess you'd have to be something of an unpleasant thug to match their image....

  • -1

    Elbuda Mexicano

    Sounds crazy but for Dole?? Sure!!!!

  • 0

    Marion Wm Steele

    48 comments above and the most interesting were the pictures of JapanGal

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