In a recent article in a fashion magazine, results of an INTA (International Trademark in of Japanese members of Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2010) said that only 46% of Japanese reported having bought counterfeited goods before, compared with much higher rates in many other countries with prosperous and/or growing Gen Z purchasing demographics. The results show Japan stands out for its members wanting not to stand out, and this shows in the JPO’s tactics for fighting purchase of counterfeit goods.
The average among the global young adults surveyed showed that the vast majority (average of 75%) wanted to “stand out” rather than “fit in,” while in Japan that rate was at 36%. Meanwhile, they seemed to avoid counterfeit goods (at least in self-reporting) better than many counterparts around the world. The survey results also gave Japanese young adults a 17% higher rate of saying buying counterfeit goods than average. So are Japanese buyers more morally firm? Self-repressive?
What made the difference? Fashion writer Hirakawa Yu suggests, with good reason, that Japanese youths, if they do not see peers with branded goods, want to avoid sticking out by having such–so they actually avoid buying them. (This suggestion cuts both ways, though–maybe some buy counterfeit items to seem like they are fashionable to their peers if they are in a group where others do have brand goods.)
The JPO plays on Japanese desire to blend in, employing shame and telling readers their peers feel unpleasantly about buying counterfeit goods, in its anti-counterfeiting campaign posters. So when appealing to Japanese consumers, even in negative campaigns, the appeal of one’s comrades and peers will probably have a strong tug. Maybe this can be used for positive efforts as well as in the dreary fight against counterfeits.
Also, it should also be noted, sadly, that there remains the great problem of pirated Japanese goods like manga comics online, still being fought.
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Taro Yaguchi
Sources
HIRAKAWA Yu, “日本の若者の46％が模倣品購入経験あり 世界のZ世代はコピー商品をどう見る？ [46% of Japanese young people have bought counterfeit products; how do the world’s Gen Z think of fake products?],”
https://www.wwdjapan.com/articles/917863, WWD Japan, August 30, 2019, accessed September 4, 2019.
International Trademark Association, “Gen Z Insights: Brands and Counterfeit Products,” https://www.inta.org/Communications/Documents/INTA%20Gen%20Z%20Insights_Global.pdf, accessed September 4, 2019.
Japan Patent Office. 2018 anticounterfeiting campaign page. https://www.jpo.go.jp/news/kokusai/mohohin/campaign/2018/index.html, accessed September 4, 2019.
