Yesterday, a sponsored event by a champagne manufacturer and the first-pitch ceremony scheduled to be held at Jingu Stadium were cancelled.
There has been much discussion about this, including posts that seem unsure whether they are serious or joking, such as "The team executives booked the performers to look good in hostess clubs." From the team's perspective, this was likely just one sales project they intended to execute.
So why did it end up being cancelled? I tried to think about it from my own perspective.
Is the PR really about the champagne?
Setting up tasting booths because you want to sell champagne, and distributing pamphlets to attendees. This was apparently planned to proceed normally.
Furthermore, for a normal event, you would expect the manufacturer's executives, brewers, or commercial talents to throw the first pitch...
However, this time, it felt like there was something else they wanted to sell more than the product itself (the champagne). Did we see any introductions of the champagne product lineup, explanations of its quality, or comments from the scheduled performers about the products? I haven't seen any.
The introduction of the event performers stood out too much.
What compounded my doubts was that the performer introduction text on the team's website announcement page included vague phrases like "chasing dreams," which are essentially clichés used by bad adults to deceive young people.
Ah, so what they want to PR is the performers themselves, or 'that industry' (so-called nightlife work).
Upon investigation, it seems their dream is "to stand at the Budokan." Is there such a thing as a Showa-era rock band story these days? What exactly do they want to do to stand at the Budokan?
What lies at the root of the opposition voices?
A PR strategy where the true purpose is elsewhere is close to stealth marketing, or in a sense, an ambush attack.
I believe the core of the many opinions opposing this event is a disgust towards exploitation that starts with this kind of approach.
Reasons like "I don't want children to see this" or "People ruin their lives in nightlife establishments" all ultimately trace back to that point. If it had simply been an event where 'performers promote champagne,' would there have been this much opposition?
On X, I saw arguments like "Was Roland's first pitch okay, but cabaret girls' first pitch not?" Personally, I think there is a difference between Roland, who appears to many as a talent known for his nightlife persona on TV without promoting his own shop, and this event designed to draw attention to the performers or the industry itself. (Of course, exposure itself is significant advertising...)
The PR planner who devised this event may have underestimated consumers' intuition. Also, influencers are merely locally popular; one should keep in mind that the underlying disgust explodes once a line is crossed.
If that planner says, "That's not true! The goal is purely to spread the champagne brand!" then you are disqualified as a professional for devising such a suspicious plan that provoked disgust and led to cancellation.
The Required 'Legitimacy'
Regarding the champagne sponsoring this event, most French people probably wouldn't know it. It is a product branded for the Japanese market.
This itself is not bad; it's common. For example, some people in the fashion industry think Orobianco is a famous Italian brand, though it is unknown locally. Its current recognition exists because legitimate marketing strategies resulted in the product being accepted as worth its price.
So, what about this champagne? What is the intent behind selling this product?
Honestly, when events like this happen, one tends to view things cynically. Since this remains personal speculation, I will refrain from writing details here... If it is truly a good product, it is a shame, and I will never become a fan of this champagne brand.
Finally, I must say the team was short-sighted for readily allowing a "Sponsor Day" despite this nature of the event. With player salaries skyrocketing, hosting events is an important sales tool, but I hope they make more calm judgments in the future.
