Browse > Home / Advertising, Technology, Telecom / Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services

Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services

November 21, 2007
By Ken Worsley


This isn’t exactly brand new, but we thought it might have been an April Fool’s gag in November: Disney, Softbank to Start Japan Mobile-Phone Service.

Bloomberg quotes an analyst from Nomura as saying that the challenge here would be in keeping down the prices of the handsets, but no figures are stuck to the article. Japan Marketing News has offered its thoughts on the plan in a post worth reading. A short bit:

Given the ever-present popularity of things cute in Japan, and the broad appreciation for all things Disney, the idea of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck phones and services is certainly feasible, perhaps more so than in any other country. After all, it is not at all unusual to see Japanese adults carrying Disney-branded bank cards or office supplies, and many Japanese are already using Disney phone straps and downloading Disney mobile content to their existing DoCoMo and au phones.

I’m wondering if we’ll see Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Aya Ueto, Hello Kitty, a bunch of Disney characters, the ni-chan guy, the white dog they call dad and the mom all together in a Softbank/Disney ad that might just vaporize viewers with its sheer incomprehensibility. As we know, Dentsu makes Softbank’s ads.

They also make DoCoMo and AU’s ads.

This really, seriously, better make money for all partners involved.

I’m also vaguely remembering that Disney and Apple are at odds. Still waiting for AU to announce that they’re bringing the iPhone to Japan…

Filed Under Advertising, Technology, Telecom 

Social Bookmarks:
del.icio.us:Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services digg:Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services newsvine:Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services furl:Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services reddit:Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services
Related Posts:
Google, DoCoMo to join up on i-mode mobile services
Softbank to sell the iPhone in Japan
Japan’s June Consumer Price Index Down 0.1% - Fifth Straight Month Down
Citigroup not getting Nikko Cordial at 1,700 yen per share
KDDI announces 16% increase in profit for 2006

Comments

9 Responses to “Disney and Softbank partner to offer cellular services”

  1. Chris on November 21st, 2007 10:00 am

    “I’m also vaguely remembering that Disney and Apple are at odds. Still waiting for AU to announce that they’re bringing the iPhone to Japan…”

    Well Ken.. just to shake your memory from the wiki on Steve Jobs

    “Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is the co-founder and CEO of Apple and was the CEO of Pixar until its acquisition by Disney.[2] He is currently the largest Disney shareholder[7] and a member of Disney’s Board of Directors. He is considered a leading figure in both the computer and entertainment industries”

    So I don’t think Apple and Disney are having too many issues with each other at the moment.

  2. Curzon on November 21st, 2007 10:56 am

    Disney and I-River have also teamed up to make a joint venture mp3 player…

    http://item.rakuten.co.jp/iriver-jp/mplayer/

  3. Garrett on November 21st, 2007 11:07 am

    Being an adult with a Disney character-emblazoned cash card, I’d like to point out that when I opened an account at Tokyo-Mitsubishi in 2003, the choices were Pooh-only or a menagerie of Disney characters. Regular adult bank card that wouldn’t cause me to question the sense of the people handling my money was not an option. I have since applied for a new IC card, which, thankfully, is red. Just red. I was asked, though, whether I’d prefer a 5oo yen department store gift certificate or a plastic Mickey Mouse sippy cup, disturbingly advertized in posters showing an adult women drinking out of it.

  4. Johan Hjelm on November 21st, 2007 11:23 am

    And Softbank already offers the Hello Kitty phone. It will be interesting, however, to see what services Disney is going to offer on the Japanese service thay they did not offer in their (failed) US service, and how the cuteness factor is goign to be monetized.

    //Johan

  5. Ken Worsley on November 21st, 2007 1:52 pm

    So I don’t think Apple and Disney are having too many issues with each other at the moment.

    Was meant to be ironic. Darn tone of voice doesn’t come through on these interwebs.

  6. Jim D on November 21st, 2007 5:43 pm

    Ken, please don’t introduce ‘emoticons’ to your blog…. thank you

  7. Ken Worsley on November 21st, 2007 11:10 pm

    Jim, you know…the scary thing is I think they will come out automatically if the correct characters are put in. I’m not going to test it, though.

  8. Ken Y-N on November 21st, 2007 11:39 pm

    Garrett, I was crestfallen (yes really, I love cute!) when Asahi Bank renewed my visa only to find that they’d ended their Miffy sponsorship and I got some boring real bunny instead. Mickey Mouse and friends deserve rat poison, however, especially for what they did to the original Pooh.

    Ken, my money’s still on SoftBank, not least that in how will iTunes line up alongside LISMO?

  9. Ponzi on December 25th, 2007 4:40 am

    Buzz died off of this one real quick…

Got something to say?