Garigari-kun: A Case of Marketing a Long Selling Popsicle Brand by Akagi Nyugyo

Abstract

This case deals with a long selling brand of popsicles “Garigari-kun” that has been produced by Akagi Nyugyo since 1981. It focuses specifically on the marketing effort since 2004, using a fictional elementary school student character “Garigari-kun,” which helped boost its sales from 100 million to 400 million units annually. Fumio Hagiwara, the current acting director of Akagi Nyugyo’s development division, was in charge of the “Garigari-kun” marketing strategies for many years. He joined the company in 1995, first worked in sales, moved to the sales planning division, and then established the sales management division in 2004. He also created a specialized “Garigari-kun Production” division to promote the character in 2006, and finally established the marketing division in 2013. These reforms enabled the company to promote the brand effectively both online and offline, and “Garigari-kun” became a popular topic of conversation among customers. The case is based on an interview with Hagiwara in 2018 and his public lecture in 2020.