This article is from the WeChat public account: I know Japan (ID: zhi_japan) , author: Cao Renyi, pictures: flv, Ye Xiu, Yang Yue, head of FIG. source: article provided
△ Fanannan announces graduation
On December 8, at the “AKB48 Theater 14th Anniversary Special Commemorative Performance” held at the AKB48 Theater in Akihabara, Tokyo, AKB48’s final student, Kishiminami Anan, announced his graduation.
Speaking of “AKB48”, people who are familiar with the Japanese idol circle will not be unfamiliar with this name. Although many people mistakenly believe that this is a group of 48 people, it is undeniable that “AKB48” is firmly tied to the tags such as “Akihabara”, “theater”, “immature idol” and becomes Idol of this era.
Some people pay attention to the cute smiles of girls. Some people think that this girl is full of Japanese flavor. Others start to study: Why is “AKB48” so popular? What magic weapon do they have?
△ Akihabara Don Quixote Building, AKB48 Theater is located in this building
The “AKB48 Mode” that no one has ever seen before
To what extent can Japanese idols become enthusiastic for people who do not even understand Japanese? This seems like an interesting experiment. AKB48 was born in Akihabara TheaterHow to jump out of the theater, out of Akihabara, and even out of Japan? Producer Qiu Yuankang made a bold assumption.
“Sell the ideas and style of AKB48 as intellectual property rights!”
Using Akihabara ’s unique stronghold, AKB48 ’s operation team successfully merged Japanese “House Culture” and “Idol Culture” to successfully build AKB48 into a “Japanese Idol” in the hearts of foreigners: Yes Meet; the average age of the members is under 20; singing in a modified student uniform; from timid to show off on the stage, all are presented without reservation … these are not found in idols of other countries.
△ Circle array before the show
Can be recognized and liked, all thanks to the localization of AKB48. Everyone sees AKB48, and when they hear AKB48, they can immediately respond. “This is the idol of Japan”, which is the biggest advantage of AKB48.
Today, AKB48 is opening up new branches overseas. The formula opponents Nogizaka 46 and Keyakizaka 46 are also in full swing. Perhaps one day, AKB48 series of girl groups can be seen all over the world.
“AKB48 business law” is a double-edged sword
The secret to AKB48’s popularity is that they changed the distance between idols and fans. They are no longer high-profile idols that can only be seen at concerts. Fans may meet them every day and have the opportunity to chat with them. This intimacy with idols has made countless fans “hook”, unable to extricate themselves from the illusion of becoming good friends with idols.
As the number of AKB48 members continues to grow, different types of girls start to attract more fans, AKB48’s popularity has also accumulated. However, what kind of magic did the producer Qiu Yuankang use to successfully transform the fan’s obsession with idols into the number of records?
On February 27, 2008, AKB48, which has just formed two years ago, released the eighth single “Sakura’s Petals 2008” (桜 の 花 び ら た ち 2008) . The single included a personal poster of 44 members who were members of the country at the time, and the company issued an exit number. As long as the fan collection has 44 posters, you can play with the members at the “Spring Festival”.
△ “桜 の 花 び ら た ち 2008” CD cover
The vocabulary “AKB Business Law” born from this is used to indicate “Operational methods to entice consumers to repeat the purchase of the same product” The words that were completely derogatory at first turned into objects for analysis and emulation.
Fumble: Intimate contact and unlimited extensions
Everyone knows that AKB48 is an idol that can be met. In addition to watching concerts and theater performances, what other ways can you meet? Maybe many people think of the word “handshake”, but in fact AKB48 did not hold handshake meetings regularly from the beginning. In order to gain popularity, the girl group, which was still unknown at that time, held various welfare activities that can not be imagined today.
△ “Photo coupons” that can specify members to take photos
There are fewer early singles. There are two types of “First Edition” and “Normal Edition”. In the “First Edition”, the corresponding combination name is attached, and the prizes of A, K and B are included. After sending the coupon, it is possible to have close contact with members. The greater the number of singles purchased, the greater the chance of being drawn.
Have Christmas with members, sing karaoke together, clean the theater together, bike outing together, taste food made by members, participate in swimming competitions, participate in two-day and one-night outings together, and get the full membership. The private collection of the video is full version, participating in the members’ secret concerts … These early events, these fans now think of envy.
But until the seventh single “Romantic, No Needs” (ロ マ ン ス 、 イ ラ ネ) , the single sales of AKB48 is only mediocre performance. This is because although the content of the event is very tempting, the lottery ticket is not marked with a certain time and place, which has caused some events to be postponed or even cancelled, which has affected the enthusiasm of fans.
Shaping: Handshake and General Elections
AKB48 is by no means the first person to hold a “handshake” with an idol to promote a record. But these handshake meetings are generally only an adjunct to publicity activities, not the main content of idol work. Back in 2007, when the album “BINGO!” Was released, the AKB48 handshake meeting first appeared, and received praise from many fans.
After the dispute over “Sakura’s Petals 2008”, AKB48 signed a new record company and listened to the opinions of fans to release the single “Loud Diamonds” (Loudly ダ イ ヤ モ ン ド) , the welfare activities included in the “first return” were officially changed to “handshake.” Every time you buy a “first-time order”, you can get the opportunity to shake hands with members-the more you buy, the more you can chooseMore members shake hands, or more handshake time.
This strategy makes multiple purchases possible. In the eyes of fans, they are no longer buying records, but tickets to talk to idols. At the same time, the sister group SKE48 was established. The addition of new members caused topics, increased exposure of members on TV, and no release of singles for a long time, plus the blessing of the “handshake meeting.” The final single sold 96,566 pieces, which was a turning point in AKB48.
△ Handshake meeting scene
There are also shadows in the sun. On May 25, 2014, during a handshake meeting in Iwate, Japan, a man murdered with a saw, causing injuries to AKB48 members Kawaei Rina, Iriyama Kana and a staff member.
This incident put AKB48’s concept at the time of establishment-“Meeting Idols” to the test. Many Japanese idol groups were affected by the incident and canceled contact with supporters or strengthened security measures.
As the popularity of AKB48 continues to increase, the number of members also continues to increase. The short time of a single has not allowed everyone to have a chance to show themselves, and whether fans who support themselves have gotten Controversy began with corresponding appearances. In this case, a new mechanism came into being-“Single General Election”.
Every time a fan purchases a single released during the general election, they can get a vote, and the member who gets the most votes from the fans can stand in the middle of the team when shooting the next single. At the same time, the company will judge her future development prospects based on the achievements of members. Therefore, for the fans and members, the general election needs to be fully committed. As a result, AKB48 gave fans a reason to buy a lot of records.
△ The first seven members of the first general election-Shenqi
As of 2018, AKB48 has held ten singles general elections, and the number of votes has also increased. Every June, AKB48’s singles election seems to become the norm, and it becomes a festival that people who are not interested in the AKB48 group will pay attention to.
But with the outbreak of NGT48 Yamaguchi ’s attack and the graduation of popular members, in March this year, AKB48 announced the cancellation of this year ’s general elections, which caused a lot of comments on AKB48.
Adhering to orthodoxy, adapting to the times, and having a true personality are the secrets of AKB48’s brilliant achievements. However, as the competition in the idol industry becomes more stringent, AKB48 must also face the harsh reality of falling popularity. The future AKB48 must win people’s love with a more shining attitude and more dedicated operation.
This article is from WeChat public account: known day (ID: zhi_japan) , author: Cao Renyi