Mascots are a well-used gimmick in the Japanese operator’s marketing toolbox – and even better is a mascot whose name is a play on words. Thus we have the “au shika” (can be translated as “au deer” or “just au”), the now missing-in-action Vodaphone KK “shimakuris” (“stripy chestnuts” or “do something [i.e. call and text] again and again”) and the “DoCoMo dake” family (“DoCoMo mushrooms” or “only DoCoMo”).

Originally the DoCoMushrooms were a three-generation family of grandparents, parents and little kid mushrooms. But last February, the operator added a young female character to the lineup to great fanfare. Today DoCoMo announced that Ms. DoCoMushroom is to be given a love interest – and DoCoMo subscribers will get the chance to choose her new beau from a shortlist of potential suitors.

The candidates include “reggae boy”, “tearaway”, “wanderer” and “preppy” and subscribers can cast their vote on a dedicated i-mode site. DoCoMo are dismissive of any particular special plan for the promotion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more was to be revealed on a certain special romantic event in February (and no, I don't mean 3GSM)…

Labels: docomo

# posted by Jan Kuczynski @ 12:22 pm