Japan dessert firm issues sombre apology for 10-cent ice-cream price hike

[yuiyoshida]

TOKYO - Sombre-looking executives at a Japanese frozen dessert maker have appeared in a national television advert to apologise for raising the cost of a popular ice-cream - by US$0.09 (S$0.10).

Akagi Nyugyo, a brand popular with millions of schoolchildren, increased the price of its GariGarikun lollies on Friday for the first time in a quarter century following years of deflation and falling prices in Japan.

Fearing a backlash, the firm took the pre-emptive step of apologising in a 60-second advertisement that ran on nationwide TV channels on Friday and Saturday. It has been watched more than 900,000 times on YouTube.

The clip begins with a close up of Akagi Nyugyo's executives staring into the camera, arms folded, as they stand in front of the company's headquarters about 75 kilometres (46 miles) northwest of Tokyo.

The camera pans out to reveal around 100 distressed-looking employees standing in formation. Music by a popular folk singer, lamenting price hikes, plays in the background.

more...
http://www.soshiok.com/content/japan-dessert-firm-issues-sombre-apology-10-cent-ice-cream-price-hike

[OregonBlue]

1. It was beyond our imagination that the video would be watched so many times," a company spokeswoman

said. It's beyond my imagination that a corporation would apologize for anything. I'm impressed.

[yuiyoshida]

2. It said some where in the article

this was a common practice in Japan, which in itself is impressive.

[OregonBlue]

4. I read that and thought, gee, I wish our corporation cared about their customers, not just their

investors and their bottom line. How refreshing.

[Lucky Luciano]

3. Abe and Kuroda will be thrilled.

They have been desperately trying to get Japanese inflation to 2% and have failed no matter the inflationary policy they attempt!

[Orrex]

5. I admire their courage of confection.

[Glassunion]

6. They actaully care about their company, and don't want to dessert their customers.

[Orrex]

7. It's a sherbet that they won't make this mistake again.

[Glassunion]

8. They may have a rocky road for a quarter or two, but I think they'll bounce back.

[KamaAina]

10. Who got the scoop on this? Yomiuri Shimbun?

[HughBeaumont]

11. You would think they'd catch gelato flack for this.

[KamaAina]

12. It's all a big cone job.

[KamaAina]

9. No one committed seppuku?

Wusses.