Mr. James Madness

You might know about the Mr. James ad campaign going on in Japan right now, but I'll sum it up briefly: Mr. James is a foreigner as Japanese people imagine foreigners (the harmless, non-violent type anyhow). He's white, he's a Japan-loving dork, and he recites random non-sequitors in laughably bad katakana, demonstrating his basic inability to "get" the real Japan.

I've gotten tired of getting up in arms about this kind of stuff, but there are a lot of people who've been offended by it. You can reference the threads on JapanProbe.com or debito.org to get up to speed.

I couldn't help but think about how this commercial leaves McDonald's WIDE OPEN to a reversal of their own publicity, for the benefit of another fast food giant. So Brett and I made a silly little video. Below is the video, along with a copy of a letter that I've drafted to Mos Burger, and which long time friend of the Daily, Nirav, has translated into knock-you-on-your-ass Japanese.

Please forgive the quality of the video, but if you support the idea, comment away on the YouTube page. Maybe someone will notice it.

Thanks!

You are most likely familiar with the current advertising campaign for McDonald's in Japan, featuring "Mr. James." You may not be aware that the character of Mr. James is one that many foreigners, especially those residing in Japan, find to be very offensive. His katakana-Japanese pronunciation, and Nihon-otaku appearance have made many foreigners feel that they are at best, being portrayed in a poor light, and at the worst, being openly mocked. This advertising campaign contributes to the already widespread image of foreigners as goofy, hapless, and unable to connect to or understand Japan on any real level. It has instigated petitions and boycotts against McDonald's both domestically and internationally. I believe that these actions will probably have very little effect on either McDonald's financial situation, nor on the way of thinking that gave birth to these commercials. However, I do think that this situation presents a unique opportunity for the Mos Burger Corporation.

Instead of focusing on foreigners as bizarre and unable to function normally in Japanese society, what about an advertising campaign featuring a foreigner who, as many of us are, is well-adjusted to daily life in Japan? Softbank, for example, has had great success with its foreign spokespeople. Japanese citizens and many foreign residents alike find the "White Family" advertisements amusing, and few complain that they are in poor taste. This is because they portray foreign characters no differently than Japanese characters. In the world of these commercials, Big Brother's race is not a focal point. He is merely a member of the family, and the fact that he lives, works, and functions in Japanese, in Japan, is treated as natural.

I've imagined, and created a rough draft of a potential advertisement for Mos Burger that works as both a light-hearted spoof of the "Mister James" campaign, and as a statement of affirmation to the foreign community in Japan. A character similar to Mr. James, excited about Japan but essentially clueless, is befriended by another foreigner who is a long term-resident of Japan. The second foreigner offers to show him an insider's view of Japan, which includes steering him away from the American-owned McDonald's, and into the Japanese-born Mos Burger. Within just a very short video segment, Mos Burger can assert its identity as an authentic "Japanese" Hamburger Shop, establish itself as willing to befriend Japan-savvy foreigners, and turn the publicity of the McDonald's campaign to its own advantage.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter, and I hope you'll consider this proposal seriously. I look forward to hearing from you.

涼秋の候、ますますご繁栄のこととお慶び申し上げます。

突然のご連絡で、またお忙しい中、誠に恐縮です。

すでにご存じのことかと思いますが、このたび、日本マクドナルド株式会社におきまして、「ミスター・ジェイムズ」と名乗るキャラクターを主人公とした宣伝キャンペーンが施されました。ミスター・ジェイムズキャンペーンは、多くの外国人、とりわけ日本在住の外国人に不適切かつ不愉快とされています。ミスター・ジェイムズの片言の日本語や「日本オタク」ぶりから、外国人を侮っている、さらに言うと堂々とあざけっている、と批判の声が後を絶ちません。浅い程度にしか日本語もしくは日本文化を理解することが外国人にはできないというステレオタイプをさらに広めるとされているこのキャンペーンは、日本国内外で著名運動やボイコットにもつながっているのが事実です。これからの運動で日本マクドナルド株式会社、もしくはこのキャンペーンを生み出した考え方に有意的な影響が及ぶとは思いがたいですが、貴社にとりましては、この状況を好機と言えるのではないかと存じます。

ここで、使い古された、どことなく勘違いをしている「変な外人」ではなく、実例もかなり存在する、日本の暮らしに通した外国人を主人公とした宣伝キャンペーンをご提案させていただきたく存じます。こういったキャンペーンは過去にもいくつかありました。たとえば、ソフトバンクモバイル株式会社の「ホワイト家族」キャンペーンは、日本人にも外国人にも受けいれがよく、批判の声がほとんどありません。これは、外国人である「お兄さん」キャラクターは、家族の一員として日本人の親戚とは変わらず、日本語で職を持ち、日本語で暮らしていることが当然のように扱われているからに違いありません。

誠に恐れ入りますが、こちらでミスター・ジェイムズを気楽にパロディしながら、日本在住の外国人が登場するCMの台本を作成いたしております。「ミスター・ジェイムズ」に似通った、日本が好きではあるけれどまだ青いという外国人が、長年日本に在住し、日本に通しているもう一人の外国人に日本での暮らし方を教わる一環として外国発のハンバーガーではなく、この日本で生まれたハンバーガーを食べさせられるという設定です。数十秒の映像で、貴社の「ニッポン発のハンバーガー」という良さと、日本に通した外国人を受け入れる寛大さを一石二鳥でアピールし、「ミスター・ジェイムズ」キャンペーンで起こっている騒ぎを貴社にとりまして有益なように利用するができるはずです。

以上長文にて変失礼いたしました。お忙しいところを誠に申し訳ございませんが、何卒ご検討の程、どうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。