I remember those weekend mornings as a child. A bowl of Choco Krispis while watching Dragon Ball was all it took to be happy.
Now that Iâm an adult, I can appreciate the series for what it is: a cult classic and one of the best examples of marketing.
Donât believe me?
What would you call a product that succeeded in more than 80 countries worldwide and is estimated to have generated over $24 billion in profits?
I know the answer.
Perhaps it helped that its creator, Akira Toriyama, worked for three years at an advertising agency before dedicating himself to manga. Or maybe not. The fact is, the guy knew what he was doing.
But letâs get to the point: here are the 7 marketing lessons I learned from Dragon Ball (and that you can also apply to your business).
Simple Sells (MORE)
Letâs be honest.
Dragon Ball didnât complicate things. The plots were simple, sometimes even repetitive. No convoluted storylines or complex characters. Just fights, some adventure, and lots of kame kame ha. Simple.
The result: a massive audience.
Complex things can also succeed, of course (think Lost), but simplicity reaches more people initially.
In marketing and sales, itâs the same. People like things simple. The simpler your product or service, the more people will be interested in buying it. If it takes someone 10 minutes to understand what you do, they probably wonât buy it. But if they get it in 3 seconds, thatâs a real opportunity to sell.
If You Improve Something, Make It Noticeable
Letâs talk about one of Dragon Ballâs trickiest topics: power levels.
The engine of the series is the appearance of increasingly powerful enemies.
Tao Pai Pai wouldnât have lasted a round against Frieza, and Frieza would have struggled with Majin Buu.
Anyway, Goku grows stronger throughout the series. He throws energy balls, learns to fly, becomes super fast. Eventually, it seems impossible to make him appear more powerful. What did they do then?
The answer came to Toriyama while leaving the barber: âWeâll make Goku blond and change his hairstyle.â Super Saiyan was born.
From then on, any power boost for Goku, Vegeta, and company translated into a physical change.
And hereâs the big marketing lesson: if you improve a product or service, you must also change its design. Otherwise, people wonât believe it has changed. The change must be visible.
If you notice, this happens a lot with smartphones, for example. They release a model with more RAM and storage, plus a new design. The same goes for cars: a model with a new engine also changes the body slightly. If it changes inside, it must be noticeable outside.
If Your Customer Doesnât Think Like You, Think Like Them
One thing that frustrated Toriyama was that the villains of the saga were among the most popular characters with fans. In fact, he admitted that Vegetaâs prominent entrances were a tactic to make the Saiyan prince less attractive.
It didnât work.
Vegeta became one of Dragon Ballâs most popular characters, and Toriyama had to give him more prominence to satisfy fans.
Thatâs life. Sometimes you have an idea about your product, and the customers have another. The solution isnât to think your customers are idiotsâitâs to adapt.
Launch New Products Without Forgetting the Classics
Dragon Ball fans have counted over 400 characters between the manga and anime. Incredible. And itâs rare for any of them to stay dead. Well, they die and then get resurrected with the Dragon Balls. Quite an invention, right?
The fact is, there are characters present almost from the beginning. The classics: Goku, of course, Krillin, or Master Roshi. And then they introduce new characters. Some appear a couple of times, and others become recurring, depending on audience reaction.
If you think about it, successful brands do the same. They have their classic products that bring steady revenue and then the new releases.
We have the classic Coca-Cola and the occasional new flavors. I hope they keep Coca-Cola Cherry; I donât care about watermelon Coke because it doesnât taste like watermelon, but the Cherry one, leave it.
Create Anticipation (Without Overdoing It)
Iâve heard many jokes about the endless soccer fields in Captain Tsubasa, but Dragon Ball is no less. I remember entire episodes where Goku was just gathering energy to launch an attack. Pure filler episodes, yet you watched them entirely, waiting for something to happen afterward.
Creating anticipation has become one of the most valuable resources for brands to capture attention. Take the viral Oreo campaign, Goodbye Spain. It generated curiosity and held attention for days.
Itâs a tool to use occasionally and in moderation; donât overdo it. And most importantly, the anticipation must be justified.
Share the Spotlight
Goku is the absolute protagonist of Dragon Ball, no doubt. However, he often disappears from the scene to give other characters the spotlight.
It was Gohan who defeated Cell, one of the most terrifying villains, and if you notice, each character had their moment of glory. Think of Piccolo delivering the final blow to Raditz or Krillin cutting off Friezaâs tail.
This means that even if you have a star product or service, itâs good to give the rest some attention too.
Donât Be Trapped by Your Own Story
Iâve seen few TV series with fewer complexes than Dragon Ball. It starts as an adventure series inspired by Chinese mythology, then focuses on martial arts tournaments, with the Dragon Balls as a side story. Then we discover Goku is from another planet, and suddenly itâs science fiction. Then a time machine appears, and things get really crazy.
Toriyama didnât worry that all these changes might upset fans (or maybe he did, but didnât care). He didnât let his past hold him back, and he got it right.
This also applies to business. Some companies stick to doing the same thing forever, while others dare to change. Both approaches are fine, but if you want to change, donât resist just because it doesnât fit with what youâve done so far. For example, Netflix started by sending DVDs by mail. Today itâs a streaming giant.
So, what do you think? Was Toriyama a marketing genius or not? I think now you can watch Dragon Ball with different eyes. If you want to share your thoughts or discuss why Piccolo is cooler than Vegeta, see you on social media.
And if you need to take your brand to the next level: CLICK HERE.
