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Today

In the presidential campaign of 2000, Vicente Fox had a day that became known as the martes negro, the black Tuesday. Expansión describes it as the day “cuando Fox sólo atinaba a responder con un monosílabo” (when Fox could only manage to answer with a single syllable).

According to Expansión, a marketing strategy turned the black Tuesday into a martes de la suerte, a lucky Tuesday. Within three days of campaign messages, hoy, “today,” became Fox’s campaign cry. It replaced the earlier ya, “now.”

You Know Who

In 2018, between the primary period and the presidential campaign, television spots promoted Andrés Manuel López Obrador without showing him or saying his name. They called him ya sabes quién, “you know who.” The spots were produced by Carlos Salces.

In 2023, the Superior Chamber of the Electoral Tribunal concluded that the phrase does refer to López Obrador.

Can You Fight 24 Hours?

In 1988, at the height of the bubble economy, the drug company Sankyo launched the energy drink Regain. Its television commercials asked 24 jikan tatakaemasu ka, can you fight 24 hours? The commercial song of 1989, Yūki no shirushi (The Sign of Courage), cheered on Japanese businessmen traveling the world, to a tune like a military march.

In 1989, the phrase won a bronze prize at the New Words and Buzzwords Awards. In 1999, Regain changed its line to subete no tsukarete iru hito e, to everyone who is tired.

The Ten Demon Rules

The Oni jissoku, the Ten Demon Rules of the advertising company Dentsu, were set down in 1951 by Yoshida Hideo, its fourth president. The fifth rule reads: Torikundara hanasu na, korosarete mo hanasu na, mokuteki kansui made wa. “Once you take hold, do not let go. Do not let go even if it kills you, until the goal is reached.”

In December 2015, Takahashi Matsuri, a new employee aged 24, took her own life after long overwork. In July 2017, Gendai reported that from that fiscal year, the rules were no longer printed in the employee handbook.

White Day

On White Day, March 14, gifts go back to those who gave gifts on Valentine’s Day. Its origin is disputed. The confectioner Ishimura Manseidō says that the day began with its Marshmallow Day campaign on March 14, 1978.

The national candy makers’ association says that it set up the day at its general meeting in 1978 as a day for giving candy, and held the first one in 1980. Both claims still stand side by side.

Do It at Home

In 2008, the manner posters of Tokyo Metro used the phrase pattern “Do it at ___.” The poster for April read Ie de yarō, “Do it at home.” Its subject was how passengers sit on the seats of a train.

In 2010, Tokyo Metro announced the next posters under the title “From ‘Do it at home’ to ‘Do it again.'”

How Is Everyone?

In 1988, Nissan launched a new sedan, the Cefiro. In its television commercial, the singer Inoue Yōsui drives the car along a winding highway. He opens the window and says: Minasan ogenki desu ka? Shitsurei shimasu. How is everyone? Excuse me.

The line does not mention the car. The campaign slogan, written by the copywriter Itoi Shigesato, was kuu neru asobu: eat, sleep, play.

Obligation Chocolate

On Valentine’s Day in Japan, women give chocolate to men. Giri choko, obligation chocolate, goes to men they have no romantic interest in. Honmei choko, true-favorite chocolate, goes to the man they love.

On February 1, 2018, Godiva Japan ran a full-page ad in the Nikkei with the headline Nihon wa, giri choko o yameyō. Japan, let’s stop obligation chocolate. The ad said that obligation chocolate was not needed, and in these times, it was better without it.

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