Love and Berry: Merchandise and Fashion Integration

By
Michael
Published: October 13, 2006Posted in: DIGITAL LIFETags: , ,

As we discussed earlier this week, Love and Berry （ラブ and ベリ）is an arcade/collectibles game that has been a major hit for young girls for the past year and half. The game itself is quite simple, so today we’ll talk about where the real money comes from: Merchandise!

Sure, Love and Berry costs about one dollar for a single play, which gives the player one card for future games, but it doesn’t stop there. Love and Berry has become an entire image for young girls. To begin with, Love and Berry is expensive to have as a hobby, so Love and Berry accessories and cards are a way for young kids to show off. We talked to several girls this week about whether they play the game or not, and nearly every single one complained about how expensive it is. Of course, our young friends are not the “girly girls” L&B targets, so we doubt they’d be playing the game anyway.

L&B has a large line of accessories, school gear, toys, and fashion which (in our game center at least) are sold in a toy shop only a few meters away from where the game consoles are. Earlier this year there was a big push on wristbands that illuminated when the game was being played. Of course, marketing products like this for a game is not a new thing, but the fashion concept works perfectly because it’s the basis for the game itself. You can sell Pokemon cards, toys, games, and clothing, but try dressing like a Pokemon and you’ll look a little weird.

Love and Berry Merchandise

L&B’s fashion line is divided into groups: Love and Berry “Elegance”, “Sport”, “Natural”, and “Lovely” are organized much like the clothes selection in the game are, and allow players to do in real life exactly what they do in the game. New fashion cards are released for each season, as are new real-world fashions modeled from the game. There’s perhaps no better integration of fashion and gaming out there, because fashion and gaming with Love and Berry go hand in hand at all times. After dressing up her characters in cute outfits, what young girl wouldn’t want to do the same thing herself?

Our final installment explores the ultimate in merchandising in Japan, the upcoming DS game of Love and Berry and what it will mean for the future of convergence between home-gaming and game center gaming.

About the Author

Michael is the Editor of JapanTrends.com and Director of the CScout Japan trend consultancy.