W29881

LOTTE YUKIMI DAIFUKU: ICE CREAM FOR WINTER1

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
Yuri Taira, Lisa A. Cavanaugh, and Rui Jorge B. Basto da Silva wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The
authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised
certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality.

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It was January 2021, and the makers of Yukimi Daifuku—an ice cream treat wrapped in soft mochi
(Japanese rice cake), popular with young people since 1981—needed to consider its next steps in promoting
its brand image and sales. Over the past three years, Lotte Co., Ltd. (Lotte)—a multinational conglomerate
headquartered in Tokyo, Japan—had developed numerous marketing strategies for the product through its
Yukimi Daifuku Branding Division. While other established food and beverage brands had disappeared
from the market one after another, Yukimi Daifuku had enjoyed steady growth in Japan for forty years.2
The two keys to its success were a well-developed patented process and a differentiating sales strategy
limiting distribution of the ice cream product to the winter months. Since Lotte was a late entrant into the
ice cream market, it had required a drastically different strategy to make an impact. Yukimi Daifuku
responded by developing a product specifically marketed for winter that became a popular, and eventually
iconic, ice cream for the cold season in Japan. However, in 2018, Lotte had decided to expand its sales
strategy to include all seasons in order to boost availability and sales; a year later, Yukimi Daifuku had
exceeded ¥10 billion3 in sales.4 However, in two more years its sales momentum had stalled and to make
matters worse, its patented process was set to expire in March 2021.5 The ice cream market in Japan was
increasingly competitive and challenges lay ahead.6 The year 2021 would mark Yukimi Daifuku’s fortieth
anniversary, and the brand needed to ascertain how to revitalize itself in the absence of its historically
unique position and patent.

ENTREPRENEURIAL FOUNDER AND THE HISTORY OF LOTTE

Takeo Shigemitsu (known in Korea as Shin Kyuk-ho) was born in Ulsan, South Korea, and moved to Japan
at the age of eighteen.7 From 1941 to 1943, he studied applied chemistry at night at Waseda Jitsugyo High
School while working several part-time jobs during the day. He then studied engineering at Waseda Advanced
Engineering School from 1943 to 1946.8 In 1944, while still a student, he opened his own cutting oil laboratory
in Ota-ku, Tokyo, with money from an angel investor. However, in April 1945, 202 B-29 planes bombed the
entire town of Ota-ku, and Shigemitsu’s cutting oil factory was destroyed.9 After the war, Shigemitsu decided
to remain in Japan because he wanted to repay his angel investor. Utilizing his experiences from school and
the cutting oil factory, he started manufacturing soap; this sold very well on the black market10 as people
sought to protect themselves from the spread of lice and infectious diseases in the unsanitary post-war
environment.11 In addition, he saw that many men who had had to shave their heads during the war were now
growing their hair out, and he anticipated that demand for pomade would increase.12
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Shigemitsu’s early entrepreneurial experiences taught him three key lessons in business: the importance of
developing a new product at the right time, the need to anticipate changes in demand, and the power of a
driving force to execute the business idea. His soap business was successful, and within one year he was
able to repay his angel investor an amount equivalent to a few million United States dollars today.13

Takeo Shigemitsu also anticipated the rising demand for skincare products for women; when this market
became saturated, he ventured into the gum industry after seeing children chewing gum given to them by

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
the post-war occupation army. Many Japanese children who experienced a taste of Wrigley’s gum
subsequently bought Shigemitsu’s chewing gum. 14 The gum business grew quickly, and Shigemitsu
decided to incorporate his business in 1948.15 He named the company Lotte, after the character Charlotte
in The Sorrows of Young Werther, a 1774 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Charlotte was renowned
as an eternal love, so Lotte’s corporate slogan became “Sweetheart of Your Mouth” with an aim to produce
products that were beloved by all.16

In 1954 Lotte released Barbe Mint, the first gum made in Japan using natural chicle.17 Green Gum, released
in 1957, gained popularity among young people as an oral etiquette item, while Cool Mint, released in 1960,
targeted consumers preferring a strong mint flavour.18 All Lotte gums were made of natural chicle, which
became part of the Lotte gum identity. In 1961, Lotte’s gum sales surpassed those of its competitors, such

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as Haris Gum, Tokyo Gum, Meiji, and Yukijirushi, becoming the top selling gum in Japan. 19 Lotte
consequently dominated the gum market with the majority share.20 With this momentum, Lotte opened a
chocolate factory in Urawa, Japan, and recruited a chocolate technician from Switzerland. The company’s
first chocolate product, Lotte Ghana Milk Chocolate, was released in February 1964.21 In 1966, Shigemitsu
decided to enter the candy market. Caramel was not popular in Japan at that time, but hard candy was.
Shigemitsu analyzed the market (which had more than 2,500 candy brands) and reached the conclusion that
“demand will shift from hard to soft candies.”22 Shigemitsu hired Georges Bodin, a candy technician from
France, and opened a candy factory in Sayama, Japan, in June 1969.23

By 2021 Lotte Co., Ltd., was one of the largest confectionery companies in Japan. For fiscal year 2020, its gum
sales were in first place in Japan with 62.6 per cent market share, chocolate was in second place with 19.3 per
cent, biscuits were in second place with 11.0 per cent, and ice cream was in first place with 17.5 per cent.24

Lotte Group in South Korea

Due to the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea in 1965, Shigemitsu
established Lotte Korea Confectionery in Seoul, South Korea, on April 3, 1967.25 The Lotte Group grew
into the fifth largest chaebol (conglomerate) in South Korea, operating in four main areas: food and
beverage; retail; chemical, engineering and construction, and manufacturing; and tourism and service.26 Its
consolidated revenue for 2019 was ₩6,600.9 billion (US $5.5 billion).27 As of 2021, eight Lotte Group
companies had been publicly listed in Korea: Lotte Confectionery in 1973, Lotte Chemical in 1991, Lotte
Shopping in 2006, and five acquisitions of already-listed companies.28 As per Shigemitsu’s wishes, none
of the Lotte Group companies in Japan were ever listed publicly; as of 2021, all Lotte Group companies in
Japan remained private.29

ENTERING THE ICE CREAM MARKET

In the 1970s, Lotte focused on broadening its product portfolio as a comprehensive confectionery company.
Its three product pillars were gum, chocolate, and candy. Meanwhile, ice cream sales in Japan were growing
and exceeded ¥100 billion in 1974 and ¥200 billion in 1978.30 In view of this, Shigemitsu gave ice cream
the green light as the fourth main product category. At the time, seven major confectionery companies
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(Yukijirushi, Meiji, Morinaga, Glico, Koikeya, Imuraya, and Nakamuraya) constituted about two-thirds (64
per cent) of the ice cream market in Japan, while about 1,000 small companies comprised the remaining
third.31 As the years went by, the major confectionery companies increased their ice cream market share.

Chocolate sales in Japan were high during the fall and winter seasons but fell during the summer. In contrast,
approximately 84 per cent of the total ice cream consumption in Japan occurred during the six months
between April and September. 32 Influenced by European and North American ice cream producers,

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Japanese premium ice creams contained much more butterfat than regular ice creams and were
characterized by a very sticky texture. Due to this high amount of butterfat, customers often felt thirsty after
consuming premium ice cream. Since Japan’s market was dominated by this type of high-butterfat ice
cream, Shigemitsu had the idea of introducing a non-sticky premium ice cream with a more refreshing
aftertaste. In March 1972, Lotte opened a new ice cream factory in Urawa and started producing thirty-four
different kinds of ice cream made with vegetable fat, including Italiano, a lactic ice with a milk-solids
content of 3 per cent or greater.33

In Japan, retail stores rented ice cream stockers (or freezers), from the confectionery companies to keep their ice
cream products frozen (see Exhibit 1). In turn, ice cream products from the confectionery company supplying

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the freezer received priority and occupied prime space in it.34 This business model contributed to the dominant
market share held by the seven major confectionery companies; there was no room for Lotte’s ice creams.

To create room for Lotte, the company’s Marketing Field Promoter (MFP) focused heavily on acquiring
new retail store contracts from 1972 to 1974. At the same time, the Lotte Home Proper (LHP) worked on
making space in the existing display freezers for Lotte’s new products. Due to these concerted efforts, more
and more retail stores began selling Lotte’s ice cream products. Lotte organized these retail stores under
the name Lotte Ice Cream Excellent Chain Store Association and distributed a bulletin called Volare (which
meant “leap forward” in Italian). As its ice cream sales increased, Lotte opened a second ice cream factory
in Fukuoka, Japan. By the 1980s, Lotte had twenty factories across Japan producing and distributing sixty
different ice cream products.35

HISTORY OF ICE CREAM IN JAPAN

The first Japanese people to eat ice cream were the Tokugawa Shogunate’s delegates to the United States
during the ratification of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan in 1860.36
They were impressed by the ice cream’s taste and texture, and accordingly, tried to replicate the product in
Japan with milk, sugar, and eggs. In June 1869, the first Japanese ice cream, aisukurine (あいすくりん),
was sold in Yokohama.37

Prior to the 1920s, Japanese ice cream was a luxury sweet only wealthy people could afford, served in
expensive Western-style restaurants.38 Meiji (previously known as Kyokutou Rennyu) began producing ice
cream in 1921, and Yukijirushi (previously known as Jijoen) followed suit in Hokkaido in 1923.39 By the
1930s, ice cream had become more affordable for the masses thanks to industrialization.

Japan experienced post-war poverty in the aftermath of World War II, and frozen sugar water (also known as
ice candy) served as an ice cream substitute until 1950.40 In 1952, Yukijirushi started selling milk and vanilla
ice cream using a soft cream mix, which produced a much creamier texture than ice candy. In 1953,
Yukijirushi started selling ice cream in paper cups; this paper packaging became a major market trend, with
the colour blue used for many ice cream brands. In 1960, Kyodo Milk’s Meitoh Homerun Bar, a rectangle of
vanilla ice cream on a stick, became popular with children.41 It cost ¥10 (the average monthly salary in Japan
was ¥18,458 in 1960), with a chance to win a free bar if the stick had the phrase “home run” printed on it.42
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In 1965, following the Tokyo Olympics, over 50 per cent of Japanese families owned a refrigerator.43 With
this development, the Japanese ice cream market became increasingly competitive with more producers, a
wider variety of product lineups, and advertisements on television and in newspapers.44 By 1966, total sales
for the Japanese ice cream market reached ¥51 billion.45 The market kept growing, but after hitting a record
¥429.6 billion in 1994, ice cream sales started to decline due to surging commodity prices, a plethora of
other frozen and cold dessert options in the market, and changes in the distribution channel, including an
increase in convenience stores in the 1990s (see Exhibit 2).

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LOTTE’S UNIQUE NICHE: FOCUSING ON FALL AND WINTER

In 1980, Lotte developed Wataboshi ice cream, a vanilla ice cream wrapped with marshmallow. 46
Wataboshi immediately became popular among young people, but its sales did not grow across all
demographics because the majority of Japanese people at the time were unfamiliar with marshmallow and
disliked its taste and texture. Marshmallow was considered too thick for an ice cream coating. Shigemitsu
suggested the outer layer should have ingredients that aligned with the familiar tastes of Japanese people.
As a result, Lotte started developing an ice cream wrapped with mochi, a soft and delicious traditional
Japanese dessert made with steamed glutinous rice that was a staple for most Japanese people. 47 Freshly

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made mochi was very chewy and soft, but quickly hardened at cold temperatures. Preserved hard mochi
sold in stores regained its softness when reheated, but such heating would melt ice cream. How was it
possible to wrap ice cream with mochi that would remain soft at freezing temperatures?

Lotte developed the perfect ratio of sugar and glutinous rice to prevent the mochi from hardening when
frozen. In the manufacturing process, ice cream was dispensed from a machine nozzle and then wrapped in
warm, thinned mochi. Each piece was then placed on a tray and fast-frozen at –32 degrees Celsius, but the
quick-freezing mochi never became completely solid. Lotte applied for a patent in May 1981.48

In October 1981, vanilla ice cream wrapped with very soft mochi, called Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく),
was released in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands.49 In its first television commercial, a
person in a warm kotatsu (a traditional Japanese heating table covered with a blanket to keep one’s legs warm
beneath) ate Yukimi Daifuku while watching snow fall outside the window. Yukimi meant “viewing snow” in
Japanese, and daifuku was a Japanese rice cake stuffed with sweet soybean paste. This depiction of a warm
room in the midst of winter created a heart-warming feeling among consumers.50

Seeing the rising popularity of Yukimi Daifuku, Shigemitsu decided to halt production of Wataboshi and
have the sales force focus on Yukimi Daifuku instead, mentioning the adage, “If you run after two hares,
you’ll catch neither.” In December 1981, Yukimi Daifuku was released in the Kansai area. Following the
success of the two areas’ sales, Lotte introduced the product nationwide in 1982.51

PROTECTED BY PATENT

The company applied for a patent for its process and the ratio of sugar and glutinous rice that prevented
mochi from freezing at –15 degrees Celsius, and the patent (No. 1537351) was approved on December 21,
1989.52 As mentioned in the Patent Act, Article 62 (1), the term of a patent right expired after a period of
twenty years from the filing date of the patent application.53 Lotte’s initial patent expired on May 29, 2001.
Lotte applied for another patent (No. 4315607) for Yukimi Daifuku’s new process technique on March 19,
2001. Since the initial patent’s approval, there had been no other ice cream product wrapped with
viscoelastic material produced or sold in Japan.54 However, Lotte would be unable to apply for a third patent
for its process technique due to the expiration of the patent right’s twenty-year term; hence, patent number
4315607 would be removed from the Yukimi Daifuku packaging after March 19, 2021.55
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MARKETING STRATEGY FOR YUKIMI DAIFUKU

In 1980, only 14 per cent of Japan’s total annual ice cream sales occurred during the winter season.56 As a
result, conventional marketing strategies developed for regular ice cream were ill-suited for Yukimi
Daifuku. Most ice cream packaging featured cool colours such as blue, offering consumers cooling imagery
during hot weather. In contrast, Lotte chose red for its packaging. Yukimi Daifuku’s warm red packaging
with its picture of two big, round pieces of mochi filled with vanilla ice cream created the impression that

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your heart would be at ease enjoying this treat in a warm, cozy room in the midst of winter.57

The two-piece Yukimi Daifuku pack gained popularity among students and young people, and the pack
with nine small pieces was introduced in 1983 to target families.58 In 1992, Lotte started releasing new
flavours for limited time periods, such as ume (Japanese plum) in 1992, strawberry in 2004, and fresh
chocolate in 2006 (see Exhibit 3).59

CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR IN JAPAN

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Over a ten-year period, the number of convenience stores in Japan grew by 362.2 per cent, from 6,308 in
1983 to 22,852 in 1993. Small grocery stores were increasingly replaced by convenience stores, and the
number of convenience stores in Japan exceeded 40,000 in 2002 (see Exhibit 4).60 Consumers’ ice cream
purchasing behaviour changed accordingly. A survey conducted in 2000 by the Japan Ice Cream
Association showed that more than 60 per cent of consumers visited convenience stores three times a week,
and over 20 per cent visited more than five times a week (see Exhibit 5).61 The most frequently purchased
items at convenience stores were beverages, followed by ice cream. In the dessert and snack category, ice
cream was the top choice for convenience store customers.62 Due to limited shelf space in convenience
stores (compared to supermarkets), only frequently purchased items were stocked, with item turnover very
high due to relentless new product launches. With sales continuously declining at this point, many ice cream
producers realized that they needed to add value to their products; otherwise, consumers would choose
other desserts, such as pudding and jelly. Ice cream brands, including Yukimi Daifuku, started broadening
their portfolios and introducing new artisanal products. Accordingly, ice cream producers successfully
enhanced demand, even during Japan’s two-decade economic recession. As of 2020, Japan’s ice cream
market documented record earnings of ¥519.7 billion (see Exhibit 2).

The top country for ice cream consumption per capita was Australia at 20.8 litres, followed by New Zealand
and the United States (see Exhibit 6). People in Oceania, North America, and Northern European countries
also consumed relatively high amounts of ice cream annually. Meanwhile, Japanese people consumed only
6.7 litres of ice cream per capita, which ranked Japan twentieth. Of those 6.7 litres, the Japanese consumed
6.2 at home and 0.5 out of the home, such as at scoop shops. When the Japan Ice Cream Association
conducted a survey in 2017, 91 per cent of respondents chose home as their preferred place to eat ice cream
(see Exhibit 7). Additionally, the association had conducted an annual survey of favourite flavours for more
than twenty years, and vanilla had been the top flavour since 1999 (see Exhibit 8).

AN AGING SOCIETY

The demand for ice cream generally grew as the population increased, the economy developed, and the
percentage of young people (especially children) rose. The proportion of senior citizens aged sixty-five and older
was 6 per cent in 1960, but by 2020, this percentage had risen to 28 per cent (see Exhibit 9) and was expected to
reach 38.4 per cent by 2065.63 At the same time, the proportion of young people aged 5–19, an important market
segment for non-premium ice cream brands, had decreased from 32 per cent in 1960 to 13 per cent in 2020.
Page 6 W29881

In an aging society, many people tended to be more health conscious. Among Group of Seven countries,
Japan had the highest life expectancy at birth in 2020, and Japanese consumers were increasingly conscious
of their health.64 Consumers demanded healthier and more functional food, which led to the production of
ice cream with recognized nutritional and physiological properties such as probiotics, prebiotics, and natural
antioxidants. In February 2017, Glico introduced Sunao, an ice cream with natural ingredients such as soy
milk, no sugar added, eighty kilocalories per cup, and which was rich in fibre.65 In March 2020, Lotte
introduced Zero, a waffle ice cream with no sugar or saccharides.66 Given the declining youth population,

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ice cream producers needed to broaden their target market to include health-conscious older people by
offering them better nutritional value.

Yukimi Daifuku had targeted young people since its launch and topped Lotte’s bestseller list year after
year. However, with the youth demographic shrinking, perhaps it was time to change direction.

SHIFT TO ALL SEASONS

In the early 2010s, Lotte started receiving consumer inquiries asking if Yukimi Daifuku was available

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during summer. In a survey, the company found that many consumers did not know that Yukimi Daifuku
was sold only during the fall and winter, and most answered yes when asked if they would like to purchase
Yukimi Daifuku during the summer.67

The survey results showed that the concept of a winter product was known at the producer level, but many
consumers were unaware of Yukimi Daifuku’s exclusive winter availability. Demand for crispy- and
crunchy-textured ice cream rose in summer, so Lotte traditionally avoided marketing their sticky-textured
ice cream between April and August; however, the potential of Yukimi Daifuku’s sticky texture standing
out during the summer months encouraged the company to consider selling the product year-round.68 There
was another reason for Lotte’s history of only selling off-season: the number of households with air
conditioning. When Yukimi Daifuku was launched in 1981, 41.2 per cent of households had air
conditioners. Thus, there was a high likelihood that Yukimi Daifuku would be consumed at a less than
optimal temperature during the summer months. However, by 2016 (thirty-five years later), the percentage
of homes with air conditioners had increased to 92.5 per cent, and some households even owned more than
two air conditioners (see Exhibit 10).69

Given the above-mentioned factors that encouraged all-season selling, Lotte decided to conduct a trial sale
of Yukimi Daifuku in Tokyo between July and August 2015, in Hokkaido and Kyushu between April and
August 2016, and extending into eastern Japan between April and August 2017. With favourable trial sales
results, the company officially started selling Yukimi Daifuku across the country in April 2018.70 The all-
season sales boosted Yukimi Daifuku’s annual sales (April 2019 to March 2020) to over ¥10 billion for the
first time, but also created a new challenge: the re-branding of Yukimi Daifuku.71

CO-CREATION MARKETING

It was not easy for Yukimi Daifuku to hold its customers’ attention over the years. The company had
introduced more than fifty different flavours up to this time, and by 2021, merely launching a new flavour
no longer sufficed. The brand needed to offer something beyond new. Moreover, other producers, including
Morinaga, Glico, and Meiji, had also started selling their product during the fall and winter seasons.
Page 7 W29881

Lotte asked Dentsu Inc., a public relations company, to generate a new promotion for Yukimi Daifuku. On
September 3, 2019, Lotte collaborated with Dentsu to launch a social media crowdsourcing campaign
asking customers for new ideas and suggestions for Yukimi Daifuku. A digital platform was provided to
share their recipes pairing Yukimi Daifuku with other foods or beverages. The campaign was named
Yukimi Daikufu with the subheading, “Please help us with your ingenuity!” Daikufu was a play on words,
sounding similar to Daifuku, with kufu (工夫) meaning “ingenuity” in Japanese.72 The response to the
campaign was strong, with the company receiving over 1,000 submissions by November 29, 2019. 73

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Consumers shared various recipes, including bread toasted with a slice of cheese and a piece of Yukimi
Daifuku, and hot coffee topped with Yukimi Daifuku.74 One customer suggested adding a hint of salt to
make Yukimi Daifuku taste sweeter, and this suggestion helped Lotte develop a new salted vanilla flavour
in 2020—the first modification of the vanilla flavour in eight years.75 The new lemon cheesecake flavour,
launched in May 2020, also came from the campaign. Lotte’s approach to co-creation reflected the value
of open innovation as well as its corporate culture. This was not the first time Lotte had asked customers
for ideas and suggestions. In fact, the corporate tagline Sweetheart of Your Mouth—used for more than
sixty years—came from a customer’s submission to Lotte’s catchphrase campaign.76

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GLOBAL STRATEGY

Lotte started selling Yukimi Daifuku overseas in 2015. The product was named Yukimi and the nine-piece
pack of five flavours (vanilla, green tea, chocolate, strawberry, and mango) was distributed in eighteen
countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Yukimi began selling at Costco in Canada in 2017
and in Australia in 2019.77 In 2020, 88.1 per cent of Lotte’s annual sales came from Japan, and only 11.9
per cent from the overseas market. Of the overseas market sales, 65.2 per cent came from North America
and Europe, and 33.9 per cent came from Asia.78

WHAT’S NEXT?

Yukimi Daifuku would celebrate its fortieth anniversary in October 2021. It was crucial for long-selling
products to continue receiving support from the next generation. If the next generation did not buy a
product, it would disappear from market shelves, as had many of Lotte’s competitors. For instance, Meiji
stopped selling Poporon, a chocolate cream puff that had been launched in 1976, in February 2015.79 In
2017, the company also reduced the sales area as well as the number of flavours to two for Karl, a non-fried
snack that had been popular from generation to generation since its launch in 1968. 80 Morinaga stopped
producing Choco Flakes in 2019; although this product had enjoyed high sales since 1967, the increase in
smartphone users (who hated having sticky fingers) resulted in declining demand among young people.81
These confectioneries had survived forty or more years on the market and were highly recognized by
consumers of all ages. However, these long-selling products had failed to satisfy the demands of new
generations, and ultimately, their producers had to retreat from the marketplace. Similarly, brand awareness
for Yukimi Daifuku was extremely high in Japan. In a survey of favourite ice cream brands, Yukimi
Daifuku was ranked second.82 But its annual sales ranked ninth among all ice cream brands in Japan in 2019
and 2020 (see Exhibit 11). Within the same company, the drinkable ice cream product Coolish, launched
in 2003, exceeded Yukimi Daifuku’s sales and ranked seventh in both years.83

For Yukimi Daifuku’s fortieth anniversary, the company needed to be strategic; this could include
promotional activities, such as collaborating with other brands. The company could also consider new
packaging, since the original package was designed for the winter season only and the anniversary would
provide a good opportunity to give the packaging a facelift. Yet another option was for the brand to
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introduce a product extension. An upward line extension to healthy ice cream would allow Yukimi Daifuku
to appeal to consumers aged thirty or older who used to be the core customers. Finally, Lotte could also
consider the possibility of going back to the original strategy of Yukimi Daifuku being exclusively sold
during the winter.

Yukimi Daifuku’s patented process, approved on March 19, 2001, was about to expire. Without the two
keys to Yukimi Daifuku’s long-term success—its well-developed patented process and its sales strategy of

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distributing the ice cream product exclusively during the winter—which strategic option would be best for
it? Lotte’s total ice cream sales had been declining for three years (see Exhibit 12). How could Yukimi
Daifuku improve growth in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond?

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EXHIBIT 1: YUKIJIRUSHI ICE CREAM DISPLAY FREEZER

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Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.
Source: ITA-ATU, “File:Snowbrand-Icecream-Box.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons (free media repository), November 6, 2008,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snowbrand-Icecream-Box.jpg.

EXHIBIT 2: ICE CREAM SALES IN JAPAN, 1994–2020

Ice Cream Sales in Japan (Billion Yen)

600
519.7

450 429.6 406.3

332.2

300

150

0
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream Sales [in Japanese], June
23, 2021, https://www.icecream.or.jp/biz/data/pdf/2020result.pdf.
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EXHIBIT 3: YUKIMI DAIFUKU LIMITED-PERIOD FLAVOUR ARCHIVE

Launched
Flavour
(Year)
1992 Ume (Japanese plum)
1992 Mugwort (yomogi leaves used for mochi)
2004 Strawberry

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2004 Red bean
2006 Fresh chocolate
2006 Peach
2007 Strawberry milk
2007 Green tea with brown sugar syrup
2007 Tiramisu
2008 Kinako (roasted soybean flour) with brown sugar syrup
2009 Egg pudding
2009 Double fresh chocolate
2010 Fresh caramel
2011 Fresh chocolate strawberry
2014 Chocolate and cookie

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2014 Green tea, chewy-texture version
2015 Strawberry, chewy-texture version
2015 Cherry blossom (sakura)
2015 Mont Blanc (chestnut)
2015 Cream cheese
2016 Espresso
2016 Creamy sweet potato
2016 Sweet red bean soup
2016 Sweet soy sauce, thick mochi version
2017 Cream puff
2017 Kinako (roasted soybean flour)
2019 Cool matcha, with Uji green tea
2019 Strawberry, heart-shaped version
2020 Pancake, chewy-texture version with Canadian maple syrup
2020 Lemon cheesecake
2020 Rich chocolate
2020 Tiramisu, high-quality version

Source: Created by case authors based on data from Lotte Co., Ltd., “Yukimi Daifuku Flavour Archive” [in Japanese], Lotte-
Land, accessed March 3, 2022, https://lotte-land.jp/yukimi/archive/.
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EXHIBIT 4: CONVENIENCE STORES IN JAPAN, 1983–2008

Convenience Stores in Japan: 1983 - 2008

50,000
45,000 40,644
40,000

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
-
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Number of Convenience Stores

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Garbagenews, “Changes in the Number of Convenience Stores”
[in Japanese], October 22, 2010, http://www.garbagenews.net/archives/1565632.html.

EXHIBIT 5: CONVENIENCE STORE USAGE RATE IN 2000 (JAPAN)

Convenience Store Usage Rate

Total 21.9 40.2 27.7 8.5 1.7

Female 15.0 40.4 31.7 10.4 2.5

Male 28.8 40.0 23.8 6.7 0.8

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

5 times or more / week 3 - 4 times / week 1 - 2 times / week

2 - 3 times / month less than once / month

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream White Paper 2000 (アイ
ス ク リ ー ム 白 書 ) [in Japanese], April 2000, accessed February 2, 2022,
https://www.icecream.or.jp/biz/research/pdf/hakusho2000.pdf.
Page 12 W29881

EXHIBIT 6: WORLD ICE CREAM CONSUMPTION PER CAPITA IN 2021 (LITRES)

Country Total Eating at Home Eating Out

Australia 20.8 13.6 7.2
New Zealand 15.2 9.5 5.7
United States of America 13.1 11.8 1.3
Finland 13.0 11.7 1.3
Norway 11.9 9.3 2.6

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
Lithuania 10.3 8.6 1.7
Portugal 10.2 7.7 2.5
Italy 10.1 4.7 5.4
Sweden 10.1 9.0 1.1
Spain 10.0 8.5 1.5
Germany 9.0 8.2 0.8
Chile 8.9 8.0 0.9
Canada 8.9 6.4 2.5
Estonia 8.3 7.5 0.8
Denmark 8.2 6.1 2.1
England 8.2 6.7 1.5
The Netherlands 7.4 5.2 2.2
Croatia 7.3 5.2 2.1

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

Latvia 7.2 6.6 0.6
Japan 6.7 6.2 0.5
Austria 6.7 4.9 1.8
Ireland 6.4 5.7 0.7
Belgium 5.9 4.7 1.2
Switzerland 5.7 4.6 1.1
North Macedonia 5.6 3.4 2.2

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from "World Ice Cream Consumption per Capita" [in Japanese], Japan
Ice Cream Association, accessed April 22, 2022, https://www.icecream.or.jp/iceworld/data/consumption.html.

EXHIBIT 7: PREFERRED PLACES TO EAT ICE CREAM, 2017 (JAPAN)

“Where do you eat ice cream?” (Multiple responses)

100% 91%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
16.5%
20% 11.8% 9.8% 9.7% 9.4% 8.3% 8.3% 7% 5.3%
10% 3% 1.8%
0%

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream White Paper 2017 [in
Japanese], accessed February 10, 2022, https://www.icecream.or.jp/biz/research/pdf/hakusho2017.pdf.
Page 13 W29881

EXHIBIT 8: FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOURS 1999 AND 2018–2021 (JAPAN)

2021 2020 2019 2018 1999

1 Vanilla Vanilla Vanilla Vanilla Vanilla
2 Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
3 Green tea Green tea Green tea Green tea Green tea
4 Cookie & cream Strawberry Cookie & cream Cookie & cream Strawberry

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
5 Strawberry Cookie & cream Strawberry Strawberry Red beans

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream White Paper 2021 [in
Japanese], accessed February 10, 2022, https://www.icecream.or.jp/biz/research/pdf/hakusho2021.pdf.

EXHIBIT 9: POPULATION IN JAPAN BY AGE GROUP FROM 1960 TO 2020

Age 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

0–4 7,964,828 8,907,564 8,515,416 6,492,897 5,904,098 5,296,748 4,541,360
5–19 29,849,004 25,412,259 27,263,907 26,000,429 20,056,566 17,570,053 16,196,548

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

20–34 24,246,199 28,317,167 27,654,112 24,658,519 26,988,379 22,061,631 19,417,883
35–49 15,991,895 21,586,167 25,629,468 28,680,082 24,831,092 26,561,330 25,843,073
50–64 10,851,588 13,048,722 17,278,774 22,558,288 26,911,995 26,345,482 24,120,603
65–79 4,719,714 6,436,423 9,024,343 11,939,323 17,157,115 21,114,488 24,489,449
80+ 678,266 956,869 1,623,013 2,955,272 4,848,037 8,131,197 11,537,183
Total 94,301,494 104,665,171 116,989,033 123,284,810 126,697,282 127,080,929 126,146,099

Population by Age Group

140,000,000

120,000,000

100,000,000

80,000,000

60,000,000

40,000,000

20,000,000

-
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

0-4 5-19 20-34 35-49 50-64 65-79 80 and over

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from e-Stat, Statistics of Japan, “Table 17, Population by Age (Five-Year
Groups) and Sex, and Sex Ratio—Japan* (1920 to 2010),” updated on June 27, 2014, https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-
search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00200521&tstat=000001039448&cycle=0&tclass1=000001065261&tclass2val=0;
and e-Stat, Statistics of Japan, “Table 1-3, Population by Sex, Age (Single Years), and All Nationality or Japanese, and Average
Age and Median Age by Sex and All Nationality or Japanese—Japan, Prefectures, Municipalities,” updated on November 30,
2021, https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00200521&tstat=000001136464&cycle=0&
tclass1=000001154387&tclass2=000001159626&cycle_facet=cycle&tclass3val=0.
Page 14 W29881

EXHIBIT 10: AIR CONDITIONER PENETRATION RATIOS FROM 1967 TO 2021 (JAPAN)

Air Conditioner Penetration Ratio 1967 - 2021

100.0 350.0
90.0
300.0

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
80.0
70.0 250.0

60.0
Per Cent

200.0

Count
50.0
150.0
40.0
30.0 100.0
20.0
50.0
10.0

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

0.0 0.0
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
Rate of households having air conditioner Number of air conditioners out of 100 households

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Department of Business Statistics, Economic and Social Research
Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Consumer Confidence Survey [in Japanese], April 2021, accessed February
2, 2022, https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/stat/shouhi/honbun202103.pdf.
Page 15 W29881

EXHIBIT 11: ICE CREAM SALES BY BRANDS FROM APRIL 2020 TO MARCH 2021
AND APRIL 2019 TO MARCH 2020 (JAPAN)

Sales from April 2020 to March 2021

Ice Cream Brand 2020 Sales

Ranking Producer
Name (Billion Yen)

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
1 Essel Super Cup Meiji 27.4
2 Jumbo Monaka Morinaga Milk 21.3
3 Papico Ezaki Glico 18.9
4 Parm Morinaga Milk 16.7
5 Pino Morinaga Milk 15.3
6 Gari Gari Kun Akagi Nyugyo 14.7
7 Coolish Lotte Ice 12.2
8 Giant Corn Ezaki Glico 11.2
9 Yukimi Daifuku Lotte Ice 9.9
10 Azuki Bar Imuraya 9.9
11 Soh Lotte Ice 9.4

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

12 Ice no Mi Ezaki Glico 9.2
13 Mona King Lotte Ice 8.4

Sales from April 2019 to March 2020

Ice Cream Brand 2019 Sales

Ranking Producer
Name (Billion Yen)
1 Essel Super Cup Meiji 27.2
2 Jumbo Monaka Morinaga Milk 19.2
3 Papico Ezaki Glico 17.9
4 Parm Morinaga Milk 16.1
5 Gari Gari Kun Akagi Nyugyo 14.7
6 Pino Morinaga Milk 14.6
7 Coolish Lotte Ice 12.5
8 Giant Corn Ezaki Glico 10.3
9 Yukimi Daifuku Lotte Ice 10.0
10 Soh Lotte Ice 8.6
11 Azuki Bar Imuraya 8.6
12 Mona King Lotte Ice 8.4
13 Ice no Mi Ezaki Glico 7.2

Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Naoyuki Takaki, “Top 13 Ice Cream Sales” [in Japanese], Toyo
Keizai Online, July 30, 2021, https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/444134?page=2.
Page 16 W29881

EXHIBIT 12: ICE CREAM SALES IN JAPAN, 2018–2020 (BILLION YEN)

2018 2019 2020

Lotte 814.00 785.00 773.00
Glico 871.00 873.53 923.02
Meiji 451.06 444.10 443.33

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
Morinaga 356.34 372.15 407.53

Ice Cream Net Sales 2018–2020 (Billion Yen)

1,000
900
800
700
600

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

500
400
300
200
100
0
Lotte Glico Meiji Morinaga

2018 2019 2020

Note: Including Lotte Korea’s ice cream sales, Lotte was ranked at number three for the global ice cream market with its share
of 1.60 per cent in 2020; Glico ranked number six with 1.39 per cent, and Unilever took first place with 12.7 per cent, followed
by Froneri with 7.88 per cent.
Source: Created by the case authors based on data from Lotte: Lotte Co., Ltd., "Performance 2019" [in Japanese], accessed
June 18, 2021, https://www.lotte.co.jp/corporate/about/outline/outline.html; "Performance 2020" [in Japanese], accessed
March 26, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/corporate/about/outline/outline.html; Glico: Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd., Summary of
Consolidated Financial Results (Japanese Accounting Standards) for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2018, May 14, 2018,
https://www.glico.com/assets/files/Financial_Results_for_the_Fourth_Quarter_of_the_FYE_March_31,2018.pdf; Summary of
Consolidated Financial Results (Japanese Accounting Standards) for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019, February
14, 2020, https://www.glico.com/assets/files/Financial_Results_FYE_December_2019_Fourth_Quarter.pdf; Summary of
Consolidated Financial Results (Japanese Accounting Standards) for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020, February
12, 2021, https://www.glico.com/assets/files/Financial_Results_for_the_FYE_December_31,2020.pdf; Meiji: Meiji Holdings
Co., Ltd., Consolidated Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2018 (Based on Japanese GAAP), May 11,
2018, accessed March 26, 2022, https://www.meiji.com/global/investors/results-presentations/results/pdf/2018/results_
2018_r04_en.pdf; Consolidated Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2019 (Based on Japanese GAAP),
May 13, 2019, accessed March 26, 2022, https://www.meiji.com/global/investors/results-presentations/results/pdf/
2019/results_2019_r04_en.pdf; Consolidated Financial Results for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2019 (Based on
Japanese GAAP), May 22, 2020, accessed March 26, 2022, https://www.meiji.com/global/investors/results-
presentations/results/pdf/2020/results_2020_r04_en.pdf; Morinaga: Morinaga & Co., Ltd., Consolidated Financial Summary
for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2018 (Japanese Accounting Standards), May 11, 2018, accessed March 26, 2022,
https://pdf.irpocket.com/C2201/yUG5/pB8I/b5nu.pdf; Consolidated Financial Summary for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31,
2019 (Japanese Accounting Standards), May 14, 2019, accessed March 26, 2022, https://pdf.irpocket.com/
C2201/yUG5/pB8I/KcMG.pdf; Consolidated Financial Summary for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2020 (Japanese
Accounting Standards), May 14, 2020, accessed March 26, 2022, https://pdf.irpocket.com/C2201/lHos/d0Ul/Raq8.pdf; “Global
Ice Cream Market Share and Analysis” [in Japanese], Deallab, December 15, 2021, accessed March 26, 2022,
https://deallab.info/icecream/.
Page 17 W29881

ENDNOTES
1
This case has been written on the basis of published sources only. Consequently, the interpretation and perspectives presented in
this case are not necessarily those of Lotte Co., Ltd.or any of its employees.
2
See endnotes referenced under the section titled “What’s Next?”.
3
¥ = JPY = Japanese yen; ¥1 = US$0.0097 as of January 1, 2021; all currency amounts are in Japanese yen (¥) unless otherwise specified.
4
Takashi Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte (ロッテを創った男), 1st ed. (Diamond Publisher, November 24, 2020), 245.
5
“Patent Number 4315607” [In Japanese], Japan Patent Office, August 19, 2009, https://megalodon.jp/2013-0827-2122-
39/www.dotup.org/uploda/www.dotup.org4443211.pdf; Tatsuya Yamada, “Why The Patent Number Disappeared From The Package

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
Of Yukimi Daifuku (何故、「雪見だいふく」のパッケージから特許番号の表示が消えたのか？),” March 28, 2021, accesses May 9,
2023, https://note.com/sweetsbenrishi/n/n929790aec3b2.
6
Jun Terao, “No more old common sense! Why ice cream is very competitive now (古い常識は崩壊！いまアイスクリームが熱すぎ
るワケ),” SB Creative Corp., July 4, 2018, accessed May 15, 2023, https://www.sbbit.jp/article/cont1/35117
7
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 59.
8
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 65–68.
9
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 69–71.
10
“Many Street Markets, Called Yami-Ichi (Black Market), Emerged On Every Corner Of The Cities Across Japan Immediately After
World War II.” Kosei Hatsude and Akito Sakasai, “The Black Market as City: New Research on Alternative Urban Space in Occupied
Japan (1945–52),” Princeton Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities, accessed September 7, 2022, https://arc-
hum.princeton.edu/black-market.
11
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 73.
12
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 75.

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

13
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 75.
14
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 80–81.
15
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 85.
16
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Corporate Philosophy,” accessed February 15, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/english/charter/.
17
Lotte Co., Ltd., “History of Lotte Gum” [in Japanese], accessed May 24, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/kengaku/gum/history/japan.html.
18
Lotte Co., Ltd., “History of Lotte Gum."
19
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 163.
20
Lotte Co., Ltd., "Performance" [in Japanese], accessed February 15, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/corporate/about/outline/outline.html.
21
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 7.
22
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 9.
23
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Corporate History 1940–1969” [in Japanese], accessed February 15, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/
corporate/about/history/.
24
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Performance.”
25
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 8.
26
Lotte Corporation, Non-Deal Roadshow Presentation, March 27, 2018 (see no. 1, “2018 Asia NDR”), http://www.lotte.co.kr/
global/en/ir/irRefList.do.
27
₩ = KRW = South Korean won; ₩1 = US$0.00092102 as of January 1, 2021; Lotte Corporation, 2019 3Q Earnings Release,
November 27, 2019, http://www.lotte.co.kr/global/en/ir/irRefList.do.
28
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 15.
29
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 10.
30
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream” (日 本ア イスク リーム 史 ), 21, accessed February 18, 2023,
https://www.icecream.or.jp/assets/iceworld/data/pdf/history.pdf.
31
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 10.
32
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, chap. 10.
33
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Corporate History 1970–1999” [in Japanese], accessed February 22, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/corporate/about/history/.
34
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream,” 20.
35
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 247.
36
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream,” 1.
37
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream,” 1.
38
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream,” 21.
39
Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd., “Ice Cream,” Meiji, accessed February 17, 2022, https://www.meiji.com/global/food/ice-cream/; Japan Ice
Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream.”
40
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream,” 21.
41
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream.”
42
Nenji Toukei, “Monthly Salary for Company Employees,” Nenji Toukei, June 13, 2013, https://nenji-toukei.com/n/kiji/10023.
43
Haier Japan Region, “History of the Refrigerator” [in Japanese], April 14, 2021, https://haier.co.jp/story/refrigerator-history/#:~:text=
一般家庭にも冷凍食品のブームが訪れたことにより、冷凍機能付きの冷蔵庫は一般家庭での普及率が高まります
%E3%80%82,1965 年には、日本国内での冷蔵庫の普及率は約 50%25 まで成長していました%E3%80%82%20 冷凍冷蔵庫と冷凍
食品の飛躍的な成長にはお互いの深い結び付きがあったのです%E3%80%82.
44
Japan Ice Cream Association, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream.”
45
Agriculture & Livestock Industries Corporation, “History of Japan’s Ice Cream Industry” [in Japanese], 21, accessed March 26, 2022,
https://www.alic.go.jp/joho-s/joho07_001993.html.
46
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Sales History and Trivia of Yukimi Daifuku” (発売ヒストリー＆豆知識), Lotte Land, accessed March 4, 2022,
https://lotte-land.jp/yukimi/history/?_ga=2.94351454.299609010.1645564698-2091118823.1644268010.
Page 18 W29881

47
Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, “How Popular Foods Were Developed: Yukimi Daifuku (
「 雪 見 だ い ふ く 」 後 発 メ ー カ ー だ か ら こ そ 逆 転 の 発 想 で 勝 負 す る )” [in Japanese], J-Net 21, December 1, 2010, https://j-
net21.smrj.go.jp/special/popularfoods/2010120106.html.
48
Japan Patent Attorneys Association, “Intellectual Property Right Supporting Hit Product,” accessed February 7, 2022,
https://web.archive.org/web/20110112073623/http://www.jpaa.or.jp/activity/publication/hits/hits01.html.
49
Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, “How Popular Foods Were Developed.”
50
Nikkei, “Yukimi Daifuku: The Reason Why It Was Not Sold In The Winter (アイスなのに夏に売らなかった理由とは 雪見だいふ
く),” December 1, 2017, accessed May 9, 2023, https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO24008470Y7A121C1000000/.

Authorized for use only in the course Marketing at Chinese University of Hong Kong taught by Leung from 9/1/2023 to 1/1/2025.
51
Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, “How Popular Foods Were Developed.”
52
Japan Patent Attorneys Association, “Intellectual Property Right Supporting Hit Product.”
53
Patent Act (Act No. 121 of 1959), Patent Term Article 67, Japanese Law Translation, accessed May 24, 2022,
https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/ja/laws/view/3693/je#je_ch5sc1at2.
54
Tatsuya Yamada, “Why the Patent Number Disappeared from Yukimi Daifuku’s Package (何故、「雪見だいふく」のパッケージか
ら特許番号の表示が消えたのか？),” [in Japanese], note.com, March 28, 2021, https://note.com/sweetsbenrishi/n/n929790aec3b2.
55
Tatsuya Yamada, “Why The Patent Number Disappeared From The Package Of Yukimi Daifuku (何故、「雪見だいふく」のパッケー
ジから特許番号の表示が消えたのか？),” March 28, 2021, accesses May 9, 2023, https://note.com/sweetsbenrishi/n/n929790aec3b2.
56
Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 245.
57
See the Yukimi Daifuku package at https://lotte-land.jp/yukimi/history/?_ga=2.94351454.299609010.1645564698-)2091118823.1644268010.
58
Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, “How Popular Foods Were Developed.”
59
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Yukimi Daifuku Limited Time Flavour Archive” (期間限定商品年表), accessed February 22, 2022, https://lotte-
land.jp/yukimi/archive/.

Use outside these parameters is a copyright violation.

60
Garbage News/JGNN, “Changes in the Number of Convenience Stores” (25 年に渡るコンビニ店舗数推移), Garbagenews, October
22, 2010, http://www.garbagenews.net/archives/1565632.html.
61
Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream White Paper 2000 ( ア イ ス ク リ ー ム 白 書 ), accessed February 10, 2022,
https://www.icecream.or.jp/biz/research/pdf/hakusho2000.pdf.
62
Japan Ice Cream Association, Ice Cream White Paper 2000.
63
e-Stat Statistics of Japan, “Table 1-3: 2020 Population by Sex, Age (Single Years) and All Nationality or Japanese, and Average
Age and Median Age by Sex and All Nationality or Japanese—Japan, Prefectures, Municipalities,” updated on November 30, 2021,
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/stat-search/files?page=1&layout=datalist&toukei=00200521&tstat=000001
136464&cycle=0&tclass1=000001154387&tclass2=000001159626&cycle_facet=cycle&tclass3val=0.
64
OECD Data, “Life Expectancy at Birth 2020,” accessed March 26, 2021, https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/life-expectancy-at-birth.htm.
65
Glico Company, “日々食べるものをおいしく健康に 新ブランド『SUNAO(スナオ)』が登場 糖質・カロリーをコントロール カラダにや
さしいアイス 2017年 2月 20日(月)新発売!,” news release, January 13, 2017, https://www.glico.com/assets/files/20170113-NR-SUNAO__1.pdf.
66
Lotte Co., Ltd., “Zero Ice Cake” [ZERO アイスケーキ], accessed March 26, 2022, https://www.lotte.co.jp/products/catalogue/ice/
34/detail02.html.
67
Nikkei Style, “Yukimi Daifuku Was Sold Only in Winter: Interview with Shuhei Ando, Lotte Marketing Department, Branding Section”
(冬限定だった「雪見だいふく」 トースト載せも話題に ロッテ マーケティング部 雪見だいふくブランド課 安藤崇平氏),
Nikkei Style, January 26, 2021, https://style.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO68405070S1A120C2000000/.
68
Nikkei Style, “Yukimi Daifuku Was Sold Only in Winter.”
69
Department of Business Statistics, Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Consumer
Confidence Survey [in Japanese], April 2021, https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/stat/shouhi/honbun202103.pdf.
70
Shokuhin Sangyo Shimbunsha Co., Ltd., “Yukimi Daifuku Started All-Year Sales (秋冬限定の「雪見だいふく」、全国で通年販売
へ/ロッテアイス)” [in Japanese], Shokuhin Sangyo Shimbunsha News Web, March 29, 2018, https://www.ssnp.co.jp/news/milk/
2018/03/2018-0329-1649-14.html.
71
Shokuhin Sangyo Shimbunsha Co., Ltd., “Yukimi Daifuku Annual Sales Exceed 10 Billion Yen (「雪見だいふく」初の年間売上 100
億 円 突 破 へ )” [in Japanese], Shokuhin Sangyo Shinbunsha News Web, March 19, 2020, https://www.ssnp.co.jp/news/milk/
2020/03/2020-0319-1215-14.html.
72
Dentsu Inc., “Co-Creation Marketing—Yukimi Daikufu” [in Japanese], March 19, 2021, https://dentsu-ho.com/articles/7691.
73
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Nikkei Style, “Yukimi Daifuku Was Sold Only in Winter.”
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Matsuzaki, The Founder of Lotte, 145.
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Coolish was a “drinkable” ice cream, a mixture of ice cream and crushed ice that the consumer could squeeze directly out of a
pouch and directly into their mouth.