Demon Slayer at 16,000 FamilyMarts & Yoshimoto Buys Balus (Weekly Oshikatsu News: July 18, 2025)
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of July 11 to July 17, 2025.
This Week’s Highlights
The defining theme of the week was companies making fan-favorite content the face of their own brands.
Timed to the theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, FamilyMart launched a collaboration campaign across approximately 16,300 stores nationwide. In the same week, the VTuber agency Cover established a new music label, “hololive RECORDS.” The Yoshimoto Kogyo Group also acquired the VR live entertainment company Balus. Companies using fan content for temporary sales promotions and companies turning it into permanent in-house business pillars made major moves at the exact same time.
Another notable trend was appointing idols and characters as the ongoing “face” of a company. Calbee launched a year-round video series featuring the idol group Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu. Meiji and FRUITS ZIPPER entered the second year of their “NEW OKASHI PROJECT.” Other companies played voice actors’ voices on in-store retail media signage or held press conferences for their public relations mascot characters.
At the same time, a “66-variety blind draw” sales format for hololive merchandise drew sharp criticism, prompting the SHIBUYA TSUTAYA IP Bookstore to immediately revise how the items were sold. It was a week that showed how the more touchpoints companies create with fans, the more carefully every single touchpoint must be designed.
Campaign & Touchpoint Expansion
- FamilyMart's Demon Slayer tie-in across roughly 16,300 stores nationwide
- Year-round and multi-year idol ambassador series by Calbee and Meiji
- In-store voice actor signage, character press conferences, and metaverse events
Permanent Business & Capital Investment
- Cover establishing hololive RECORDS around its existing music production and distribution framework
- Yoshimoto Kogyo's FANY acquiring VR live platform operator Balus
- SHIBUYA TSUTAYA IP Bookstore overhauling a 66-variety blind draw into 5 smaller groups after backlash
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
Companies Appointed Idol Groups as Their “Publicity Departments”
Calbee × Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu — Promoting New Convenience Store Products in a Year-Round Series
On July 14, Calbee began streaming Calbee Totsugeki Sendenbu! (Calbee’s On-the-Spot Publicity Department!), a short-form video series featuring the six-member idol group Cho Tokimeki♡Sendenbu. Running through March 2026, the series introduces roughly 40 new convenience store products, focusing on one product per episode. In each video, the members judge whether a product makes their hearts flutter (“tokimeku” or “tokimekanai”), taste-test it, and share their impressions. Because roughly 60% of Calbee’s new snack products are developed for convenience stores, according to a fiscal 2024 estimate excluding private-label products, the series was designed to build touchpoints with consumers in their teens and twenties (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
Previously, from 2022 through 2024, Calbee ran a TikTok short drama series for its Jagarico snack brand titled Agerico Gakuen (Agerico Academy), with several episodes surpassing 1 million views each.
The Oshi Lab Note: Calbee announced a long-term run through March 2026 right from the start. Unlike a one-off tie-up commercial, this creates a recurring “slot” that introduces new products using the exact same format every time. For companies that continuously release new products throughout the year, setting up a repeatable, updatable format in advance is far more efficient than planning a brand-new campaign from scratch for every release.
Meiji × FRUITS ZIPPER — “NEW OKASHI PROJECT” Enters Its Second Year
On July 7, Meiji kicked off Chapter 2 of its “NEW OKASHI PROJECT” (New Confectionery Project) alongside the Harajuku-born idol group FRUITS ZIPPER. The project originally launched in August 2024, and its second-year theme is “Choko-tto Ii Hi ni Naare” (May It Be a Little Bit of a Sweet Day—a pun on choko, meaning both “a little bit” and “chocolate”). FRUITS ZIPPER served as “Meiji Okashi Ambassadors” (Meiji Confectionery Ambassadors) for the second consecutive year. Alongside the launch, Meiji released a continuation video and posted newly commissioned illustrations on social media depicting the members as “Meiji Confectionery Fairies” (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Rather than ending the initiative after one year, Meiji refreshed the theme and renewed it for a second year. By continuing to work with the same talent, the relationship between the fanbase and the brand deepens with each passing year. Entering a second year allows Meiji to demonstrate the kind of trust born from continuity—something that is hard to achieve through single-year ambassador contracts.
Voice Actors, Mascot Characters, and the Metaverse Expanded Corporate Touchpoints
StoreGeek × Mynavi — “Drugstore VOICE” In-Store Signage Featuring Voice Actors
On July 15, StoreGeek and Mynavi began offering consumer goods manufacturers “Drugstore VOICE,” a TikTok-linked content service featuring voice actors. The system connects “StoreGeek Signage”—retail media screens mounted directly on store shelves—with TikTok to reach shoppers right before they make a purchase decision. During a proof-of-concept trial conducted from February 1 to April 30, 2025, the companies distributed oral care and skincare videos featuring voice actors Kappei Yamaguchi and Hiroaki Hirata. Stores running the signage reportedly saw increases in both category purchase intent and actual purchasing effectiveness compared to stores without it (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: This initiative uses the exact same voice actors’ voices at both the stage where consumers first take an interest on social media and the stage where they are encouraged to buy at the store shelf. When social media videos and in-store signage are produced by separate departments, the tone and feel often end up mismatched. Using the same person’s voice from start to finish appears to have provided that final nudge right before checkout.
San-X’s “PR Coronya” — First Press Conference Marking Two Years in Office
On July 11, San-X held its first-ever “press conference” at a showroom in Tokyo to commemorate the second anniversary of its character Coronya serving as the company’s public relations mascot. Alongside members of the press, fans selected by lottery were invited to attend as “reporters,” participating in a Q&A session and taking instant-film (cheki) photos. The press conference looked back on Coronya’s activities to date—including appearances at events across 22 locations nationwide—and unveiled four new Coronya-themed merchandise items. Total attendance across the two days was approximately 40 people (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: San-X cast the invited fans in the role of “reporters.” A character styled as a PR representative spoke about actual public relations achievements and answered questions directly from fans. This approach turns corporate PR activity itself into entertainment content—a completely different use of a mascot from standard merchandise promotion.
TV Asahi × Cluster × Dentsu — Linking Music Station with the Metaverse
From July 18 to August 17, TV Asahi held the interactive event “Meta Meta Daisakusen 2025” (Operation Meta Meta 2025) inside the metaverse space “Hikari to Hoshi no Metaverse Roppongi” (Metaverse Roppongi of Light and Stars). This marks the second installment of a joint venture co-funded by TV Asahi, Dentsu, and Cluster, which drew more than 210,000 visitors in total the previous year. The event also featured a special tie-in with the July 18 broadcast of Music Station SUPER SUMMER FES 2025. Six musical acts in total—including FRUITS ZIPPER, NiziU, and CUTIE STREET—appeared as avatars, allowing visitors to experience Music Station’s signature staircase entrance alongside them (AdverTimes. (in Japanese), GameHack (in Japanese), PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: This project overlaps the experience of watching a television broadcast with the experience of visiting an event venue on the exact same broadcast day. Fans in front of their TVs and visitors inside the metaverse gather at the same time on the day of the show, meaning that watching the broadcast serves as a direct catalyst for visiting the metaverse venue. For companies that have traditionally planned broadcasts and live events separately, running both simultaneously offers a valuable blueprint.
Timed to Theatrical Releases, National Chains Took On the Colors of Major Franchises
Demon Slayer × FamilyMart — Collaboration Across Roughly 16,300 Stores Nationwide for the Theatrical Release
Starting July 15, FamilyMart launched its collaboration campaign “Take a Breather with Tanjiro and Friends at Famima” (Famima de Tanjiro-tachi to Hitoyasumi) across approximately 16,300 stores nationwide. The campaign commemorates the July 18 theatrical release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns (Gekijoban “Kimetsu no Yaiba” Mugenjo-hen Dai-issho Akaza Sairai). Stores carried multiple collaboration food items such as “Mugen Korojaga” (Infinity Bite-Sized Potatoes), Ichiban Kuji character lotteries, and newly illustrated merchandise. In Asakusa, Tokyo, FamilyMart also opened a specially wrapped storefront modeled after the “House with the Wisteria Family Crest” from the series (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: FamilyMart timed its rollout across 16,300 stores nationwide to coincide directly with the movie’s opening week. The core strength of a national convenience store chain is its sheer number of locations. By deploying the collaboration in everyday shopping spaces during opening week—when interest in the title peaks—even customers who do not go to the theater come into contact with the franchise.
ONE PIECE × HIPSHOP — Releasing 24 “Egghead Arc” Underwear Designs
The underwear brand HIPSHOP announced “HIPSHOP ONE PIECE Series,” its second collaboration with ONE PIECE. The brand announced that 24 new designs themed around the “Egghead Arc” would go on sale on July 19, priced at 2,800 yen for adult sizes and 2,500 yen for kids’ sizes (tax included). In its first collaboration wave in 2024, HIPSHOP released 114 designs. The product packaging was also designed so fans could enjoy displaying and collecting the boxes in their rooms (Inside (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: In sharp contrast to a national convenience store chain taking over thousands of storefronts, HIPSHOP stimulates the urge to collect through sheer product variety. Precisely because the brand established a track record by releasing 114 designs last time, even a 24-design lineup creates the exciting sense that “there are too many to collect them all.” The ideal scale and shape of a collaboration depend on whether a company’s core asset is its store count or its product variation.
Character Goods Lined Standard Apparel Shelves as Everyday Practical Items
UNIQLO × Sylvanian Families, Avail × Chiikawa — Adding Characters to Everyday Essentials
On July 25, UNIQLO released a “Sylvanian Families” (known in the US as Calico Critters) graphic T-shirt “UT” collection. Built around a “Baby Collection” concept, the lineup features four designs in total, priced at 1,500 yen each (tax included) (Inside (in Japanese)). Avail also released Chiikawa merchandise starting July 12, offering items such as an “Adventure Log Notebook” styled after manga panels as well as insulated cooling goods like plastic bottle holders (Inside (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Both retailers placed characters onto everyday essentials like T-shirts, notebooks, and bottle holders. Rather than selling them solely as standalone character collectibles, this approach places them on the shelf as one practical option among everyday necessities. By stocking them on the “daily life” shelves of general apparel and household goods sections, both collaborations naturally catch the eye of shoppers outside the core fanbase as well.
Restaurant Chains Created Reasons to Visit Using Game Characters
Komeda’s Coffee × Pokémon — Linking Original Menu Items with Pokémon GO
Komeda’s Coffee and its sister chain Okagean announced that they would run a campaign titled “Relax Fully with Pokémon” (Pokémon to, Tappuri Kutsurogo.) starting July 24. The chains announced original menu items such as “Psyduck’s Mango Milk Shaved Ice” (Koduck no Mango Milk Kori), and announced that stores nationwide would become PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon GO starting July 17, with Legendary Raid Battles also scheduled during the campaign period (4Gamer.net (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: This campaign layers an “in-app” experience that happens before visiting the restaurant onto an “in-store menu” experience that happens after arriving. PokéStops and Gyms are mechanisms that catch a player’s eye whenever they open the app, even if they had no initial errand at the café. Companies that maintain customer touchpoints in both physical stores and mobile apps are well positioned to build this kind of two-stage hook before and after a store visit.
CoCo Ichibanya × Monster Hunter Wilds, Baskin-Robbins × Super Mario — Quest-Style Sales Promotions
Curry House CoCo Ichibanya announced that it would run a Monster Hunter Wilds collaboration titled “CoCo Ichi HUNTER” from July 18 to August 31. Structured around three types of “quests” to encourage customer participation, the campaign included a promotion awarding a coaster for every 1,000 yen spent (Inside (in Japanese)). Meanwhile, Baskin-Robbins (known in Japan as 31 Ice Cream) added a “Special Double Cup with Mario Spoon” on July 18 to its ongoing Super Mario collaboration that had been running since July 1 (The Japan Food Journal (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Both chains structured their campaigns so that a customer’s visit does not end as a one-time trip. CoCo Ichibanya used a quest format offering multiple ways to participate, while Baskin-Robbins added a new item midway through the campaign period—each creating a clear “reason to come back again.” Because collaboration traffic tends to spike immediately after an announcement, mechanisms that spread visits out over time help raise overall customer turnout.
Corporate Fan Touchpoints
- Repeatable Idol FormatsCalbee's year-round convenience store video slot and Meiji's 2nd-year ambassador renewal
- Voice & PR CharactersStoreGeek's voice actor shelf signage and San-X's Coronya press conference with fan reporters
- National Chain Scale vs. VarietyFamilyMart's 16,300-store Demon Slayer rollout vs. HIPSHOP's 24 Egghead Arc designs
- Everyday Practical GoodsUNIQLO's Sylvanian Families UT shirts and Avail's Chiikawa notebooks and bottle holders
- Multi-Visit Dining HooksKomeda's Pokémon GO Gyms, CoCo Ichi's quests, and Baskin-Robbins' mid-campaign addition
- Regional & Metaverse SpacesTV Asahi's M-Sta metaverse, Iwate Menkoi TV's regional VTuber, and Kappa Sushi on Roblox
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
The VTuber Business Solidified Its Management Footing Across Music, Capital, and Crisis Response
Cover’s “hololive RECORDS” — Establishing a New In-House Music Label
On July 16, Cover, operator of the VTuber agency hololive production, announced the establishment of a new music label, “hololive RECORDS.” The new label repositions and unifies the company’s existing music production and distribution framework under a single label banner. Earlier on June 25, affiliated talent AZKi had announced that she would move the home base of her music activities from Victor Entertainment to hololive—a move that appears to have had the establishment of this new label in the background (ITmedia (in Japanese), KAI-YOU (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Cover has given its existing music production and distribution framework a label bearing its own name. Even the label’s name signals Cover’s intent to make fan content a permanent business pillar rather than a passing trend.
Yoshimoto Kogyo Group — Acquiring Balus, Operator of the “SPWN” VR Live Platform
Effective July 14, 2025, Balus Co., Ltd. transferred all of its shares to FANY Co., Ltd. of the Yoshimoto Kogyo Group, becoming a subsidiary. Since its founding in 2017, Balus has operated the VTuber platform “SPWN” and produced XR live concerts. At the time of the announcement, plans included comedy-and-VTuber collaboration projects, anime production featuring Yoshimoto talent, and regional revitalization projects utilizing VTubers (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Through this acquisition, a major comedy entertainment company gained virtual live technology and specialized talent in a single stroke. Acquiring a company with a proven track record allows a business to move much faster than building technology from scratch in-house. This case shows that the VTuber and oshikatsu sector has reached a stage where shifts in capital can reshape the balance of power across the industry.
hololive Merchandise’s “66-Variety Blind Draw” — Swiftly Changing the Sales Format After Criticism
On July 17, SHIBUYA TSUTAYA IP Bookstore issued an apology regarding the sales format for certain hololive merchandise items. The apology concerned specific products slated for the “HoloNatsu Paradise POP UP SHOP” sales event opening August 1 that had initially been set up as a “66-variety blind draw.” The store announced that it would change the format to blind draws divided into five smaller groups (of 12 to 14 designs each) organized by unit and generation. Affiliated talent Inugami Korone had also voiced reservations on X, writing that she could not ask her listeners to buy the items with a smile under those conditions (Inside (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Having 66 random possibilities stirred up anxiety rather than a healthy urge to collect. What is also notable here is the speed of the response, moving from announcement to apology and format revision within a very short window. While blind-draw sales are a staple method for stimulating collection demand, once the number of random possibilities crosses a certain line, the “fun of collecting” turns into frustration overnight.
A Regional Broadcaster and Ad-Tech Tested New Channels Through VTubers and the Metaverse
Iwate Menkoi Television × Unibirth Production — Launching a Regional VTuber Audition
Iwate Menkoi Television, a broadcaster in Iwate Prefecture, and Unibirth Production, which operates a VTuber business, announced a business alliance. The two companies opened liver auditions for an “Iwate Menkoi Television Official Certified Iwate Prefecture Regional VTuber.” Applications ran from July 12 to August 17, open to women aged 18 or older, excluding high school students, who could commit to continuing activities for at least two years. The successful applicant was scheduled to debut around October 2025 and take part in television program appearances as well as promotional support (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Here, a regional broadcaster recruited a performer for an officially certified VTuber who will appear on broadcasts and communicate the appeal of the local region. Setting a minimum two-year activity commitment as an upfront condition also sets this apart from a one-off PR appointment. Rather than treating regional promotion as a temporary campaign, the idea is to have a character with an ongoing personality carry that role continuously over time.
Roblox Daruma Game × Kappa Sushi — Collaboration Doubling as an Ad-Effectiveness Study
Daruma Game, a popular world on the metaverse platform Roblox that had surpassed 8.7 million cumulative visits, announced that it would hold a collaboration event with the conveyor-belt sushi chain Kappa Sushi from July 24 to August 22. During the event, Kappa Sushi menu items appeared in-game as pets. The collaboration is a joint project between Brave group Inc. and NEC Corporation, positioned as part of an initiative to visualize and measure advertising effectiveness on Roblox (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Kappa Sushi chose to place its promotion inside an existing popular world with 8.7 million visits. Instead of building its own metaverse space from scratch, it borrowed a venue where people were already gathering. Moreover, by pairing the event with NEC’s framework for quantifying advertising impact in numbers, the initiative was designed to go beyond mere buzz generation.
Closing Thoughts for the Week
This week stood out for how companies treated fan-favorite content as the face of their own brands. FamilyMart rolled out a Demon Slayer collaboration across roughly 16,300 stores nationwide from July 15 to August 4 to coincide with the theatrical release. Cover launched a permanent institutional framework in the form of an in-house music label. The Yoshimoto Kogyo Group acquired a VR live entertainment company, bringing its technology and talent into the group. One-off promotional tie-ins and long-term business investments happened side by side in the same week.
At the same time, the “66-variety blind draw” sales format for hololive merchandise drew criticism, and the retailer announced a revised sales format the following day on July 17. A company’s relationship with fans can be damaged by a single misstep in how products are sold. From voice actors’ voices on store shelves to mascot press conferences and idols serving as corporate publicity departments, the ways companies connect with fans are multiplying. And the more methods companies have at their disposal, the more carefully each one needs to be designed.
When considering how your own company engages with fans, please review this week’s developments alongside our guides on Design Principles for Oshikatsu Marketing and How to Create a Collaboration Cafe.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and business developments. You can browse past issues in our Oshikatsu × News category.
