Benihana Launches New Anime Commercial
MIAMI, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following up on its successful ad
campaign featuring a tongue-in-cheek spoof of many martial arts box office
hits, Benihana (NASDAQ:BNHNANASDAQ:BNHN) is thrilled with the launch of its
latest television commercial featuring the magic of anime and guaranteed to
capture the attention of younger diners who make up the new generation of
Benihana loyal customers.
The fast-paced, action-packed thirty-second spot took over seven months to
produce and included more than 9000 sketches developed in a collaborative
effort of anime artists spanning two coasts and three continents. While it may
look slick and sexy to the average eye, anime enthusiasts will recognize the
deeply rooted Asian authenticity of the commercial created by professional
stylists who were brought in to legitimize every aspect of the commercial, from
the look of the wardrobe to the make of the motorcycle.
Produced at a time when American interest in Asian culture is at its peak, the
commercial features a storyline both creative and authentic. Audiences will
experience an animated action adventure featuring a young couple in love, a
dramatic motorcycle chase scene and eventually a surprise birthday party at
Benihana. The end result is an esthetically powerful vision originally created
by Gad Romann, creative director of The Roman Group. "This is the first
generation in American history that is not European-influenced," said Romann. "The agency's vision was to create something cutting-edge and stimulating that
would talk to today's generation of Asian-influenced restaurant goers." Kevin Aoki, Benihana Vice President of Marketing, recognizes the impact of
effective branding in grasping the attention of new generations. "Benihana is
fortunate that our branding efforts are capable of evolving with each new
generation of diners. Young people today surround themselves with high-tech
gadgets and are extremely perceptive to visual stimulation. Our anime campaign
addresses these factors, showing that while the tradition of the Benihana
experience has not changed, the face of the future is guaranteed to get your
attention." Benihana, now in its 40th year and one of the nation's largest chains of Asian
restaurants, currently operates 70 restaurants nationwide, including 57
Benihana teppanyaki restaurants, five Haru sushi restaurants, eight RA Sushi
Bar Restaurants and one Doraku restaurant. Under development at present are
five restaurants -- one Benihana, two Haru and one RA Sushi. In addition, a
total of 23 franchised Benihana teppanyaki restaurants are now open or under
development in the U.S. and Latin America. DATASOURCE: Benihana National Corporation CONTACT: Melissa Fronstin of Benihana National Corporation, +1-305-702-2867 Web site: http://www.benihana.com/
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