Anime, once considered a niche interest, has now become a mainstream attraction, catching the attention of marketers in 2024. Brands such as McDonald’s are investing in anime to attract the large and diverse Gen Z audience that the genre has cultivated. This, in conjunction with the rapid growth of dedicated streaming services like Crunchyroll, has made Japanese animation more accessible than ever before. The engagement of brands and advertisers in this platform demonstrates anime’s mainstream popularity.
2024 marks the beginning of specific global strategies carried out by brands targeting the anime space, similar to their strategies in the sports, music, or gaming industries, according to Tatiana Tacca, the founder of Oni Vision, a consulting practice focused on the anime and gaming space.
In February 27, McDonald’s launched its first anime-inspired marketing campaign in a fictional world called WcDonald’s, which has had a massive engagement and quickly gained over 250,000 views for its video campaign’s English version.
Anime’s viewership is at an all-time high in 2024 due to its accessibility. The leading anime streaming app, Sony-owned Crunchyroll, even exceeded 1 billion in global consumer spending by the end of 2023. Anime’s appeal is broad with audiences stretching across many demographic groups thanks to it being a medium, not a single genre.
In the U.S, anime’s popularity is on the rise, especially among Gen Z. A survey in January 2024 revealed that 42 percent of American GenZers watch anime weekly, in contrast to 25 percent of millennials and 12 percent of Gen X.
There is a strong link between anime and gaming that many brands have started to recognize. Marketers, who once saw anime as a niche audience, now actively seek to engage with this young, tech-savvy audience realizing a lot of overlap between gamers and anime fans. Brands can enhance their presence in either space by investing in the other. For instance, McDonald’s went live with a custom-branded Fortnite experience alongside its WcDonald’s campaign.
One of the reasons brands are interested in anime is because of the demographic diversity within the anime community. The media company Cxmmunity Media has utilized anime to reach diverse audiences through its investment in Trap Sushi, an anime-themed club, and event venue in Atlanta.
Celebrity endorsements and cosplays posted on social media platforms by American celebrities have also boosted anime’s popularity, thereby encouraging brands to demonstrate their familiarity with anime.
Source: The Rundown: Why anime is having a marketing moment in 2024 .
