アコム | むじんくん チャント星人シリーズ | 1996
Aliens who made borrowing money feel casual / Acom "Mujin-kun" Chanto-sei-jin Series
In 1996, a commercial appeared where aliens in a UFO would say "Want to stop by Earth?" and come down to borrow money from Acom. This series, which swept the nation with its catchy "La-la-la, Mujin-kun♪" phrase, was a shocking piece of work that turned the heavy subject of consumer loans into something light and casual with its sci-fi style.
The problem
In the mid-90s, consumer loan companies were called "sarakin" and carried a strongly negative image. Into this environment, Acom developed the industry's first automated loan contract machine, "Mujin-kun," and the challenge was how to make people aware of it. With young people as the target, the company needed to break down resistance to borrowing money.
The insight
The ad thoroughly casualized the heavy act of "borrowing money" by setting it up as aliens stopping by Earth to get cash for things like a group mixer or a figure. The sight of the Chanto-sei-jin, played by Sain Camus, casually inviting people with "Want to stop by Earth?" was a strategy to make borrowing look like an everyday extension of life. Borrowing money didn't look dark at all—it achieved a casualness striking enough to become a buzzword.
The idea
The alien characters called "Chanto-sei-jin" were introduced, built around catchy lines like "Want to stop by Earth?", "Sounds good~", and "La-la-la, Mujin-kun♪". The over-the-top visuals styled after sci-fi movies, with their B-movie charm, ended up creating a sense of friendliness instead.
What happened
The catchphrase swept the nation, and "Space Limited Model" won an ACC Award. Awareness of the automated loan contract machine "Mujin-kun" shot up, and the campaign successfully reached young people. The series remained popular until it handed the baton to the Hakkiri-sei-jin in 1998.
Afterthought
"Acom really pulled this off," I find myself thinking. But at the same time, the question remains: "Was this really a good thing for society?" The pros and cons of lowering the barrier to borrowing money are still debated today. Still, there's no doubt these aliens changed the mood of society through the power of advertising.
