We named the product “Chibi-poli” because in Japanese “chibi” means “small” and “poli” is an onomatopoeia for a light, crisp texture. Since “poli” also means “cops,” we developed cop and robber characters with a well-known illustrator. We then carried out an electronic cop and robber game using mobile phones entitled “Chibi-poli Mobile Hunting,” in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s largest entertainment centers for young people. The simple game design, which allowed participants to find the robbers (QR codes) hiding in the streets of Shibuya and win a digital prize, proved extremely successful.

Only less than one out of every 100 new snack products survive in the Japanese retail market. In this extremely challenging environment, Chibi-poli still survives after generating a lot of buzz that resulted from a campaign that lasted only several days.