Takarajimasha Advances Development of Health-Focused Magazine for Seniors

Magazines with supplements like sleeping pillows have a major hit series with 1.5 million copies sold!

Starting with famous brand bags and pouches, Takarajimasha has advanced along a unique path as a publisher by including numerous items as supplements in its magazines.

In recent years, Takarajimasha has published many health and diet-related supplement magazines, including items such as belly band diets, beauty devices, shavers, and EMS. What’s even more surprising is that products for seniors are also appearing as magazines with supplements.

When and why did they start these health-focused magazines?

According to Takarajimasha, the department mainly handling goods consists of about 60 people. Among them, Jun Takada, who is involved in many senior-targeted products, provided the information.

“Health-themed magazines have been released for over 10 years. 

For example, the ‘Cool Gel Refresh’ sheet was released in 2011, and in 2016, the ‘Angel Sleep Pillow BOOK,’ supervised by Eiki Fuku Tsuji of Aska Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy Clinic became a hit and has evolved into a popular series with a cumulative total of 1.5 million copies” (Takada, same below).

Incidentally, Mr. Takada himself first worked on a health-themed magazine about three years ago. The first one he created was “Easy Health Habits from Your 60s! Seated Stepper BOOK.” It was a product that stimulates important walking muscles just by stepping on the pedal, with expectations of preventing falls and alleviating swelling.

“We have been broadly researching items that can easily stimulate health awareness for seniors, using TV shopping programs, newspaper ads, and the internet. Among these, the stepper caught my eye.

I thought that if we displayed it in bookstores, it might reach more people. So, we consulted with manufacturers who could handle development and production to see if we could create an original supplement magazine featuring it.”

This is because Duke Saraya, who holds walking courses nationwide, has exceptional name recognition and approachability. We asked him to supervise the project. He actually used the stepper, devised usage methods and frequency, and contributed to making it a hit product.

 

“Wrap to Lose Weight” → “Slim Down,” “Loosen” “Loosen Up” → “Body Care”

“The challenge was in the transportation aspect. Typically, items with a thickness of up to about 10 centimeters can be packaged with standard machinery, but anything beyond that requires manual work, increasing costs. Therefore, we had to consider the size that could be packaged.”

Takarajimasha handles many goods in large boxes, so their expertise in item creation and strong connections with manufacturers are strengths. However, for health-related items, there are aspects that require different knowledge compared to traditional magazines.

“Since these are essentially items from a publisher and not pharmaceuticals, they are treated as miscellaneous goods, so we pay great attention to expressions and appeals. For some items, we even proceed with commercialization after third-party checks by organizations like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Medical and Pharmaceutical Affairs.

For example, with belly band diets, we cannot say ‘wrap to lose weight.’ To convey the message without using the term ‘lose weight,’ we use the word ‘slim down.’

Similarly, in massage products, we cannot use terms like loosen or loosen up. Even if such terms are acceptable in books, they are more strictly regulated for goods, so we use terms like ‘body care.'”

Furthermore, after requesting items from manufacturers skilled in the development and production of that particular field, the planners and others personally test whether the items are usable.

“For example, to verify if a stepper could be purchased as a product, we request similar items or samples, and gather feedback from editorial staff and our own families. This forms the basis of our evaluation.

From this process, we gradually eliminate those items that seem difficult to commercialize as supplements, while moving forward with product development for those that seem feasible, confirming details within the company.”

Bookstore users are mostly people in their 50s and older.

The stepper’s key point is that it can be used while sitting. Developed with a similar perspective is the ‘Easy Health Habits from Your 60s! Just Sit! Chair-Type Balance Ball BOOK.’

“Unlike regular round balance balls, which roll on their own, we designed it as a stable chair type to make it easier to sit on, based on the idea that it would be less likely to cause falls for seniors. Additionally, choosing a calm color that blends with interior décor was also a key point.”

Additionally, the “Clearly Audible! Easy with Earphone Style! Pocket Hearing Amplifier BOOK” has also been released.

“A few years ago, a speaker that made TV sounds easier to hear was released, and that was the starting point for the idea. However, it was difficult to make such a speaker, so while researching, I came up with the concept of a hearing amplifier.”

The reason Takada began working on health-themed supplement magazines for seniors is due to factors like bookstore users being mostly in their 50s and older and “health being a universal and timeless theme.”

“When I added the perspective of the 100-year life era to my work, I thought that something new might come out of it, and naturally, I came up with health-related items.

Also, I used to work on ‘MonoMaster,’ a magazine aimed at men in their 50s and older, and had many opportunities to meet people in their 60s and 70s through interviews. Many individuals in that generation are conscious of their health or enjoy walking as a hobby, so my experiences with the health consciousness of the elderly generation also influenced this direction.”

Items that are easy to operate, single-function, and require minimal explanation.

In an era when books are not selling well, health-themed magazines for seniors appear to be a significant gold mine. However, there are also challenging aspects.

“For example, while there are many books on topics like blood sugar levels, diabetes, and dementia prevention that interest people, it’s quite difficult to translate these into practical items.

We also considered items like smartwatches that can measure health metrics, but honestly, there is concern about how accurate the measurements could be within the cost constraints of a supplement magazine, and we can’t compete with specialized companies in that regard.”

Another challenge is setting a price that offers value for money, making the magazine appealing for purchase at bookstores and convenience stores. These prices are determined through discussions among editors and various departments, with a range depending on production costs, but they are typically set between 3,000 and 4,000 yen even at the highest end. The idea is for customers to pick up these items as introductory products for things they’re interested in but hesitant to buy outright, and then move on to specialized manufacturers’ products if they want to pursue the interest further.

In developing concepts, Takada references the beauty device sections of electronics retailers. He frequently visits these sections to keep up with the latest advancements in technology.

“It’s difficult to achieve something that’s too advanced, including the cost.

For example, when I visit a retail store, I often think about whether it would be possible to create a product by removing certain functions from a massage machine. The key is to keep it as simple as possible and affordably priced, rather than having many features.

In fact, when I look at products in retail stores, I sometimes feel that there are too many multifunctional products and that they are too complicated.

For instance, if I wonder whether my parents could use a product effectively, it might be too complex for them to understand. Products that require thorough reading of the manual, even if they are convenient, often end up being unused. I believe that simplicity, single functionality, and ease of operation align well with the current trends.”

By the way, Takada’s proud creation is the “Healing Sound Flowing Sleep Room Light BOOK,” supervised by the Sound Healing Association. It features a light that plays nine types of soothing sounds recorded in places like the foot of Mount Fuji and Yanbaru, including night streams, moonlit waterfalls, insect sounds, and drums.

“One of the key themes that modern people seek is sleep, and I felt this trend has become even stronger since the COVID-19 pandemic, so we decided to commercialize it. Personally, I keep it on in my bedroom all the time, and even my cat seems to relax with it (laughs).

In the future, I want to explore the potential of items related to sleep and other products that can be affordably purchased at bookstores and convenience stores.”