Ocean Glass Plc executives were sceptical that a glass with a simple strawberry motif could sell half a million pieces in a few days in Japan. However, after the glass was seen in the Japanese hit film Nana, sales boomed. "We were very successful after implementing this strategy by allowing the star of Nana to carry our strawberry design glassware. We had sales of about 500,000-600,000 pieces of Ocean glassware during the time the film was shown. More than that, we also got a corporate brand image," said Sumed Prasongpongchai, the company's regional marketing manager. The company is now to show its glassware in Korean movies in the hope that audiences will see & buy its products. Mr Sumed did not disclose details about the Korean movie because the company is negotiating with its sole distributor in Korea about a product placement strategy. He said the company was interested in expanding in Korea in 2007 because Korean consumers were seeking quality products and one large glassware manufacturer is closing its plant. Mr Sumed said sales of Ocean glassware in Korea in 2006 grew by 18%, compared to only 4-5% growth in 2005, with the improvement due to a change in the ownership of its Korean sales agent in 2006.
