Yakult 1000…Why is it making a buzz on the internet? Why many are posting about it on social media

There are actually two types of products called 'Yakult 1000': 'Yakult1000' and 'Y1000.'

Both are beverages sold by Yakult contain 100 billions of Yakult's unique lactic acid bacteria, 'Shirota strains,' per bottle (more precisely, 'Yakult 1000' contains 100 billion and 'Y1000' contains 110 billion). This is far more than any Yakult products ever made, and they can relieve stress and improve sleep quality. These effects happen because 'Shirota strain' acts on the nervous system that controls information generated by changes in our bodies and stress.

The 'Yakult 1000' is a product delivered by Yakult Ladies and was launched nationwide in April 2021, and the 'Y1000' was launched nationwide in October 2021 and is sold at supermarkets and convenience stores.

According to our research results, the Yakult homepage clearly states ‘Relieve stress’ and ‘for better-quality sleep’, and its product characteristics are certainly wonderful, but why has it created such a big buzz?

Looking at Dockpit's search keyword analysis, the first thing that stands out is how the number of search users has surged.
* Dockpit is VALUES’ web behavior log analytics tool that allows you to analyze competitor sites and research trends using behavior data that is updated monthly on a browser.

Before, the number of ‘Yakult 1000’ searches was just about tens of thousands of people per month, but since February it has been rising tremendously. It increased to 120,000 in March and to 350,000 in April.

If you look at the keywords in the seasonal comparison, it could be assumed that those who liked Yakult were checking prices or its benefits. However, after February, people were researching "where they can buy it," "mail order/Amazon/Rakuten," "benefits/sleepiness," and so on. We can see that more and more people are now interested in Yakult 1000’s benefits.

"Matsuko" is the most prominent among the frequently-searched keywords. Matsuko Deluxe, who was a guest on the TV show called, "Shabekuri 007 (Nippon Television)" on April 4, 2022, said, "I recently started to drink Yakult 1000 ...then I started sleeping better.” She also said, "Taking just one of them was said to be enough, but I was drinking two a day just in case." Immediately after the show aired, Yakult 1000 quickly sold out in supermarkets and convenience store, leading to continued shortages. Again, Matsuko Deluxe proved to be influential, contributing to Yakult’s popularity.

In addition, other celebrities also commented about Yakult’s benefits on TV and social media in the past. For example, Daikichi Hanamaru shared on a tv show," I was having a hard time sleeping, then I was recommended Yakult 1000, and it helped me sleep well."

The band Sakanaction’s Ichiro Yamaguchi also said, "I drink it because Yumi Matsutoya (famous singer) recommended it to me."

Also, Ms. Tanabe of Boru Juku (a famous Japanese comedy group) posted as below.

A post from Chisako Takashima, a professional violinist and tv personality.

More and more celebrities spontaneously talked about Yakult, not as advertisement. And thus, many took interest in the drink. And as a result of trying it for themselves, many of them recognized its benefits and shared their experiences on social media, which contributed to the buzz around Yakult.

Based on the user attribute map, more women are interested in Yakult, and their search words vary widely, such as "trial," "deals and campaigns," "where to buy," "benefits," "when to drink," and so on. On the other hand, men are more interested in comparing it with other similar products like "R-1" and "Calpis," also looking into its effect on hay fever.

“Matsuko” was a popular search words that was surprising to see, but another unexpected search word was "nightmare.” We understand that there are many people researching where to buy it and its benefits, but why was "nightmare" searched so frequently regarding a health beverage?

When we looked into this, there were quite a few comments like "sleep quality surely improves, but I also have nightmares" and "I sometimes jump up from my sleep due to nightmares, but I still feel refreshed in the morning." This puzzled many, but also spurred curiosity and talk around the topic.

In addition to positive comments like "a good product with great benefits," there were some who saw it as a game, “whether they would see a nightmare a not,” which may be why many were talking and sharing about it. Although nightmares may not be a positive thing, many are curious to see what would happen to them and try it, also encouraging them to share their experiences. This aspect of wanting to share is indispensable when creating a buzz on the Internet these days.

Yakult’s product page on Amazon was at the top of the inflow pages, indicating that many were looking to buy Yakult online.

However, if you looked at the Amazon sales page, the price was 3,300 yen (on May 16) for 7 bottles. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for each bottle of "Yakult 1000" is 130 yen (excluding tax), and one of "Y1000" is 150 yen (excluding tax). The price is too expensive. It is, in fact, difficult to get your hands on them due to its popularity, but it seems it can be bought at an official Yakult retailer or by purchasing a subscription. Let's avoid paying unnecessarily too much.

From the analysis of “Yakult 1000,” in addition to having a person or event to first share and spark interest, it is important to have something that makes people "want to buy it themselves and share their impression" when trying to create a buzz.

Recognizing a product’s is crucial, and it is only natural that if a celebrity promotes the product, it will become popular. However, having something which provokes people to share their experiences…in Yakult case, "nightmare" was an important keyword. A seemingly negative word like "nightmare" is necessarily something a brand would want to associate with, and surely, that was not Yakult's intention! However, having something that makes people to try it, too, similar to the "ASMR" of Chikyu Gumi (Earth Gummies), may create a buzz.

The data in this research is from Dockpit, an analytics tool with online behavior log data and user demographic information under the permission of panelists in Japan presented by VALUES, Inc.

※The numbers of users are estimated by the data in the monitor and the internet population in Japan.