Musing: Toyota & the Vocaloids

In my proud tradition of continually being late to the party, I have decided to get into the Vocaloids. I have previously browsed a few songs, but now I intended to learn more about them. I now know at least the names of all of the important ones, some of their more popular songs, and covers of English songs. (From the last of which come my love of Luka Megurine, who is actually pretty good at English.) Convinently, I soon learned that my joining of the fandom happened only a month after the announcement that they are bringing Vocaloids over to America. (Now, this ignores the existing English Vocaloids, but I would not really say that they count as they don't seem to be used as characters, or at least have only a fraction of the fans.) The following commercial seems to be the only ad so far in the "Big Dream" campaign:

Now, I have a problem with this. Mostly, it's who Miku is, and who the ad is targeted to. Considering that the announcer is the same respectable gentleman and the lighting and camerawork are the same as in all Toyota ads, we can assume that it is targeting the same people: responsible adults looking for a reliable car. In American culture, these people would not like Miku.

Miku is 16, has a squeaky voice, and has pigtails. She is a certifiable teen idol. American Adults do not like teen idols; if they like any pop singers, they tend to be a bit more mature, with a deeper voice.

I, personally, feel that Luka would be more accepted my mainstream America. She is capable of having a similar musical style to Lady Gaga, as well as darker, more soulful songs. She also already has an English voice ready, which means unlike Miku they do not have to make one. And you cannot say that she isn't popular; she and the Kagamine twins joined Miku on stage at the Giving's Day concert.

Of course, Miku still has a place in America. We still do have teen idols; and they are quite lucrative. It is just tend to target a more younger crowd. Miku could replace Hannah Montanna on store shelves. Furthermore, having both come here at the same time could show Americans the versatility of the Vocaloid2 engine. Again, this is talking about Mainstream Americans, not those who are currently into the Vocaloids.

In short, don't put all of your eggs in one basket, Toyota; Luka and Miku together will reach a broader audience then just Miku alone.

Also, I have written as much this week as I have all year. Hopefully on Saturday I will be able to write a review of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, thus breaking my lateness streak.