White, Beige, Yellow, Pink, Vivid Pink, Red, Purple, Orange, Green, Mint Green, Light Blue, Blue, Navy, Brown, Grey, Black, Gold, Silver, Metal Blue, Pearl Pink — T-W-E-N-T-Y colors courtesy of Pantone

Softbank + Pantone = Softbank 812SH — another US/Japan mashup!

This is the story of some very imaginative and unprecedented co-branding — out of Japan…and America. The likes of which I am unaware of. This is generating a lot of vivid, multi-colored buzz here.

Pantone, yes, Pantone teams up with a mobile phone company.

First a little about my experience in Japan with the limited palette of mobile phone colors.

Now, I am a J-Phone… I mean, Vodafone… I mean Softbank mobile phone subscriber.

My first ever mobile phone was a Nokia model something or another. Get this, the color was called, Mysteric Purple! It was this sparkly deep purple.
(One maybe two colors to choose from on this model.)

I loved that phone! Still have it in a box!

Then I got this Made in Japan, metallic clunker. In the end, I set it down on a street in Kyoto. In the bus lane. Literally flattened like a … senbei (rice cracker). Still have ‘it’ in a box.
(One ‘color’ to choose from.)

Then, a totally kickin Nokia flip-phone. Kind of femmy shade of light blue, but a real sweet phone. Still have it in a box!
(Two colors to choose from.)

Then I got this totally rad bright orange Made in Japan flip phone, circa J-Phone bought out by Vodafone. Nice phone. Still have it. The color turns heads. It’s the phone to take deer hunting with you — blaze orange.
(A couple colors to choose from.)

Then, the phone I waited for, for like months, the Nokia N70-1. What a dog!
(One ‘color’ to choose from.)

I was able to get it hacked to Bluetooth sync with my Macs and install an OSX theme to the interface.

I truly hate this phone! And I love Nokia!

Now Vodafone has become Softbank — surely the world’s most retarded name for a major company. I sometimes give my office mates the literal translation in Japanese and they are like… yuck! What a dumb name!

But, never-the-less, Masayoshi Sung has pulled a major rabbit out of his hat!

Lots of folks, not just me here are totally goovin on the SoftBank 812SH.

Softbank teamed up with Pantone… Pantone? Hello? Yes, Pantone for some super funky co-branding.

Now I know what you might be thinking if you are a creative type. Pantone, as in The Pantone Color Matching System. Yes.

So Pantone goes mobile in Japan? Yep.

Pretty clever!

They have hit a homerun with this one!

And the television commercial:

Charlie Rockwave
Rockwave Development Team
This thing IS GONNA ROCK!
Skype me!: charlie.rockwave
www.aiping.jp