“Free” Wife And Child? How A Japanese Company Helped Single Men Experience Family Life

A Japanese company that makes custom homes, Regard, included a unique offering in their listings.

They stood out from other architectural firms by including a rent-a-family simulation in their home tours. On November 17, 2019, they took advantage of the local Family Day holiday to offer this promotion to single men interested in buying a house.

The basics such as furniture and fixings were all covered. They also included a one-of-a-kind experience of having a wife and child spending time with you on the tour.

The company released promotional images with the woman and seven-year old child to garner interest in their showings. Their goal was to allow “people who don’t have families [to] experience the joy of living with a family.”

It gave men the opportunity to slide into the role of a husband and father, with actress Saori Koide playing acting as the doting wife.

The experiential marketing plan was designed to bring the potential customer through each part of Regard’s custom-made house. From being greeted at the entrance…

…to preparing for a party in the kitchen…

…to relaxing in the living room…

…to enjoying an afternoon drink with one’s wife at the balcony…

…and to having solo bonding time with the daughter, the whole journey was prepared as if it were a play.

According to Regard’s CEO, Tomoaki Naito, it was their hope that they could help tackle Japan’s marriage rate decline with the trial session.

Building a home means creating a lifestyle for the family who will live there together. This is an idea that we at Regard value. In today’s society, where the lifetime unmarried rate is increasing and the birthrate is declining, what can we do? It may be necessary for people to experience the ‘goodness of their family’ as well as the ‘goodness of their own home.’ With that in mind, we decided to hold this trial session. Why not imagine a future with your own home and family together? We look forward to receiving many applications.

— Tomoaki Naito