These small little bags filled with goodies are known as onpacku (on-pack). These usually can be shown on any product (mostly beverages) when there is a promotion going on. Promotions vary from; new product release, sponsorship of a new movie, video game, or even seasonal reasons.

Japan is actually very well known for releasing items seasonally, and I don’t mean clothes- but food!. For example: in the spring time you can find sakura (cherry blossom) flavored kit-kat, or Poiful will come out with their summer blend of jelly beans, or Fanta will release a tropical fruit flavored line. All of these will be pulled from the shelves when the season is over.

But what are the benefits of the on-pack? If gives the buyer something more, it gives them something FREE! If you are browsing the cooler at a convenient store your eyes are automatically drawn, it just bulges out from the top. You want to pick it up and see what’s inside.

What usually sits on top of this big erect bottle? Almost anything that’s small, but usually a type of toy- like the example above. They’re great because if you have one, you want to collect the rest of the set. It’s almost as if you are buying the soda just to get the toy. In summer 2006 Gatorade’s summer on-pack had an assortment of items from sweatbands, massagers, energy pills, and even whistles. This was a seasonal line that helped promote summer fitness while enjoying it with Gatorade. This shows that some of the free items featured can actually be useful!

The on-pack is a wonderful way to attract a buyer of all ages. If you are not a fan of cheap plastic goodness you are bound to find something in these small packages that will interest you. It can also help the buyer pick one product over another because they’re not only are they getting a drink, they’re getting something free too.