Wearing a fancy leather uniform and mop in hand, Lady Gaga, who recently had her first child, takes on the role of a Japanese konbini cashier in an ad for the FamilyMart chain aimed at attracting young recruits in a tight job market.
“Famima of hataraku? (Do you want to work at FamilyMart?)” asks the popstar in a slick black-and-white clip, where she restocks the shelves with bottles of tea, washes the floors and offers fried chicken, in a futuristic costume inspired by the uniforms of the distribution chain.
FamilyMart, one of the three giants, with 7-Eleven and Lawson, in the konbini sector, these convenience stores often open 24 hours a day, is deploying an offensive strategy to attract and retain new recruits, at a time when Japanese companies are competing fiercely for hiring.
“When people decide to work in a konbini, we want FamilyMart to be the brand they choose,” a company spokesperson told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary. “By featuring Lady Gaga in this ad, we thought we could convey the allure and excitement of working at FamilyMart,” he continues.
Japan’s shrinking population and falling birth rate are confronting the country with severe labor shortages in every sector, from banks to construction sites.
FamilyMart has a network of more than 16,000 stores across Japan, and around 30% of them are understaffed, the spokesperson said.
Traditionally, Japanese konbini required their employees to adhere to relatively strict appearance rules, such as banning certain hair dyes and large earrings. But FamilyMart began relaxing them this year to try to attract employees, particularly younger people who want to maintain their own style.
