In Japan the first Starbucks opened on 2 August 1996 in Ginza Tokyo since then its become a ubiquitous presence in Japan. It's first drive though opened in 2002 in Moriya Ibaraki.
McDonald's came to Japan in May 1971. Since then McDonald's has opened 3,300 outlets the most outside of America. Located in supermarkets, malls and train stations along with stand alone locations.
Japan's Kentucky Fried Chicken has changed the way Japanese viewed Christmas. Instead of turkey which American's usually eat for Christmas dinner Japanese order in advance Christmas dinner from Kentucky Fried Chicken so popular has this tradition become you can't walk into a Kentucky Fried Chicken and buy a bucket of chicken as they've already been reserved.
America is a meticulously constructed brand; it is the indispensable nation with exceptional power. There is no country as adept at branding as the United States.
Popular international mega-brands like Apple and McDonald’s sell neat pre-packaged pieces of the American dream to eager international consumers. A complimentary national branding strategy sells "freedom" and "democracy" over international airwaves, in movie theatres and through diplomatic influence.
But if Brand America is the sum of the effects of its soft powers, can we really separate this cultural imperialism from the nation’s use of hard power?
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