The Genius of ‘No Promotion’: Studio Ghibli’s Bold Approach with “How Do You Live?”

Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary Japanese animator, shocked the world in 2013 with his announcement of retirement. But by 2016, the master storyteller was back, teasing a new film. Since his 1997 blockbuster “Princess Mononoke” surpassed 20 billion yen at the box office, Miyazaki’s films have regularly crossed the billion-yen threshold. But this time, for “How Do You Live?”, Studio Ghibli adopted an unusual tactic — virtually no promotional activities.

Unlike the typical barrage of teasers, trailers, and interviews, the studio released only a single poster prior to the film’s debut. The narrative, the cast, even the musical score remained a mystery. Some critics questioned this quiet approach, skeptical of its potential to draw huge audiences as past Ghibli films have.

Yet, peering into recent actions and interviews from Studio Ghibli’s executive producer, Toshio Suzuki, gives us a hint. In a magazine interview, he pondered, “What if less is truly more? What if, by not revealing anything, we amplify the viewers’ curiosity and joy?” He drew comparisons to “The First Slam Dunk”, which adopted a similar minimal promotional strategy, suggesting that heightened curiosity might just result in better box office numbers. The outcome? “How Do You Live?”, within a month of its release, has…