Global companies from McDonald’s to Lego, Gucci, and Amtrak are increasingly using anime and manga to promote products and convey corporate messages, drawn to the global appeal and low-risk nature of the Japanese art form.
Anime and manga are gaining attention as appealing PR tools for overseas companies. These firms leverage the rich world-building and beautiful visuals of the Japanese art form to promote products and communicate safety information.
For instance, Amtrak features an “anime conductor” in manga-style safety posters displayed at railway stations across the U.S. The company also produces manga-formatted content for social media, which originated from popular anime-inspired fan art online.
Nicolle Lopez, Amtrak’s director of brand social, stated, “Anime is known for its world-building and beautiful art style,” describing it as “the perfect medium” for creating fictional characters while incorporating accurate details about routes, trains, and destinations.
This trend was reported by The Japan Times on February 2, 2026, with keywords including anime, manga, Amtrak, Gucci, McDonald’s, and advertising. Such initiatives highlight the growing influence of Japanese culture in global markets.