In a category often diluted with stories of mateship, Asahi Super Dry needed to create a new wave of energy to break through to premium beer drinkers in its latest campaign, ‘Enter Asahi’.
In collaboration with both Asahi Beverages in Australia and Asahi Breweries in Japan, The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, created the campaign. Leveraging the brand’s Japanese provenance in ways that feel authentic but more importantly, interesting, surprising and mysterious, ‘Enter Asahi’ aims to tap in to consumers’ appreciation for discovery and exploration.
Directed by Marco Prestini from In The Thicket, the film takes audiences on a journey where imagination is not bound by reality. A world of giant squids, robot geisha, fierce warriors and loyal salary men.
The campaign will roll out internationally across broadcast, cinema, OOH advertising, digital, press, path to purchase and on Asahi’s social channels.
“Japan is an exciting and enigmatic place where the traditional and technological collide.”
The Monkeys Melbourne chief creative officer, Ant Keogh, says: “Japan is an exciting and enigmatic place where the traditional and technological collide. This was our inspiration for the ‘world of Asahi’.
“We avoided a traditional narrative, and took a more surreal, music-video inspired approach. The loose ‘story’ leads to a mysterious Japanese character who collects giant squid and owns a secret research facility dedicated to pruning the perfect Bonsai tree. The idea being that kind of perfectionist would favour precision-brewed Asahi. Having said all that, if people think the ad is cool, Japanese and remember it’s for Asahi, then we’ve probably done our job.”
Asahi Premium Beverages Marketing Manager – Beer, Michael Vousden adds: “We are very excited to build our foundations for the future and evolve the Asahi Super Dry brand platform and creative proposition into a compelling ‘Enter Asahi’ campaign. The creative impact will cut through to our target and will help recruit the next generation of Asahi Super Dry drinkers in Australia.”
CREDITS
Client: Asahi Premium Beverages
General Manager, Marketing AUS / NZ: Michael Edmonds
Group Category Manager: Kym Bonollo
Beer Marketing Manager: Michael Vousden
Agency: The Monkeys Melbourne
CEO: Paul McMillan
CCO: Ant Keogh
Creative Director: Wayne Ching
Art Director: Joe Sibley
Writers: Ant Keogh, Wayne Ching & Hugh Gurney
Designer: Jess Ramsey
Head of Strategy: Mike Derepas
Head of Production: Romanca Jasinski
Production Coordinator: Anne-Maree Shelton
Group Content Director: Lee Lowndes
Content Director: Navin Arunasalam
Content Executive: Allan Carlow
Production Company: In The Thicket
Director: Marco Prestini@DivisionSydney
Executive Producer: Genevieve Triquet
Producer: Nick Simkins
D.O.P: Stefan Duscio
Production Design: Michael Iacono
Costume Designer: Joanna Mae Park
Editor: Dan Lee @ The Butchery
VFX & Post Production: Alt. VFX
VFX Supervisor: David Edwards
Executive Producer: Tyrone Estephan
VFX Producer: Adrianna Spanos
Colourist: Edel Rafferty
Sound Design: Paul Le Couteur @ Nylon Studios
Music: Level Two Music
Media: OMD NZ
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