Asahi Ginger Draft spices up beer selection

Written by: Rebecca Milner on November 17, 2008 at 11:12 pm | In MARKETING IDEAS | 2 Comments

Asahi has got a new beer on the shelves that doesn’t fall into any of the current beer trends (just to recap those would be metabo friendly and premium). It’s called Ginger Draft and is a light “beer” spiked with ginger extract.

Whether or not you think that sounds exciting or awful, the 5% alcohol happoshu actually has very little ginger taste. Much like the rather tasteless Kirin Sparkling Hops we covered a year ago, this one gets a diplomatic no comment.

So what’s up with the ginger? Well, thanks to the advertising materials, featuring pop acts Anna Tsuchiya and Monkey Majik, we know that Ginger Draft is targeting the just eligible to drink market.

We also know that rival drink manufacturer Suntory has a “Blue Ginger Ale” carbonated soft drink in the works to be released later this month. It is in fact light blue and would make a delightfully colorful cocktail mixer.

Tags: Asahi, beer, beverages, FMCG, Suntory
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Kirin beer goes retro again, bulks up

Written by: Rebecca Milner on November 6, 2008 at 12:06 am | In MARKETING IDEAS | 1 Comment

It would be quite possible to regularly maintain a blog entirely devoted to new beer developments in Japan (I am sure it’s out there), but we try to be picky about which ones to cover. But with two new releases from Kirin this fall, and neither of them promising no sugar or sporting a fancy European name, we thought it was worth a second look.

You see, Kirin is Japan’s original domestic brew and was long synonymous with beer, controlling the post WWII market clear until the turn of the millennia when Asahi won the crown, mostly thanks to the overwhelming popularity of Super Dry. So it looks like Kirin wants to remind consumers of those glory days with the plan to re-re-release (they did it in 2006) limited edition beers recreating original Meiji and Taisho brews both inside and out, in honor of the company’s 120th anniversary.

Meiji Lager will have a “thick and bitter” flavor while the Taisho Lager will combine “richly bitter” and “mellow” tastes. Priced at an acceptable ¥217 we’ll have to sample them to figure out what those descriptions really mean. Both are available from December 10th.

Editor’s note: The Meiji Era beer is stil the best beer I’ve ever had in Japan, so I’m looking forward to tasting it again after the first re-release!

For more immediate gratification, Kirin has also launched Strong Seven, a “dai-san” beer weighing in at 7% alcohol content. Dai-san or “third category” beers are actually beer-like beverages made with little or no malt and spiked with an additional spirit.

These third category beers are taxed at a lower level and are thus cheaper—Strong Seven will set you back only ¥147 for all that alcohol and is available from the end of October.

Tags: beer, beverages, FMCG, Kirin, Retro
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Unagi eel-themed drinks for summer

Written by: Rebecca Milner on July 27, 2008 at 11:51 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 1 Comment

It’s not enough for beer to be the official drink of the oppressively hot Japanese summer, one beer company is hoping to tie-in with the traditional food of summer, unagi (eel). Miyashita Sake Brewery is launching a “Suitable for Unagi” black beer that matches the color and richness of the grilled eel coated in sticky and slightly sweet sauce. Sold online in gift packs (¥2,425 for six), the “Suitable for Unagi” beer is intended as a summer gift for friends and co-workers.

Unagi is traditionally eaten during the summer to boost stamina against the appetite-destroying heat, particularly on the midsummer days of the Ox (July 24th and August 5th this year). While the origin of this custom is generally unknown and up for dispute, Miyashita is promoting a theory that explains that because the day of the Ox is associated with calamity, people traditionally turned to the Black Tortoise (the guardian deity of the north, also the direction associated with the Ox) for protection from disaster. The Black Tortoise God is black, thus people ate black food like unagi and now, says the brewery, black beer.

Posters advertising unagi to be hung in restaurants this summer, from unagi.org.

Whatever the reason (and we apologize for any of the questionably accurate explanations above, translated from the Miyashita promotional material), suffice to say the tradition has been a boon for eel merchants since the Edo period.

Meanwhile, a new beverage from Japan Tobacco Beverage says skip the eel altogether and instead go for a bottle of “Unagi Nobori,” a carbonated beverage combining vitamins and “eel extract” with a “refreshing flavor” to beat the summer swelter.

The packaging evokes a traditional unagi vendor, though a ¥147 a bottle the price is significantly less than the real thing.

Tags: beer, beverages, FMCG, JT, Summer, Unagi
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Edelpils - Sapporo Premium Beer

Written by: Michael Keferl on July 25, 2008 at 10:14 am | In MARKETING IDEAS | 1 Comment

Now that the fallout from the happoshu invasion is settling, there are two distinct trends in the beer market: “zero calorie” and “premium“.

Sapporo’s latest brew is the most expensive we’ve seen thus far (about $2.40 per can), and is taking a distinctly German approach in both form and branding. Edelpils is a hop-crazy pilsener that is so complex that it requires visual instructions just to know how to pour it!

Of course, the infographic on the can does more than just demonstrate proper pouring. Even though most Japanese have never even held a pilsener glass (much less own one), it’s a sign that Edelpils isn’t just a regular beer. It deserves care and attention, and even provides supplementary information for those who scan its QR code.

Is Japan is entering its Golden Age of Beer? It’s true, Japanese beer hasn’t exactly been known around the world for being for ale connoisseurs, but thanks to a ridiculous tax system that hikes prices based on the percentage of hops, brewers have made a concerted effort to improve the product or face annihilation at the hands of hop-free beer substitutes.

Tags: beer, FMCG, QR Codes, Sapporo
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Kosaku Shima sponsorships, supplements for salarymen

Written by: Rebecca Milner on June 29, 2008 at 11:13 am | In MARKETING IDEAS | 3 Comments

Kosaku Shima is the new face for Suntory’s The Premium Malt’s beer. The attractive, ever-youthful Mr. Shima is not a movie star, rather he is the protagonist from the immensely popular manga “Shima Kosaku.”

Often considered the “businessman’s bible,” the manga series by Kenshi Hirokane has followed the trials of the charmed Shima from the bubble-era through the recession and into the present day. Since debuting in 1983, the hero has made his way up the ladder in the fictional Hatsushiba Electric Company, always managing somehow to come out on top of every situation.

While the story is obviously an idealized portrayal of Japanese corporate life, the details are based in real life, which accounts for a lot of the manga’s popularity. It is no surprise then that Shima would drink Premium Malts, the beer of choice served at most high class night spots.

Lest you question Shima’s cultural importance, it should be noted that when he was finally named president of the company earlier this spring, Japan’s largest newspaper, the Yomiuri, ran an article on the subject as if it were a real news story.

Meanwhile, Takara Tomy Wellness has announced plans for what might be the most clever niche supplement yet: Shima Kosaku-themed supplements intended for the ubiquitous salaryman.

Available in three varieties, designed for specific situations (receiving and entertaining clients, business negotiations, and extreme pressure) the campaign hints not so subtly that these supplements will bring out the inner Shima in the ordinary businessman. Each packet also contains one of 30 “business cards” with a printed QR code leading to additional mobile web contents.

The Shima Kosaku supplement series, available from June 23, is the first product to be released by Takara Tomy Wellness, a supplement and nutrition product subsidiary of the toy maker giant formed in December of 2007.

Tags: beer, manga, nutrition, QR Codes, Shima Kosaku, Suntory, supplements, Takara Tomy
Category: MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS