Refined By Rebellion is Sapporo’s first ever major integrated campaign produced in Australia and it’s a mighty fine one at that. It’s a legend story, and yes, there have been a lot of those for alcohol brands, but none told like this. It’s strikingly executed using manga. (You’ll probably note that this underlines the brand’s Japanese origins.)
Sapporo is the oldest brand of beer in Japan, founded in 1876 in the shadows of the rugged snow-capped Sapporo mountains. The brand’s iconic yellow star, which is now synonymous with brewing perfection, has also come to represent the link between the fortunes of the place and the beer.
Refined By Rebellion tells the origins of Sapporo’s first chief engineer & brewmaster, Seibei Nakagawa, who snuck aboard a merchant ship from Japan to Germany in order to master the art of brewing. After years working at the Berlin Beer Brewing Company, Nakagawa became a certified brewmaster in his own right. After returning home, tales had spread of the local man who travelled worlds away to master the highly regarded art of brewing. Nakagawa was quickly offered the role of chief engineer, and the beer bearing its city’s namesake and star was born.
Manga is Japan’s oldest and most authentic storytelling forms in manga and is intertwined throughout centuries of Japanese culture. It also gives Cummin&Partners campaign a dramatic point of difference.
Chris Levey, brand manager, Sapporo, stated, “We are so excited with the new creative work for Sapporo and cannot wait to get it into the market. The Refined by Rebellion campaign has provided a wonderfully distinctive vehicle for us to tell our story across and has been effortlessly brought to life across multiple channels.”
Heath Collins, creative director at Cummins&Partners, added, “It has been an absolute honour working with Sapporo. We love the beer and the incredible brand story. Combining Sapporo and manga, both steeped in Japanese history, was such a powerful combination in bringing the story to life. We are really excited about the launch of the campaign.”
The campaign launches on November, supported by outdoor, trade activation, social and online video.
Credits:
Agency: Cummins&Partners
Creative Director: Heath Collins
Creative Team: Ben Horewood & Michelle Canning
Editor: Nick Weller
Producers: Steven Tortosa & Pip Heming
Client Service: Hayden Isaacs, Victoria Beranger & Jim Vizard
Strategy: Tom Ward & Bec Alexander
Manga Artist: Santa Fung
Client: Sapporo Australia
Director of Marketing & Innovation: Cam Pearce
National Marketing Director: Kate Dowd
Brand Manager: Chris Levey
