WELCOMING SUNTORY WORLD WHISKY, AO, INTO THE HOUSE OF SUNTORY PORTFOLIO
As a strategic and creative agency, bringing to market a new whisky in an unfamiliar drinks category was an interesting challenge for us – one that we embraced with enthusiasm!
Wonderworks worked in partnership with Beam Suntory to create an education program and activation ideas for the launch of a new blended whisky, Suntory World Whisky Ao, as the latest addition to The House of Suntory portfolio. The approach needed to showcase innovation within the whisky category and offer a flexible, scalable program for different audiences including internal, consumer and trade partners.
Education Program | Design and Artwork of Engagement Assets | Tools and Materials | Seminar Deck | Sell Sheet | Launch Toolkit
THE CHALLENGE
The World Whisky category is expanding at a rapid rate, with over 30 countries now creating and marketing whiskies that reflect local grains, climates, ageing woods and techniques. However, World Whisky is still a relatively unfamiliar category to consumers.
Blended and perfected at the Yamazaki Distillery in Japan, Suntory World Whisky Ao offers a unique opportunity for drinkers to experience five major world whiskies in one bottle. Each exemplifies the characteristic qualities of its origin, either the more traditional whisky-making regions of Scotland, Ireland and the US, or the pioneers in Japan and Canada.
Our challenge was threefold: to educate drinkers about world whiskies; to convey the concept of Suntory World Whisky Ao; and to encourage liquid-on-lips to build brand advocates.
THE APPROACH
Inspired by the travels of Suntory’s Master Blender, Shinji Fukuyo, the creation of Ao became a quest to imagine a new way of blending whisky that showcased flavours from across the world.
Wonderworks developed an education platform that represented the bringing together of the five nations, using aroma and flavour as the anchors to tell Ao’s story. ‘Your Voyage to Ao – A Journey of Flavour and Aroma’ invited whisky enthusiasts to experience the world of Ao as a journey through Shinji’s eyes, including an explanation of the word Ao which means ‘blue’ in Japanese – representative of the oceans connecting the continents.
Key messaging became a rich storyline that played an important role in engaging and exciting audiences throughout the tastings. Every experience was designed to be delivered in person, with carefully considered rituals that unpacked the five whiskies within Ao. This allowed educators to explain how the regional characteristics of each whisky contributed to the final blend.
It was crucial that the program included hard-working, premium GTR and on- and off-premise assets to support the storytelling of Ao. The tenets of Quality and Japanese Craftsmanship are at the very heart of The House of Suntory, considerations woven into every element of the education program – from large-scale activations to supporting assets.
The brand world of Ao came to life with an education kit that aligned with the blend’s premium nature and visual identity. Each kit included beautifully designed engagement tools and materials such as tasting mats, branded barware, aroma cards and informative literature to draw in and educate.
THE WONDER
Ao was successfully launched across key global markets in the autumn of 2020, captivating audiences through the immersive brand education program developed by the Wonderworks team.
We continue to collaborate with our friends at Beam Suntory and its portfolio of brands to develop engaging and impactful education and advocacy programs, together with supporting tools, assets and materials that provide a premium platform to excite internal, consumer and trade audiences and build loyal, long-term brand advocates.
