The new brand - Suntory Premium Draft - will attempt to broaden Suntory’s appeal to a younger audience. At present, Suntory is China’s eighth-biggest beer maker, and accounts for over 50 per cent of Shanghai’s beer market.
To date, though, its brands have mostly targeted a more mass-market audience, which has contributed to a considerably more mainstream positioning when compared to its elite appeal in its home market of Japan.
In both Japan and China, Suntory works with several Japanese agencies, including Dentsu and Asatsu-DK. “Overall, the beer drinking crowd is changing,” pointed out Saatchi & Saatchi China CEO Pully Chau. “Beer consumption is now growing among young people and Suntory wants to expand its portfolio.”
