Sapporo Premium Beer will celebrate the story of its creator Seibei Nakagawa and bring the brewery’s origins to life through stylish manga imagery in a new national marketing campaign set to launch in Australia next month.
The campaign depicts Sapporo’s beginnings in the late 1800s and shares the brand history through manga. It’s also a nod to the country’s unique culture and position as the oldest beer brand from Japan.
In 1865, a young Seibei dreamt of leaving his homeland in search of adventure. However, with citizens strictly forbidden from leaving the country, he devised a plan to sneak aboard a merchant ship bound for England.
After seven years exploring Europe, he eventually made his way to Germany and landed a job at the Berlin Beer Brewing Company. It’s here where he discovered a true passion for brewing and became a certified brewmaster. Around the time Nakagawa returned to Japan, plans were already underway to build Japan’s first brewery. Given his recently acquired expertise, Nakagawa was hired as the brewery’s chief engineer and in 1876, in Japan’s far northern city of Sapporo, the beer bearing its city’s namesake was born.
Coopers brand manager Chris Levey says the premium and authentic Sapporo offering resonates with Australian beer drinkers who are increasingly seeking more rewarding beer experiences: “The Sapporo origin is legendary in Japan; an inspiring story that changed Japanese beer for years to come.
“Sapporo is admired across the globe for its deeply rooted heritage and its impact on Japanese beer culture. Australian drinkers have a strong thirst for Japanese beers and Sapporo continues to deliver high performing sales for trade retailers in bottle shops and pubs across the country.
“Sapporo is the fastest growing top 15 premium international lager in Australia by volume and value. Sapporo’s sales history in Australia has shown that consumers long to discover authentic brands and experiences.
“Our nationwide campaign features unmissable outdoor media advertising, exciting digital partnerships, new retail promotions and refreshed point of sale collateral,” he says.
The campaign comes following Sapporo’s packaging refresh, aligning all packaging with the iconic 650ml silver can.
