A Line So Strong It Outshone the Whole "OLD is NEW" Campaign / Suntory Old "Love Is Not Fireworks From a Distant Day"

The problem

This was around the time the bubble economy ended and the era of ever-rising growth came to a close. In 1994, Suntory Old was renewed, moving away from its traditional rich & mellow character toward a softer, smoother taste called "Mild & Smooth." The Showa-era fighters—roughly the baby boomer generation and those around it—were worn out, and the question was who could give them the courage to keep going.

The insight

Copywriter Takao Onoda thought: if someone trusts you and watches over you warmly, you can surely live with more energy for that person's sake too. He remembered watching fireworks as a child, standing on a bridge at the edge of town. A flower would bloom in the distant sky, and only after a delay would the boom reach his ears. He connected that nostalgic feeling—something that might already be lost—to love. And then he denied it, with "is not."

The idea

Walking home after drinks with coworkers, a female office worker calls out to her boss's back: "I like watching your back, section chief. Can I keep looking at it for a while?" Acting tough, he says "Knock it off," and starts walking on, leaving her behind—and Kyozo Nagatsuka gives a little hop. The commercial song "Yoru ga Kuru" ("Night Is Coming"), written and composed by Asei Kobayashi, plays over the scene. There was also a version in this series featuring Yuko Tanaka.

Afterthought

"Love Is Not Fireworks From a Distant Day" turned out to be so strong that it overshadowed the "OLD is NEW" copy—people don't even remember this was a renewal campaign. But maybe that's fine. After all, it's still "OLD," no matter how you slice it. People in their 40s and 50s who saw this commercial end up having a little conversation with it—and with the sense of adventure still living inside them—every time they spot Old at the supermarket or the liquor store. Quite the thing, really.

Tags