サントリーホールディングス | 天然水「大自然を味方に」篇 | 2025
It's a water commercial, but you barely see the water / Suntory Natural Water "Making Great Nature Your Ally"
There's a scene where someone opens a bottle cap, but the product packaging stays blurry the whole time. And somehow, nobody minds. All eyes are glued to a small figure running down a mountain trail.
The problem
Since last year, Suntory has been promoting its "Water Positive" activities, returning more than twice the groundwater it draws back into the mountains. As part of strengthening that message, they launched a new commercial timed to July, the season when people connect with water.
The insight
Left alone, environmental messages tend to sound like explanations. So this time, they let go of "explaining the activity" and committed fully to simply showing "a parent and child living within nature." It was a decision to trust the world the product lives in, rather than the product itself.
The idea
A small boy runs energetically up a mountain trail in the majestic Northern Alps, nearly stumbling as he goes. His father, played by Tasuku Emoto, chases after him, while the narration, delivered by his real-life wife Sakura Ando, watches over the scene like a guardian. During a rest, they drink the natural water, but the bottle's packaging is deliberately shown only in a blur. The song is "Hanamizuki," chosen to connect with the roughly 20 years it takes for rain and snow to become natural water. At the end, a voice calls out: "Hey—live your life making great nature your ally!"
What happened
The campaign won the top prize in both the Film Advertising and OOH Advertising categories at the 78th Dentsu Advertising Awards, and Suntory Holdings was selected for the overall award for the second year in a row. It also won a GOLD at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
There's something truly satisfying about an ad winning awards without really showing the product. I think that's what trust looks like. The way the ad pulls you in, making you worry "is he okay?" as the kid runs along so precariously—it draws the viewer right into the feeling. Showing you a way of life before trying to sell you water? That's just sneaky, in the best way.
Awards
- ACC Gold 2025
