We all would like to have a girl for every day of the week. While most of us struggle unsuccessfully to convert our fantasies into reality, Suntory has achieved this feat with their latest TV commercials campaign.
The new ads for the Jokki Nama (mug draft beer) feature a different model on different days of the week, with the six girls (Thursday is a bumper day with two models) joining forces for group appearances on the weekend editions. Take a look at the gallery to see how, though the stars are carefully dressed in the same colored yellow and white clothes, there is still a strong sense that each day is special.
This kind of series-style tactic creates buzz (the poster alone, with the six scantily clad, uniformly dressed ladies is pretty exciting!) and ensures a sense of freshness, as even seeing an ad for the same product is different every time. The campaign extends to the web too, with downloadable wallpapers and mobile goods, generating a collector’s mentality — choose your personal fav and then get her merchandise!
William is one of the editors of JapanTrends.com and a Project Manager at 
As a marketing student, I am always intrigued about the new ways that advertisers use to break through the clutter. This one is just simple and effective. It’s fresh every day of the week and each model has her own unique positioning and personality about why they like the beer, which appeals to different demographics and age groups. My favorite is Yuriko Yoshitaka from Monday :)
Tennent’s first used this tactic on their canned lager back in 1965.
http://www.cannyscot.com/ for a comprehensive, if faintly obsessive, hitory of the Lager Lovelies.
There’s little new in this world and most of what there is was invented by Scots (yes, I am biased :)
@Lawrence Yes, this is fairly simple and effective, but is of course relying on the standard Japanese advertising technique of using tarento/celebrities. This one is unusual because it has created a “day-of-the-week” style campaign (which creates buzz and appeals more widely, as you say) but ultimately it is playing on fan mentality as well. We wrote more about this problem here:
http://www.japantrends.com/japanese-advertising-and-the-ubiquitous-celebrity/
@Murray “Most of what there is was invented by Scots”…Okay, I need some examples please! Anyway, thanks for the comparison with Tennent’s – did they use the different models actually on the can packaging? Suntory haven’t gone that far…yet.
just wonder, using female as representative, SunStory beer is targeting on women segment only?
@Trang Uong. I wouldn’t say that. Actually, female models and faces often feature in Japanese beer advertising — and quite often it is actually just playing up to male consumers, who of course like to buy lots of beer and look at pretty girls. This is cross-generational as well (i.e. not just cute young girls). Suntory uses Rei Dan, a slightly older actress, for their Kinmugi commercials, for example. In this case the imagery is not sexual or playing up the “bijin” (beautiful woman) angle too much, and so could also appeal to female targets.