[Yo-Ho Brewing x SUNNY SIDE UP] 2,000 Cans Reserved in Just 5 Hours! Behind the Scenes of the ACC Award-Winning “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” Project

The “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” was a project launched on August 18, 2022—”Promise Day”—by Yo-Ho Brewing Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of the popular craft beer “Yona Yona Ale.”

The focus of the “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” project was on “promises for the future.” It was envisioned as a beer to toast with when a future promise with a loved one is fulfilled. Whether it is telling a child, “Let’s have a beer together when you turn 20,” or making exciting plans with family or partners for 10 or 20 years down the line, having such joyful commitments is a thrilling prospect. To make these “drinking promises” a reality, we made it possible to pre-order “Yona Yona Ale to be released in 10 or 20 years.”

The reservation process involved parents and children placing a letter of promise into a beer-can-shaped time capsule to be preserved for 10 or 20 years. Once the child grows up, this can serves as a reservation ticket, allowing them to share a toast together. This initiative transformed the legal restriction of “no alcohol until age 20” into an opportunity to look forward to the future.

To preserve the atmosphere of the project, we have kept the participants’ names as their nicknames. Upon its release, the project became an instant sensation. Reservations for the “Yona Yona Time Capsule Cans,” which allow users to safely store their letters containing “promises for the future,” were fully booked within a matter of hours.

Additionally, the “Yona Yona Ale of Promise: Time Capsule Brewery” was opened for a limited time at Tokyo Solamachi (Solamachi Square) and LaLaport Toyosu, serving as locations where participants could create their own “Yona Yona Time Capsule Cans” on the spot.

This highly successful project was awarded the ACC Bronze Prize in the Branded Communication category at the 63rd ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS, one of Japan’s largest creative awards.🎉

Click here for details:https://www.ssu.co.jp/news/2023/12/13/5567/

SUNNY SIDE UP provided PR support for this project.

To explore the behind-the-scenes story of the project leading up to the award, we held a cross-talk session between Taisho (Daiji Tsukamoto) from the Yona Yona Future Department (Brand Strategy Unit) at Yo-Ho Brewing and Linda (Ryutaro Hayashida) from SUNNY SIDE UP. (They refer to each other by their nicknames!)

They discussed the background of the “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” and the inner workings of its PR strategy.

■ The Keyword: “There is Power in a Promise”

——Please tell us about the background behind the “Yona Yona Ale of Promise.”

Taisho: Until now, Yona Yona Ale has viewed people in their 30s and 40s as its primary customers. This generation often has young children and much to think about in both their private and professional lives. Furthermore, the project was conceived during a time when the world was filled with somber news, such as the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine. We began to wonder if there was something we could do to give people a small sense of hope.

The original concept for “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” was proposed by planner Neji Sato. Neji said, “Simply making a promise to go see a movie on the weekend creates something to look forward to in life. If it’s a promise with a loved one, it becomes incredibly exciting and a source of daily vitality. If we could make promises on a longer scale of 10 or 20 years, wouldn’t the future become even more exciting?” I thought it was a wonderful idea, and I reached out to SUNNY SIDE UP as a partner to handle the PR for this project.

Linda: Thank you!

When creating the PR proposal based on the initial concept, we had numerous internal discussions about the keyword “promise.” Two days before the presentation to Yo-Ho Brewing, we actually scrapped the plan we had been working on and started over from scratch. After continuous refinement, the phrase “There is power in a promise” finally felt exactly right.

When we received the formal request, I was told that the deciding factors were the phrase “the power of a promise” and our information design roadmap, which incorporated mass media exposure. I was also told, “It looks like it would be fun to work with the team at Sunny” (laughs).

Taisho: Haha (laughs). Our company culture encourages active input, so I felt that by refining the plan together with SUNNY SIDE UP, it would turn into something truly great.

Linda: We were able to have very open and flat discussions right from the kickoff. Everyone on the team was already highly motivated, and ideas were flying from multiple perspectives—”What about this angle?” or “How about this idea?” I was convinced that there was no way this project wouldn’t succeed.

■ An Irregular Initiative: Involving Children in Beer PR

——What were you most conscious of while moving the project forward?

Taisho: The point we were most careful about was the fact that children under the age of 20 would be involved in the PR for a beer product.

Linda: Involving children in alcohol-related products is generally considered taboo. I remember we were extremely meticulous about the phrasing to ensure that the sentiment behind the “parent-child promise”—the core of this project—was conveyed correctly.

We kept searching for better words, thinking, “Maybe there’s a more moving way to say this.” As a result, the press release went through eight drafts. We weren’t just trying to eliminate negatives; we were crafting a release to make the message as positive as possible.

——Specifically, what kind of considerations were made regarding the involvement of children in the PR?

Taisho: We were strictly committed to ensuring that children never held a beer can containing alcohol. Initially, we thought a plan where parents wrote the letters while drinking beer would be more memorable for users, but we decided it was better to refrain from providing beer in spaces where children were present.

Also, to avoid making it feel like we were forcing children to drink beer once they became adults, we included a scene in the video where a child says “No way!” when their father asks, “Let’s have a beer together in 20 years!” (laughs).

Linda: For the pop-up events, we decided not to do anything that would actively lure children in.

Taisho: Exactly. To be honest, if we had given out balloons, children would have been interested. But that wouldn’t have been true to the essence of the project, so we focused on communication directed at the parents. The fundamental premise of “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” is also a promise that children will not drink until they are adults; it is not a campaign encouraging those under 20 to drink.

——Were there any difficulties during the project?

Linda: Finding venues for the pop-up events was a challenge.

Taisho: The project with Sunny started in March 2022, and the pop-up events were in August, so the preparation period was very tight.

Linda: We thought long and hard, debating things like “Is an indoor location better?” and “Where would people want to post on social media?” while focusing on creating a perfect final summer holiday memory for parents and children.

Taisho: In the end, I’m glad we were able to hold them at Tokyo Solamachi and LaLaport Toyosu, which were perfect locations.

■ Target Quantity Reached in 5 Hours! So Popular an Emergency Meeting Was Held

——”Yona Yona Ale of Promise” became a hot topic immediately after its release.

Taisho: The response was incredible. The 2,000 Yona Yona Time Capsules reached their target quantity in just five hours.

Linda: Initially, applications were on a first-come, first-served basis, and we expected to reach the target in two weeks, so we had to hold an emergency meeting. We quickly added another 1,000 cans and decided to switch to a lottery system for the remaining spots.

Taisho: Before the release, I was worried we might have leftovers, but once it launched, the excitement was amazing. I think the results of our strategy to have media outlets publish articles simultaneously with the release really showed.

Linda: I felt the PR strategy worked perfectly. When we announced that it had sold out instantly, the excitement grew even more. By changing the additional 1,000 cans to a lottery format, we received even more wonderful promises from many people. It was clear how much people value their promises, so I felt something far beyond just the numbers.

Taisho: Since we have traditionally conducted projects for our fans, we rarely received negative opinions. However, this time we heard various voices. Some people left negative comments on news sites, but then others would jump in and say, “That’s not what they mean.” Since the negative opinions were within a range where we could fulfill our accountability, we didn’t take them negatively. Rather, the emergence of healthy criticism made us feel that we had reached a different demographic than before.

——The pop-up events were also a huge success. Did most people come after seeing the press release?

Linda: There were fans who visited after seeing the release or articles. However, I think it’s a high hurdle for someone who has never had Yona Yona Ale to visit a venue just because they saw an announcement. So, we focused on how to make passersby stop and designed the flow of the event accordingly.

We set up videos and music at the booth to catch the attention of passersby, but most of all, people stopped because they saw other participants having fun. Since Tokyo Solamachi and LaLaport Toyosu are spots where parents and children naturally gather, it felt like the facilities themselves acted as promotional tools.

Taisho: No one had a stern face while writing their letters of promise; it was a very peaceful space where everyone was smiling.

Linda: Looking at the visitor survey results, over 30% of the participants had never tried Yona Yona Ale before, so I believe we successfully expanded brand awareness.

——We are looking forward to the release of the “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” in 2032 and 2042.

Taisho: I think this became a truly great project because we worked on it with Sunny.

Linda: Thank you so much! I was incredibly happy when the team at Yo-Ho Brewing sent us a collection of messages saying “Let’s do our best together!” right before the release. It strengthened my determination to make it a success, and I thought the team-building at Yo-Ho was wonderful.

Taisho: Thank you! Let’s Have Fun! together again with the same members!

The “Yona Yona Ale of Promise” project was a major success, born from a partnership between Yo-Ho Brewing, which brings variety to the Japanese beer market, and SUNNY SIDE UP, whose mission is to “Let’s Have Fun!”. The smiles of the two as they “promised” to do something fun again were truly memorable.

To read articles about other projects handled by SUNNY SIDE UP, please click here.