Challenge 

HUNTER: London was tasked with launching IKIGAI-YUI, a Japanese spirit brand in a little-known category (Awamori) to influential audiences with maximum impact. Originating in Okinawa (the Hawaii of Japan), Awamori is the country’s oldest distilled drink, made using black koji, native to the island. There was just one problem: despite its 500-year history and intriguing cultural backstory, connected to royalty, Awamori is virtually unknown outside of Japan. 

Insight 

We started with a deep dive into luxury audiences and found high net worth individuals (HNWIs) want to identify with the brands they buy – what they purchase reflects their lifestyle and who they are. They’re looking for something different – like credible collectibles with a fascinating cultural backstory - which connect to their own image, building their connoisseurship. They crave rarified experiences, connecting with other brilliant minds, gaining social currency with their latest unique discovery.  

Quietly confident, they believe in the power of the understatement, understanding that who they are is as much about the company they keep. Yet despite this understated self-assurance, they yearn for guidance. Some wish to hold on to success which could be fleeting, others look for deeper meaning and purpose to their lives. Turning to eastern philosophies provides this validation. Ikigai is associated with the feeling of self-fulfillment, earned by pursuing a meaningful life. Instead of suggesting we slow down to find life’s meaning, it teaches us to actively find our raison d’être. Concepts like ikigai re-connect them with nature, with others and importantly with themselves. HUNTER then discovered that YUI, the second part of the brand name, in Japanese connotes CONNECTION.  

Solution

HUNTER introduced IKIGAI-YUI Spirits by showing how Awamori brings a sense of CONNECTION. Cutting through the editorial filter as one of the hottest design trends, Japandi speaks to the current love of Nordic chic and Eastern zen which further encourages re-connection. We sought to identify a venue within the Japandi style aesthetic to tune in with our audience’s mindset and current culture. Highly anticipated, newly opened London bar Soda & Friends provided the perfect, desirable backdrop for our launch.

Venue secured, HUNTER then introduced an eclectic audience of luxury media, influencers and hospitality trade to sample IKIGAI-YUI during an evening of tastings, food pairings and education on Awamori. A strategic menu placement at Soda & Friends with three exclusive IKIGAI-YUI cocktails ensured continued buzz throughout the month following the launch.  

Results

An exclusive experience for x17 influential event attendees, requests from the best bars in the UK to list the range, an opportunity to appear within the WSET’s Japanese spirits education programme, samples requested by x16 media and influencers, x4 Instagram stories - all came ahead of the brand’s official launch, serving to drive buzz and excitement about IKIGAI-YUI, a new range in an unknown category.