Background

Young adults like to gather and party. Young adults who are health conscious and don’t drink are increasing globally. Young people who like to party but in Japan the number of young adults who drink alcohol has fallen by half in the past decade. At the same time, young adults are unsatisfied with the current non-alcoholic beverages in the market because they can't give them the buzz feeling they crave. We developed the non-alcoholic party drink HECATE with this growing demographic in mind. These people were longing for a drink marketed to them. Once we provided it, our brand’s name spread like a chain reaction among the target market.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Hecate, the non-alcoholic party drink, created a new party island called ALCOHO "LESS" UTOPIA in the center of Tokyo’s party district, Roppongi. Even though the island only serves non-alcoholic drinks, you can still get drunk there. It’s like an Ibiza club for people who don’t drink alcohol. The “Island” is exclusively for party loving young adults. By strategically narrowing down the exposure to this targeted demographic, the recognition rate of Hecate grew exponentially faster than if it were marketed to the public at large.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

The concept of ALCOHO"LESS" UTOPIA is made up by an idea of a place where you can get drunk with non-alcoholic drinks. The customer must apply for a “passport” to be allowed entry. The entrance has been designed to feel like an airport’s immigration counter. There they are given a mask, the island’s special costume. Wearing the mask, they are granted entry to the alcohol-less utopia. The legendary jouerney begins as they step onto the island. Under their feet is sand meeting the water, creating a beach line. Screens display the island environment in an immersive experience. They become the main character partying with dancers and battling monsters with Hecate rifles. The feeling of triumph over the monsters makes them feel like celebrating with the other guests. Then the party really begins. Hecate is passed around. Even without the alcohol they can party as if they were getting drunk.

List the results (20% of vote)

The ALCOHO "LESS" UTOPIA was flooded with young people who were interested in partcipating. Because of its popularity, reservations were required and reservations were full for half a year in advance. Before we launched the ALCOHO"LESS" UTOPIA, our brand recognition was 0% amoungst young adults. Within three months, it was 46%. We tracked social media and found that there had been over 3.5 million brand impressions. On top of that, 302 new media articles mentioned the Hecate name. The marketing was generated by the fans, not by Hecate. In the world of marketing to millennials, this was a more effective way to get attention. We did no traditional sales marketing. The buzz fed off of itself. There was increased demand for our product in clubs and concert venues coming from the venue owners. In our first year we went 300% over our anticipated sales numbers.