South Korea – A year after the global rollout for Jim Beam’s ‘People Are Good For You’ campaign happened, the popular bourbon whiskey brand under Suntory Global Spirits has officially rolled out the campaign for Asia-Pacific spanning seven markets–South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
As part of this campaign rollout, Jim Beam has tapped the popular K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM as the face of the iconic alcoholic beverage in APAC. For this campaign, Beam Suntory has also worked with PageLab for its above-the-line assets for the campaign while BigBadWolf did the below-the-line campaign assets.
Speaking exclusively to MARKETECH APAC, Yoshihiro Morita, senior marketing director for APAC at Suntory Global Spirits noted that as the campaign has rolled out in South Korea and Taiwan, consumers can expect to see more in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia in the coming months with a digital campaign, in-store activation and pop-up event.
“The global ‘People Are Good For You’ campaign kicked off the brand’s strategy to reinvigorate and drive an emotional connection between Jim Beam and the next generation of consumers. It’s about celebrating the power of human connection,” Morita said.
In the campaign, LE SSERAFIM members appear in multiple digital videos as part of the brand campaign in Asia, and see the K-pop showstoppers grooving, exploring new drink recipes, and bringing out their inner fashionistas together.
“Curated to reflect the latest social media trends in Asia, these videos encourage people to embrace who they are and explore new experiences with their friends and their community,” he added.
When asked why Jim Beam chose to work with LE SSERAFIM for this regional campaign, Morita points out the group name’s original anagram of the ‘I’m Fearless’ phrase, which perfectly encapsulates Jim Beam’s bold and carefree spirit.
“Each distinct and utterly unique, the members of LE SSERAFIM become greater than the sum of their parts as they try new things together for this brand campaign. This exactly represents Jim Beam’s belief that coming together is powerful and that people can energise each other,” he stated.
Morita added, “Jim Beam aims to nurture a spirit of solidarity by enabling people to “find their tribe” so that they can feel the power that comes from being together. Things that might make people feel unusual and awkward when done alone become empowering when done with the right people; new experiences that may seem strange or peculiar when people are alone can lead to meaningful bonds when the right people come together, bringing the tagline “With my tribe, it’s a whole new vibe” to life.”
The original global ‘People Are Good For You.’ campaign was launched in 2023, with the ad directed by Noam Murro with creative by Leo Burnett, while the new Jim Beam visual design was created in partnership with Turner Duckworth. Included in the campaign rollout was a refreshed visual identity that started with an exploration of Jim Beam through the generations. This then continued to the down-to-earth warmth and welcoming informality that the brand is known for.
