Brittaney Kiefer
Jan 19, 2021

Apple cider vinegar brand OSU captures spirit of stylish Japanese nonagenarians

This is the first work for the Mizkan brand from Wonderhood Studios.

OSU, the apple cider vinegar owned by Mizkan, celebrates the Japanese zest for life in a campaign starring some of the country’s most stylish, older residents.

This is the first work for the brand by Wonderhood Studios, which won Mizkan’s advertising account last year. Mizkan also owns the pickle brand Branston.

The ad spotlights three older Japanese people: Masuda Aiko, who is 95, 92-year-old Okino Tadashi and Hoshi Michiko, 93.

Against an upbeat jazz track, the cast shows off their fashionable outfits and buoyant energy in locations such as a public garden and a suburban street. “You either have it or you don’t,” a voiceover says at the end.

The campaign aims to drive awareness of OSU’s premium product range, including its flavour, which the Great Taste Awards recently awarded a three-star rating – its highest accolade. Bryan Carroll, sales and marketing director at Mizkan Euro, said this is the company’s biggest-ever investment in the apple cider category in the UK. 

Apple cider vinegar is often marketed on its health benefits, but the ad positions OSU as a modern, lifestyle brand that embraces its Japanese heritage and culture.

OSU cast the nonagenarians from the Tokyo area and worked with a local stylist and Tokyo-based production company Cutters Studios to select wardrobes and locations that bridged traditional and modern Japanese styles. The soundtrack is an original composition by Foster & Foster Music that was inspired by Japanese jazz.

The campaign will run across social media and video-on-demand on All4.

It was created by Ads Dechaud and Phil Le Brun, and directed by Lydia Zhou through Cutters Studios. Bountiful Cow is the media agency.

Dechaud and Le Brun said: “We had the idea of using Japan’s older residents during our pitch last January. Age diversity in the world of fashion has been a trend in recent years, with older models gracing the cover of Vogue, and fashionable grandmothers popping up on Instagram. We love the way this campaign leans in to a fashion world and celebrates older talent.”

Carroll added: “We wanted our first foray into this new medium to be as big and bold as the brand is – and believe that Wonderhood has created a campaign that captures our brand distinctiveness, heritage and personality in a fun and unexpected way. We know how much energy was brought both on- and off-set, from everyone involved in the creation of this, and we can’t wait to see what our UK consumers think of it.”

 

Source:
Campaign UK

Related Articles

Just Published

11 hours ago

40 Under 40 2024: Hajar Yusof, Naga DDB Tribal

Hajar’s initiatives reflect her commitment to innovation, diversity, and leaving a lasting legacy in the industry.

11 hours ago

Moo Deng says hands off unless you’ve washed up

Lifebuoy’s new campaign introduces a fresh face in hand hygiene, pairing AI with playful reminders to help keep those paws—er, hands—clean.

12 hours ago

The CMO's MO: Hyatt's APAC marketer on the power of ...

"Focus means saying no to 100 good ideas and saying yes to the great ones." Hyatt’s Tammy Ng shares how lessons from Steve Jobs and James Dyson are guiding her approach to personalising guest experiences.

13 hours ago

Trump’s victory isn’t just America’s crisis—it’s a ...

Make no mistake—2024’s US election was a calculated exercise in marketing from beginning to end, revealing a striking alignment with the very principles that drive our industry.