Japan’s No. 1 vodka seltzer is arriving in the U.S., importing a Japanese aesthetic—and some Japanese zaniness—along with it.

-196 (pronounced “minus one-nine-six”) is a premixed, canned vodka cocktail with 6% alcohol by volume. Founded in 2005 in Japan, where it is known as Strong Zero, -196 refers to the innovation behind its creation: Fruits are flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius, then smashed into a powder that’s infused into the drink. This so-called “freeze crush infusion” captures the full flavor of the fruit—juice, pulp and rind—delivering what parent Suntory Global Spirits says is a superior taste and refreshment profile that will stand out in the competitive and fast-growing ready-to-drink category.

That process is the subject of a madcap marketing campaign from Johannes Leonardo meant to introduce U.S. drinkers to -196. “Unusual Your Usual” presents a high-energy, hyperbolic look into Japan’s famous factory spirit—workers in bright yellow outfits gather for a company song and swing giant mallets to smash fruits on a conveyor belt. An animated boss makes frenzied remarks, speciously translated by a dutiful subordinate. It’s all witnessed by baffled Americans on a factory tour.

Carol Robert, managing director of U.S. ready-to-drink beverages at Suntory Global Spirits, said the ads are meant to strike viewers as enigmatic and intriguing—not unlike many impressions of Japan.

“We believe genuinely that we are embarking on something that could be a really big global brand for us, and to ensure that we get consumer interest, we’re really keen to ensure that there’s curiosity in what we’re doing,” she said. “The ad is fun, vibrant, engaging. It explains the taste and bold refreshment, but it also drives an element of the consumer saying, ‘I want to know more about that brand. I’m curious. I’m interested.’ It almost doesn’t give them the full answer.”

Aimed at Gen Z drinkers, the ads have quietly launched across YouTube, Instagram and Facebook in recent weeks. Today marks the official announcement of the product launch.

-196, which began rolling out in the U.S. earlier this year, is now available in 25 states, with a full rollout expected next year. The product is available in lemon, peach, and grapefruit flavors, and in variety packs to drive trial.

New York-based Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Japan-based Suntory Holdings, a $5.5 billion-dollar global spirits giant. The company acquired Beam Inc. in 2014, giving it control of U.S. brands such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Hornitos and Canadian Club. In April of this year, the subsidiary was rebranded to Suntory Global Spirits in a move to lean into the brand recognition that Suntory has worldwide. The move was also intended to “help the company drive value as one global team and focus on key priorities including American whiskey, Japanese Spirits, Scotch, Tequila and ready-to-drink, while providing flexibility for growth in the future,” it stated in April.

Research by the company indicates U.S. consumers are showing a growing interest in Japan’s modern culture, which fed the marketing approach for -196, said Robert.  

“When we were looking at how best to position this brand, we tested lots of different messages and avenues, and the two that came out overwhelmingly of interest for the consumer were the unique and different taste, partnered with it being so legendary in Japan,” she said. “We found this when we did the research in the U.K. as well.”

Experiential activations will be a part of the brand’s marketing strategy, said Robert, citing promising events in markets where the brand has already launched. It was recently promoted and sold at the Evanston Folk Festival in suburban Chicago, for instance.

In Australia, the brand attracted attention at festivals with a three-story vending machine with a rooftop bar. -196, which launched in Australia in 2021, is currently the country’s No. 2 RTD brand and the catalyst of an explosion of Japanese-made drinks hitting the market, according to Drinks Trade.

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The brand also leveraged vending machines in the U.K., although in a different manner: these were positioned so that concertgoers could avoid long lines at the bar. The brand has also partnered with Japanese restaurants and Asian food chefs in the U.K., Robert said.

The vending machine concept may or may not come to the U.S., Robert said, saying Suntory ultimately will rely on the Japanese concept “Gemba” to guide how it activates. “Gemba is a Japanese phrase that means ‘the place where the action is happening,’” Robert explained. “And our gemba is our consumers. We absolutely have to adapt to be relevant to the U.S. consumer.”

Other Japanese brands, including automaker Mazda and the fashion retailer GU, are incorporating Japanese concepts in their U.S. marketing and messaging. Anime, which has its roots in Japan, is also becoming a popular marketing tactic for U.S. brands, including McDonald’s. 

-196 is arriving as ready-to-drink beverages have captured around 10% of the total U.S. alcohol market and are outgrowing all other sectors of the industry, Robert said. Spirits-based RTDs are the fastest growing of those, requiring all players to have a high sensitivity to consumer desires, Robert added. Suntory has set a goal to become the world’s largest RTD company, according to a press release.

“It’s slightly different to the way the full-bottle spirits world operates,” she said. “We have to be disruptive. We have to be agile. We have to be close to the front line. We have to be constantly responding to the consumer needs. So innovation is key. New flavors are key. New variety packs are key. It’s a very competitive space, but it’s where the growth is right now,” Robert said.

The immediate focus on -196 will be on brand awareness and high visibility to its target of young legal drinking-age consumers. That means developing a strong presence on social media and securing shelf and display space in stores. “Every week, every second week, there’s something new that might distract them and take away their attention,” Robert said of Gen Z consumers.

Robert described -196 as a “test” that could open the door to additional Japanese products to the U.S. but emphasized Suntory’s ambition was on developing global brands regardless of their country of origin.

“What we look to do is assess which brands are really successful in key markets, assess their global opportunity, and then that’s where Suntory have to think about where they place their investments,” Robert said. “It’s fair to say we are working more closely with Japan to leverage their bank of products, their portfolio, their R&D capabilities, and taking the best of them.”