The 10th Japan Marketing Awards Ceremony Grand Prize: "Craft Boss"

At the outset, Chairman Takuya Goto (JMA President) of the Executive Committee stated that approximately 160 entries were nominated, adding, "Following vigorous discussions within the Selection Committee, we decided on one Grand Prize, five Encouragement Awards, and three Regional Awards." He revealed that committee members offered positive feedback such as "It was very educational" and "I would like to serve on the committee again." He further emphasized in his remarks that the selection process focused on "choosing projects that sparkle with brilliance, not just sales volume. The winning entries offer various marketing insights."
Following the review progress report by committee chair Hajime Matsumoto (Director, Sangyo Keizai Shimbun), introductory videos for each winning entry were screened, and awards were presented to all nine projects.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Suntory Beverage & Food International's "Craft Boss."
The award recognized its marketing strategy that captured new work-style needs and gained support from both existing and new customers, as well as its success in breathing new life into a long-selling brand through target expansion and brand reinforcement.
Suntory's canned coffee "BOSS," which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017, launched the new PET bottle "Craft Boss." While adhering to the original brand concept of "a partner for working people," it actively targeted IT office workers who don't typically drink canned coffee, positioning it as a product that can be "sipped little by little while working."
Through communication efforts like distributing drama-style commercials using video online, it became a huge hit, selling over 10 million cases in its first year.

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President Saburo Ogou of the company laughed, saying, "I don't understand why something as simple as putting coffee in a PET bottle could sell so well and win so many awards." He suggested the reason for the hit might lie in the company's "sovereignty at the front lines" approach, where marketing is entrusted to young employees. He also touched on the harsh reality of survival for individual products in the beverage industry, revealing that the "BOSS" brand has achieved sales exceeding the previous year for 25 consecutive years. He concluded his remarks by stating, "Moving forward, we want to continue taking on new challenges with a 'give it a shot' spirit."

Official website:
https://www.jma2-jp.org/jma/award