Toku Saké

A multimodal research project informing the consumer brand strategy for a new super premium Japanese Saké brand
The client
Toku Saké is a super premium Junmai Daiginjo saké from Hokkaido
Services
Insights
Year
2023
01

Challenge

Toku Saké had perfected a super premium liquid and needed to create branding and packaging which reflected the quality and heritage of the product and appealed to discerning saké trialists and aficionados in the UK and beyond. Research into attitudes and behaviours around super premium brands, Japan and saké provided insights which informed the creative direction for the branding and packaging.

02

Solution

ROAST devised a multimodal research product split across four key stages:

  • Market and Competitor Analysis:

This stage consisted of desk research into key drivers within the super-premium drinks and saké markets, with a particular focus on how luxury brands within the space were using distinctive design features and brand assets to signal luxury.

We also analysed the saké offerings and demand levels of restaurants and retailers to understand consumer demand and category trends.

  • Qualitative Research:

A combination of IDIs (In-Depth Interviews) and group tastings enabled us to gain a deep understanding of consumer’s attitudes and behaviours about Japan, saké and premium drinks, as well as their reactions to the existing brand and packaging directions.

  • Quantitative Research:

A survey distributed electronically to premium drinks consumers enabled us to quantify insights from the qualitative stage and crucially allowed us to test imagery at scale.

  • Audience Profiling:

We then used our findings from the previous stages to profile future Toku Saké drinkers using GWI data to understand who they are, what they want from brands and how they could best be reached with marketing. This stage of the project also enabled us to size up the potential audience across key global markets.

03

Results

The finished Toku Saké product is modern and appealing to new saké drinkers as well as being true to its Japanese heritage.

Saké is a growing but generally unknown category in the UK, and as a new super-premium brand, we were keen to understand the key challenges and opportunities we were facing. We worked alongside ROAST to determine key consumer drivers to help inform our overall brand strategy. ROAST’s audience profiling, in particular, gave us a solid foundation from which to build our brand before launch.
Anthony Newman Co-Founder at Toku Saké

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