Suntory.
Blue collar workers might be the answer to introducing Suntory’s iced coffee range, according to independent creative agency It’s Friday.
The agency has been working with Suntory since 2024.
It’s Friday CEO Pete Bosilkovski told AdNews that the brief was to launch Suntory BOSS Coffee CAFÉ, a 500ml bottled range, in a way that made people rethink the iced coffee fridge.
“The category is dominated by habitual choices and big milky drinks, so our job was to introduce Suntory BOSS Coffee CAFÉ as something different: lighter, more refreshing, more coffee first, and made for people who want their iced coffee to actually taste like coffee," said Bosilkovski.
“At its simplest, the brief was to provoke reappraisal. To get people to stop reaching on autopilot, question what they were drinking, and choose a real iced coffee instead.
“We landed quite early on the “more coffee, less milkshake" construct as a simple and memorable way to take on the iced coffee category leaders."
Directed by Connor Gilhooly, the campaign was filmed in Ultimo using a green screen. The entire production period took around four weeks.
“Connor Gilhooly is based in Japan, but he came to us, rather than us going to him,” It's Friday CCO Vince Lagana said.
“Given the nature of the script, it asked for quite a bit of green screen, so we didn’t see much daylight on the day of the shoot.
“The filming piece was one component but there was a big post production component that needed to be factored in. The post production was longer than the pre and shoot production.
“From there, most of the time was spent building out the integrated campaign - making sure the messaging and executions worked powerfully across POS, Film, and OOH.
“The aim was to create something that felt unified across every channel, rather than just a good line with a few matching assets.
“So the core thought came quickly, but the craft was turning it into an integrated campaign with enough strength, clarity and consistency to work wherever people encountered it.”
Bosilkovski said the aim was to target was blue collar workers as the ones who use coffee to get through the day.
"They are the heartland of traditional bottled iced coffee,” he said.
“But the campaign is really for all workers: tradies, drivers, sole traders, shift workers, office workers and anyone who wants coffee that does its job.
“These people value practicality, reliability and things that work hard. Their current iced coffee gives them comfort and familiarity, but it often feels heavy, sugary and same old.
“Boss Coffee Café gives them something more aligned with how they work and live today: real coffee taste, lighter refreshment and a bottle that fits into their day.
“The campaign resonates because it does not ask them to become coffee snobs. It simply says: if you want coffee, choose coffee.”
It's Friday are measuring success by awareness and trial of the Boss Coffee Café range.
“Beyond that, the key measure is whether the campaign shifts understanding," Bosilkovski said.
“We want people to recognise that Suntory BOSS Coffee CAFÉ is not just another bottled iced coffee, but a lighter, more refreshing, coffee-first alternative to the heavier, milkier drinks they may be buying out of habit.
“So we will be looking at awareness, consideration, trial and purchase behaviour, but also at whether the work changes how people see the category. If more people stop and think, “Actually, I do want my iced coffee to taste like coffee,” then the campaign is doing its job.”
The iced coffee range sales have been 80% incremental to the BOSS range in Australia, surpassing targets.
Sales of Suntory BOSS Coffee brand has reached record high penetration and market share of RTD Coffee category since the launch of the CAFÉ range.
“With Suntory BOSS Coffee - we will continue building on the successful momentum of the Cafe range and launch some exciting new products,” Bosilkovski said.
“Across our broader client portfolio, we’re collaborating with an international personality on a campaign that will surprise people.
“We’ve just returned from China, where we visited ZEEKR HQ and the Intelligent Factory to get an early look at the new model line-up - vehicles that are set to continue shaking up the category.”
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