Rugby

‘Super Try’ – Ad Campaign Scores Points At Rugby World Cup; Asahi’s Alcohol-Free Advertisement Avoids Restrictions

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:47 JST, September 19, 2023

Asahi Breweries Ltd. has been devising clever ways of advertising at the Rugby World Cup in France, for which the maker of Super Dry beer is a Worldwide Partner. That is because the sale and advertisement of alcoholic beverages are prohibited at sporting venues in France.

As a special exception, the sale of beer has been allowed at this year’s tournament, but advertising is still banned.

To get around these restrictions, Asahi has opted to advertise its non-alcoholic “0.0%” version of Super Dry. On the advertisements, Asahi has been changed to “Aaah!” and Super Dry has been changed to “Super Try” – a clever pun which shows the company’s connection to rugby.

“Due to the restrictions, our ads ended up like this. We want rugby fans around the world to enjoy Super Dry,” an Asahi official involved with the advertising campaign said.

Asahi became the first Asian company to be a Worldwide Partner, the highest ranking sponsor, of the Rugby World Cup in 2021. At the 2019 World Cup in Japan, the official beer was Heineken, a Dutch beer, but at this year’s tournament the honor now belongs to Super Dry.

Rugby fans are said to consume six times more beer during a match than soccer fans.