Frucor Suntory

The acquisition of Australasian-based Frucor Beverages Limited by global giant Suntory Group prompted the opportunity to explore how the antipodean and Japanese cultures could create powerful ways of working together.

An entrepreneurial company from the get-go, Frucor was born in New Zealand in the sixties, whilst Suntory has been a Japanese mainstay since 1899, employing some 38,000 people worldwide.

A new purpose for the NZ/AU business was developed, ‘Hungry to make drinks better’, that established a point of view on the sugar challenge while enabling a much-needed innovation mindset to grow. The evolution of six values down to three, supported by the new purpose, resonated and unified both the Kiwi and Australian cultures and brought the business and its people to the centre of attention of their new owners.

A key consideration of this project was the evolution and alignment of ‘much loved’ values that would better reflect the new purpose and vision and integrate the spirit of the Suntory Group. Key also was the ability to wrap up all activity into an internal communication plan that left no stone unturned and engaged staff in the process.

The rebrand project was intensive and spanned some 12 months. Our challenge was to create a brand that represented the combined strength of two companies while reflecting the unique spirit inherent in each. The core idea is an evolution of the pre-existing Frucor leaf device reimagined to express the place where both brands intersected – a droplet of pure concentrated energy.