Haku, The House of Suntory’s Japanese vodka, has launched its first-ever brand campaign fronted by musician and actor Rina Sawayama.
Haku launched in the US in 2018 and has run on its ingredient story alone since then; this is the first time it’s ever had a brand ambassador, let alone a director, or a major advertising push behind it.
Campaigns like this tend to be the leading edge of bigger changes — more bar placement, a bump in price, a push for awards recognition — so it’s worth paying attention to a bottle that’s mostly flown under the radar until now.
The campaign centers on a short film following Sawayama through Tokyo’s nightlife, ordering a Haku Martini. It’s rolling out across the US, UK, and Australia, alongside New York City martini masterclasses.
Haku is made from 100% Japanese white rice, using koji fermentation and bamboo charcoal filtration; it’s the same rice-and-process story most Japanese spirits lean on, whether it’s a shochu, a whisky, or, in this case, a vodka.
The brand’s recommended serve is its own take on a vodka martini: 2½ parts Haku Vodka to ½ part dry vermouth, stirred and strained, finished with a lemon twist. It’s a cleaner, more neutral pour than a gin martini, which is really the whole appeal of a Japanese rice vodka in the first place — less botanical noise, more room for the vermouth and garnish to actually show up.
Haku’s plan? Run it back from Hibiki
Grey Goose has its French wheat and spring water. Belvedere has Polish rye and its own artesian wells. Chopin makes its case on single-ingredient potato. Haku’s rice-and-bamboo-charcoal pitch fits the same script every premium vodka brand runs, and in a category this crowded, that story alone rarely moves anyone off the shelf.
Suntory clearly knows this, so they’ve decided to step it up. Back in May, Hibiki, the company’s flagship blended whisky, ran its own first-ever global campaign, “The Masterpiece of Japanese Artistry,” fronted by Emmy-winning actress Anna Sawai as its first-ever Global Ambassador.
Sawai was fresh off her Emmy win for Shogun, so it couldn’t have worked better, but Suntory already has a long history of pulling in big names.
Keanu Reeves fronted a Suntory whisky ad back in 1992, which is the same brand and premise “Lost in Translation” famously fictionalized a decade later with Bill Murray. Sofia Coppola, who directed that film, came back in 2023 to make a real Suntory centennial campaign, once again starring Reeves.
Borrowing star power to sell Japanese whisky to a Western audience is a move they’ve locked down. Whether it will work for a vodka at an entry-level price point vs. a prestige whisky is something to keep an eye on.
Where to see it
The “Made to Shine” hero film is available now across The House of Suntory’s YouTube and social channels. Haku Japanese Craft Vodka is available at retailers nationwide, priced around $30 for a 750ml bottle.
