Suntory hosts Tokyo event to promote non-alcoholic lunchtime refreshment

Suntory held a two-day experiential pop-up event in the Otemachi business district of Tokyo on September 8 and 9. The event, titled “Cola or Non-Alcoholic? Reiwa-era Daytime Refreshment: Pepsi or All-Free!?”, aimed to promote a new lunchtime refreshment habit.

Participants used a special “daytime refreshment vending machine” to choose between Pepsi <Nama> ZERO or the beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage All-Free. To facilitate the distribution of non-alcoholic drinks via vending machines, participants used exchange cards to receive their selected beverage from staff, who joined them in a toast to enhance the refreshment experience.

Suntory’s strategy is to shift the image of non-alcoholic drinks from a passive or “smart” choice to a proactive and “fun” one. Company representatives noted that while many people feel hesitation about drinking non-alcoholic beverages during lunch due to packaging looking too much like alcohol, they generally do not mind colleagues doing so. The company reported that sales volume for the renewed All-Free brand increased by 4% in the first half of the year.