[Ad Review] Terra X Son Heung-min: COMING SON, Analyzing the Carbonation Impact of World-Class Beer
Hello. Today, we'll be taking a close look at the "COMING SON" commercial, which features the collaboration between Terra, a real carbonated beer that revolutionized the Korean beer market, and Son Heung-min, the world's greatest soccer player.
While Gong Yoo, the original model, spearheaded the brand's successful launch by emphasizing Terra's cleanliness, Son Heung-min served as the catalyst, maximizing Terra's signature powerful carbonation and dynamism. The ad, featuring the cleverly titled "COMING SON," a playful twist on the phrase "Coming Soon," is a fitting title. What message did HiteJinro hope to convey through Son Heung-min's world-class model? Let's meticulously examine the details of this ad, as vibrant as beer foam, from a marketer's perspective.
1. Brand Description: TERRA, the Beginning of a Clean Lager Era
HiteJinro's Terra, a mega-hit brand that revolutionized the beer market with its "clean lager" slogan from its inception, has been a key player in the industry. Its most distinctive feature is its use of 100% pure malt from Australia's Golden Triangle region and its 100% natural carbonation generated during the fermentation process.
The groundbreaking green bottle packaging design has become Terra's signature, visually conveying a refreshing and clean feel. This campaign focused on highlighting the inherent coolness of the beer by linking the powerful refreshing feel of Terra's real carbonation with Son Heung-min's explosive energy.
2. Advertising Concept: COMING SON (He's Coming, the Real Thing is Coming)
The core concept of this ad is COMING SON. This play on words, inspired by the phrase "Coming Soon," often used in movies and new product launches, announces Son Heung-min's arrival as Terra's new model and heightens the anticipation of the arrival of a world-class player.
More than simply announcing the model change, the campaign evokes the image of Son Heung-min's speed and powerful shooting on the pitch, equating it with the carbonation of Terra. In other words, by establishing the formula "Son Heung-min = Real Carbonation = Terra," the ad visualized the exhilarating pleasure consumers experience when drinking beer.
3. Creative Concept: Dynamic Tornado and Speed
This ad's creative rejects static scenes. The entire screen is in constant motion, exuding dynamism.
To visually embody Terra's signature tornado pattern, CG effects were used to swirl beer and carbonated bubbles around Son Heung-min as he kicks or runs. The camerawork also enhanced immersion by quickly following the player's movements or zooming in as if he were being sucked into a beer glass. This creates a sense of immersion, as if the viewer were in the middle of the stadium or immersed in the carbonated beer.
4. Model Strategy: World-Class Meets World-Class
Hite Jinro's selection of Son Heung-min as its model reaffirms the brand's status and reinforces its masculinity.
- Overwhelming Energy: Son Heung-min is synonymous with tireless stamina and explosive speed. This perfectly embodies Terra's powerful product attribute of 100% real carbonation, without artificial additives.
- Global Presence: As South Korea's national team captain and former Premier League top scorer, his image aligns with Terra's goal of becoming Korea's representative beer. The perception of Son Heung-min as the beer of choice instills strong trust in consumers.
- Targeting Sports Fandom: Soccer and beer are inextricably linked. Through Son Heung-min, we aimed to naturally attract soccer fans into Terra's consumer base.
5. Music and Sound: Heart-pounding Beats and Carbonated Sound
The intense sound design maintains the tension of the commercial.
- Background Music: The background music, a mix of grand and urgent drum beats and orchestral sounds, creates the feeling of watching a blockbuster movie trailer.
- Sizzle Sound: The sizzle of opening a beer can, the crackling sound of the carbonation, and the slurp after swallowing are all amplified. This auditory stimulation (ASMR) becomes a powerful trigger for viewers' thirst.
6. Filming Location and Set Design: Terra's Green Universe
The background of the commercial is not a specific location, but a virtual space that embodies Terra's brand identity.
It was filmed in a large studio where Terra's signature green and the beer's gold colors harmonize. Green laser lights and neon signs placed against a dark background create a futuristic and sophisticated atmosphere. This serves to further highlight the colors of Son Heung-min's uniform and the Terra bottle.
7. Clothing and Styling: Sporty yet Sophisticated Look
Son Heung-min's styling is not a soccer uniform, but a sporty casual look.
He paired it with a clean white T-shirt contrasting with the green background, or a deep green jacket reminiscent of the brand's color scheme. This styling emphasizes his soccer credentials while also embracing a relaxed, everyday look, like enjoying a beer. The hairstyle, too, is styled naturally, mirroring his on-field appearance, emphasizing his dynamic image.
8. Advertising Expectations: Solidifying the Top Position in the Beer Market
The desired effects for Terra through this campaign are clear.
First, it refreshes the brand. Replacing the long-serving model with Son Heung-min will inject new vitality into the brand and provide a refreshing shock to consumers.
Second, it will secure a leading position in the peak summer season. In the summer beer market, where refreshing sensations are essential, the brand will establish the keyword "real carbonation" through Son Heung-min's image, thereby gaining an edge over competitors.
Finally, it will strengthen the loyalty of the male target audience. By establishing the perception of Son Heung-min as the beer of choice for sports-loving men in their 20s and 40s, Terra is expected to create a lock-in effect, making them more likely to choose Terra at company dinners and social gatherings.
Conclusion: Terra and Son, I'm all for this combination.
The Terra x Son Heung-min "Coming Son" ad is a classic example of sports marketing, perfectly aligning the product's essential attributes with the model's image.
If you need a refreshing boost from your hectic daily life, why not watch Son Heung-min's breathtaking goal and enjoy a glass of Terra? We hope you'll experience the thrill of these world-class players.
This concludes our analysis of the Terra ad. We'll be back with another refreshing and exciting marketing story in our next post.