Inside Somersby’s ‘no-nonsense’ brand positioning with K-pop’s Yeonjun

If there were a marketing-by-numbers guide to creating a campaign that resonates with Gen Z in Asia, it would almost certainly include a K-pop idol. For fruit-flavoured alcoholic drinks brand Somersby, tapping Yeonjun of Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is central to their latest Asia campaign, which uses the tagline ‘No Nonsense’. With the K-pop star at its heart, the campaign aims to connect with a generation seeking moments of escape from the pressures of daily adult life.

"We saw that young adults are feeling overwhelmed with their responsibilities. Even with all of today's technology it can get overwhelming. That's the universal truth that we saw across the world," says Rommel Fuentebella, senior director for premium brands and execution at Carlsberg Asia. "So we're aiming to position Somersby as the antidote to the adulting nonsense by providing carefree joy through refreshing, fruity alcoholic beverages."

This 'nonsense-free' ethos is now Somersby’s tagline and core brand philosophy. Asia is the first region to roll out this new global positioning, the result of collaboration between in-house marketers, creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors, and Korean production houses. The entire campaign was shot in Seoul during winter to align with Yeonjun’s schedule.

"With social listening and in-depth consumer research with global agency partners, we found a universal truth: young adults globally feel overwhelmed by adulting. This insight guided us, and then we tailored nuances for each region," explains Fuentebella.

"Young adults don't have time for pretentious marketing or overcomplicated messaging—they value honesty, simplicity, and joy. That’s why Somersby is all about no nonsense. No jargon. No pressure. No pretending. Just easy-going moments."

 

 

K-pop’s unifying power

In Asia, Fuentebella and his team recognised that young adults often see adulting as progress and opportunity, so the campaign frames it positively while acknowledging the universal need for a carefree break—something Somersby aims to provide. Recognising K-pop’s unifying cultural power, they made it the campaign’s central hook.

"K-pop unifies the region’s entertainment culture, so we leveraged that to create a campaign that stands out by combining Somersby’s humour and lightheartedness with K-pop’s appeal," adds Fuentebella.

The campaign film begins with a crew expecting Yeonjun to deliver an over-the-top performance, but he simply cracks open a Somersby Apple, takes a sip, and remarks, “it tastes good.” No song, no dance—just a straightforward, nonsense-free moment.

 

While K-pop is a proven attention-grabber, the team was careful not to rely on celebrity for its own sake.

"True to our brand proposition, we’re not doing a predictable K-pop collaboration. Instead of scripted smiles and tired tropes, we’re doing something more honest and truer to Yeonjun’s persona,” says Fuentebella.

"We did extensive social listening and worked with our Korean agency partner. Yeonjun stood out because his persona aligns well with Somersby’s brand character. He is also a consumer of the brand, apparently enjoying the apple flavour, which made the collaboration smooth."

The campaign’s star power is undeniable, and awareness is a key KPI. However, with recent celebrity branding missteps—from Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light controversy to Kanye West’s fallout with Adidas—it’s clear that celebrity partnerships don’t always go smoothly and that it's prudent to tread carefully.

"We approached this partnership carefully, with thorough research and collaboration," says Fuentebella. "The campaign’s creative process was highly collaborative between our team, the agency, and Yeonjun’s management. The partnership fits culturally and creatively, which reduces risk. While celebrity endorsement doesn’t guarantee viral success, it helps us reach young consumers effectively.

"I don’t have a crystal ball, but entertainment continues to resonate deeply with Asian consumers. The key is to be entertaining and relevant. K-pop’s global growth and appeal remain strong, so we see positive potential in this space."

Recruitment and relevance

The campaign, rolling out across Singapore, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam, is Somersby’s largest regional effort to date. The main KPIs are recruitment and relevance—attracting and staying top-of-mind with young adults in a crowded market. "For some markets, Somersby is new; for others, we are market leaders," says Fuentebella. "We want to continue standing out and be part of young adults’ cultural fabric. We also track operational KPIs like business objectives, market penetration, and brand presence, but the main goal is to be entertaining and thumb-stopping to capture young consumers’ attention."

 

With a campaign film, social content, and print assets, the effort is clearly well-funded.

"This is a big investment, so we put in investment trackers or campaign trackers in place for us to be able the results. We also partnered with Dentsu and part and parcel of their remit is to look at the media ROI for this particular campaign, but it is measured on a per-market basis,” says Fuentebella.

Asia’s rapid growth in the flavoured alcoholic beverages category makes it a critical focus. "What we see in consumer data is this is the fastest growing region in terms of the growth of that category. So there is focus right now in terms of developing our Asian communication, making sure we resonate with Asian consumers."

Looking ahead, Somersby plans to build on this momentum with limited editions and new or improved recipes alongside current favourites like apple, blackberry, and mango & lime. The brand has also rolled out limited-edition collectibles as part of this campaign.

Given the Gen Z target, responsible drinking is integral, adds Fuentebella.

"All advertisements have to be in the right channels targeting the right audience. The talents featured in all our campaigns and advertisements have to look 25 years old or above to ensure people don't get the wrong message,” he says.

"Responsible drinking is a big corporate campaign that we take on. It's not brand specific; it's a total company initiative to make sure responsible consumption is at the heart of everything.”