JINRO, the world's best-selling spirits brand by volume, launched its first global marketing campaign on July 22, debuting a campaign film starring BTS member V and a new global tagline, "Fill The Moment," as part of a broader push into mainstream beverage alcohol markets worldwide.
The Campaign Story
The main film positions V as an everyman who accidentally crashes the wrong party — only to pull both groups together over rounds of JINRO. The narrative is deliberately light-handed, leaning on V's crossover appeal to introduce soju to consumers unfamiliar with the category. For on-premise operators, the creative reinforces soju's core selling proposition: a low-barrier, session-friendly spirit built for group occasions. The film is rolling out across JINRO's official YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook channels, with digital content, consumer engagement events, and offline promotions to follow.
Product Strategy Embedded in the Film
The campaign carries a quiet product signal for buyers and distributors. Two fictional party rooms — Room 306 and Room 307 — encode JINRO's current international SKU count (three core soju expressions and six flavored varieties) alongside the brand's stated intent to expand its flavored soju range to seven or more offerings. That pipeline matters for beverage alcohol buyers planning back-bar and retail sets: JINRO's flavored lineup already spans green grape, peach, strawberry, grapefruit, plum, and lemon, giving operators a ready-made flight format that appeals to cocktail-curious guests reluctant to order straight spirits.
Why It Matters for Operators
Jung-ho Hwang, Head of Overseas Business at HiteJinro, framed the campaign as the brand's formal entry into the global mainstream: "Moving forward, we will continue expanding our presence in the mainstream global beverage alcohol market while broadening consumer touchpoints worldwide to further strengthen JINRO's competitiveness as Korea's representative soju brand."
For restaurant and bar operators, the timing is meaningful. Korean cuisine has moved well beyond specialty dining into neighborhood restaurants, food halls, and fast-casual formats across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, and soju has followed the food. A globally coordinated campaign backed by one of the world's most recognizable music acts could accelerate trial among the Gen Z and millennial diners who drive on-premise beverage sales growth. JINRO's approach — anchoring the brand in shared moments rather than Korean cultural identity alone — signals a deliberate effort to broaden the category's appeal beyond the Korean diaspora dining occasion.
First produced in 1924, JINRO has long held the title of the world's top-selling spirits brand. The "My Favorite JINRO" campaign represents its most coordinated attempt yet to convert that volume dominance in Korea into brand equity with global consumers — and that ambition has direct shelf and menu implications for operators building out their spirits programs. Readers tracking the broader import spirits landscape can find additional context in Food & Beverage Magazine's ongoing coverage of emerging category trends.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
