Our 1996 advertising "STAR CAMPAIGN" is off to a fortuitous beginning! And why not? Sapporo Beer has always been of star quality... and now, we've just capitalized on the concept.

We decided to tap into the power of our century-old star logo, and then increase the "recognition factor" a hundredfold by transforming the image into cutting-edge design graphics!

Sapporo's "STAR ADs" will be splashed across the media in four multi-colored configurations -- "Hollywood," "Golf," "Watermark," and "Twinkle" (for the holidays).

The national magazine campaign kicks off in June in ROLLING STONE, DETAILS, LIVE, and WIRED. Here, we're targeting the young and middle adult market, a lively audience whose primary passions and pleasures lie in the area of music, film, fashion, entertainment, and the media. Advertisements will also appear in a variety of local publications.

We are introducing new point-of-sale materials with the star design graphics for both on- and off-premise locations. Plus, free promotional postcards depicting the beautiful "Star AD" illustrations will be prominently displayed in more than 450 fine dining restaurants in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Sapporo will maintain high visibility by its active participation in local and national tastings, trade shows, and special events.

And throughout all our advertising and promotional activities, we will let the facts speak for themselves with our new corporate positioning statement which attests to Sapporo's proud legacy -- "Brewing Excellence Since 1876."

1996 should prove to be a vintage year for Sapporo U.S.A.!