-196 is a ready-to-drink cocktail with legendary status in Japan, built on a unique production method called Freeze Crush Infuse. Whole fruit frozen to -196°C, crushed to powder, then infused into spirits. That’s why it’s called “Minus One Nine Six.”

As the brand grows from big-in-Japan to a globally recognised ready-to-drink option, they needed a way of communicating their bespoke technology to new audiences. But not in a didactic way, but one that talks with their audience. Because Gen Z doesn’t buy process alone, they buy what it means for them.

Kontrapunkt developed “Minus is More” as a creative platform that connects product truth to personal truth: Ultimate flavour, like bold personality, comes from keeping things whole. This insight repositioned -196 from Japanese curiosity to globally relevant choice, celebrating both uncompromising craft and the uncompromising individual.

The idea unfolds across outdoor, digital, and print media, each amplifying the next. Outdoor announces with bold, unapologetic visuals and “Whole fruit, more flavour.” Digital energises the message with social content that transforms FCI steps into playful, thumb-stopping moments of personal empowerment. At point-of-sale, vibrant print materials convert consideration into action.

A cohesive design system of high-contrast colours, kinetic typography and photo realistic 3D elements creates a unified campaign universe unfolded across every touchpoint. The resulting expression is unapologetically Japanese. Not temples and Mt. Fuji, but Tokyo streets after the last train and pocket-sized obsessions. Kontrapunkt built a hyper-real 3D world where Freeze Crush Infuse becomes a playground of self-expression: sumo wrestlers, lucky cats crushing lemons, lemon-shaped soy sauce packets. Horizontal lightboxes glow like signs on Shinjuku side streets. Hands flash bold nail art passing cans between friends.

Every element renews the brand core and gives our audience permission to be loud, to be whole, to show up exactly as they are.