Steinlager's Tokyo Dry gives Dave Dobbyn's 'Slice of Heaven' a dose of Japanese flavour

Dave Dobbyn's 1986 hit 'Slice of Heaven' has been injected full of Japanese flavour as part of a new ad campaign.

Featuring elements of J-pop, hip-hop and Japanese lyrics, the song is contorted into something that wouldn't be out of place thumping out of the speakers at a Tokyo club.

This Japanese-New Zealand hybrid is the work of Steinlager's Tokyo Dry, a brand owned by Lion.

Commenting on the ad, Dave Dobbyn noted how the essence of song remained true despite it being transformed through the lens of a different culture.

"When I wrote the lyrics 'da da da' I never imagined them to be some of the best lyrics I'd ever written, and that 33 years later 'Slice of Heaven' would still be so catchy and recreated in this way."

The ad campaign was the brainchild of Auckland-based ad agency DDB and follows on from the brand's launch campaign in 2016.

DDB chief creative officer Damon Stapleton says the entire purpose of the campaign was to convey the idea of New Zealand meets Japan.

"We loved the idea of taking something so iconic and recreating it in a modern, Japanese way, just like Steinlager did when it launched Tokyo Dry."

From the outset, Steinlager has focused on presenting the beer as a hip fusion between Japanese and New Zealand culture.

The first outing for the brand was also drenched in Japanese imagery, with Kiwi dance crew The Bradas turning into CGI-powered bonsai trees, lanterns and sumo wrestlers as they danced their way through Tokyo.

While it has always seemed somewhat incongruent for a Kiwi company to develop a Japanese-style beer, the business decision to launch the range was underpinned by clear research.

As far back 2014, Steinlager saw a worrying trend emerge as men in their early 20s started moving away from beer brands that had traditionally been popular in New Zealand.

Research conducted by the company showed that younger consumers found beer too bitter and heavy. And when asked what type of beer they would prefer, they said it would have to be something crisp and lighter.

It was from this insight that Steinlager set about developing the brand that would come to bear the name Tokyo Dry.

The brand has grown quickly in its first few years, and Steinlager will be hoping to build on this momentum as the new campaign rolls out across TV, cinema, digital and outdoor advertising.