3 Game-Changing Suntory Campaigns From François Bazini

As CMO of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe (SBFE), François Bazini shaped some of the region’s biggest beverage brands, from Schweppes to Ribena.

Now, after 11 years working in various roles across seven countries for the business, he’s leaving to write, teach, and support startups.

Bazini joined sister business Beam Suntory in 2014 as vp of marketing for the company’s global spirits division, overseeing brands such as Jim Beam before rising to international CMO and then global managing director of Scotch, gin, and Irish whiskey. He took on his most recent role in 2022, helping revive sales of legacy brands, and developing a framework for marketing excellence across the business.

As he looks to the next chapter, ADWEEK reflects on some of Bazini’s most recent game-changing campaigns, rooted in nostalgia and honest customer insights.

2024: La Casera | ‘Si No Hay La Casera, Nos Vamos’

When one of Spain’s most iconic sodas, La Casera, faded from the cultural spotlight, Bazini and his team decided to revive the brand’s classic 1980s tagline, “Si No Hay La Casera, Nos Vamos,” which literally translates to: “If There’s No La Casera, We’re Leaving.”

The result was a funny 40-second cinematic ad produced by Little Spain that felt straight out of a Pedro Almodóvar film. It shows a family dining in a traditional Spanish restaurant and suddenly revolting when the signature drink is revealed to be unavailable.

Bazini’s insight was simple: the brand’s legacy and emotional connection to Spanish culture were its strongest assets.

“We gave the brand confidence again,” he told ADWEEK. “Suddenly it wasn’t apologising for being there – it had a point of view on Spanish culture and on what quality means.”

He said System1 testing placed it in the top 1% of ads tested in Spain, and the commercial drove the first growth in share and penetration in over a decade.

2025: Ribena | ‘No Taste Like Home’

A staple of British childhood since 1938, by 2022, purple-hued juice Ribena had slipped out of the top 20 U.K. supermarket soft drink brands following years of inconsistent targeting, flavored water experiments, and rainbow rebrands.

Bazini’s solution? Again, go back to the brand’s roots. With help from BBH London, he spearheaded a campaign that riffed on market research linking Ribena with nostalgia and comforting family traditions.

“Consumers told us, unprompted, that they’d grown up with Ribena,” he explained. “Some even described themselves as a ‘Ribena family.’ Our job was to stop diluting that and put those emotions back at the center of the brand.”

“No Taste Like Home” celebrated this truth, using heartfelt storytelling to re-anchor the brand in family life.

Ribena stabilized sales in the aftermath and reclaimed its place as a household staple.

2025: Schweppes | ‘Take Your Time’

Last year in France, soda and mixer brand Schweppes faced up to the consequences of having ignored its core mature consumers who loved the bitter taste of products like tonic water.

The brand had spent years testing its products on and marketing to millennials, but since 75% of its sales were coming from those aged 50 and older, sales were falling flat.

So, Bazini reframed the brief. Instead of chasing 25- to 35-year-olds, he embraced the older demographic’s desire for connection, leisure, and indulgence.

Partnering with BETC Paris, the resulting campaign, “Take Your Time,” launched with a TV spot showing an astronaut delaying a rocket launch to enjoy a tonic. Centered on the premise that Schweppes was designed for those who liked to slow down and enjoy life, the ad was complemented by 10- to 15-second social vignettes expanding the storyline.

“The moment we accepted who really loved the product and built a campaign around their desire to connect, slow down, and enjoy life, the brand started to perform the way it should,” driving sales and engagement, Bazini said.