How do you win by rejecting everything the category think is ‘cool’?
Client: Angkor Beer
Market: Cambodia
Launch: 2017
Problem
Despite being a small country, Cambodia is crowded with beer brands.
In 2016 the whole category shifted toward “cool” individualism — each brand celebrating personal aspiration. This created a sea of sameness.
As the brand named after the nation’s most iconic temple, Angkor could not speak like an individualistic lifestyle brand.
At the same time, something deeper was happening in the country. After decades of trauma, a new generation of Cambodians was rediscovering pride in their identity, culture, and future.
In Cambodia, beer is more than a drink. It is the true social lubricant — shared at weddings, festivals, markets, meals, and everyday gatherings.
Insight
Beer isn’t just what Cambodians drink together — it’s how they care for one another.
Sharing Angkor is an act of generous Cambodian pride.
Solution
“Our country, our beer.”
A campaign that reclaimed national pride instead of chasing Western notions of “cool.”
We celebrated what Cambodians are proud of: their food, their music, their humour, their resilience — and above all, their spirit of generosity.
Angkor Beer kept being a symbol of togetherness.
A brand that belongs to the people, rooted in Cambodian identity.
