Softness has never been the word anyone uses to describe wholemeal bread, and that’s exactly why we started there.
If we could get people to imagine a softness they’ve never associated with wholemeal, everything else would follow.
From Insight to Imagination: Finding the Story Wholemeal Never Had
Powered by 4sights Intel, our research showed something powerful: Consumers cared more about taste and mouthfeel more than nutrition when choosing wholemeal bread. And when asked what they associated with Japanese-style bread?
Softness. Premium. Comforting.
But dark rye came with its own baggage. People assumed it would be dense, bitter, or too earthy. Mashwire realised that the opportunity wasn’t just to introduce a new loaf, but to also rewrite the perception of wholemeal entirely by blending two worlds: Japanese softness + wholesome grains.
This insight became the backbone of our campaign idea, “Komugi Softness. More in Every Slice.”
Crafting a Sensory World Around a Single Idea
Once softness became our story, everything else had to honour it, not just visually but also emotionally. This guided the development of our key visuals, which were designed to whisper rather than shout.
Instead of crowded or busy layouts, we built a calm, airy, Japanese-inspired aesthetic. Gentle curves of the bread signalled softness, warm golden tones hinted at the maple aroma, grains were placed with purposeful restraint, and the kanji for “Komugi” grounded the visual language in authentic Japanese craft.
Every element was art-directed to feel like a world defined by softness, serenity, and the kind of meticulous detail that makes the ordinary feel elevated.
A Media Kit That Became a Cultural Moment
If softness was the hero of our story, the unboxing experience needed to feel just as soft. To bring this to life, we created a slice-shaped sling bag that quickly became a viral favourite, paired it with premium petri dishes showcasing the loaf’s six grains, included a full loaf for immediate tasting, and wrapped everything in a clean beige-and-gold aesthetic inspired by Japanese minimalism.
The impact was immediate. Our blind seeding delivered an exceptionally high posting rate, outperforming the industry average by more than three times. Influencers didn’t just unbox the kit; they styled the bag, highlighted the grains, toasted the slices, and dramatised the fuwa-fuwa softness with genuine enthusiasm, turning the media kit into a cultural moment rather than just a PR asset.
Video That Let People Hear the Softness
Our hero video did one thing exceptionally well. It made softness both audible and visible. Through slow, deliberate pulls, gentle tears and crisp grain moments, every shot was crafted to highlight the loaf’s mouthfeel, flavourful layers and delicate aromatic cues. The textures were not just shown. They were experienced in a way that invited viewers to almost feel the fuwa fuwa softness through the screen.
A Multi-Channel Rollout That Felt Seamless
Every platform entry point carried the same sensory promise. TikTok delivered ASMR-style softness moments that exceeded performance targets. Meta provided reach and repetition. Google Display and YouTube built mass visibility. Organic posts created space for education, while PR syndication reinforced credibility and authority. Across all channels, one narrative remained consistent. It is wholemeal, but it feels indulgent. It is wholesome, but it tastes premium. It is soft, and surprisingly so.
The payoff
The campaign delivered overwhelming reach and visibility, generating millions of impressions and strong ROI. It also sparked genuine enthusiasm, with consumers describing the loaf as “chewy yet fluffy”, “comforting”, “nutty and aromatic” and “always sold out”.
When storytelling changes behaviour, the numbers are only part of the picture. Our favourite metrics were not the impressions. They were the comments. People said “always sold out”, “where can I find it”, “please make this permanent”, “is the bag for sale” and “best bread Sunshine ever made”. The campaign did more than shift perceptions. It created desire in a category that rarely inspires it. This is what happens when a simple product truth becomes a story worth sharing.
In the end, it was never just about bread. It was about showing how a simple loaf could deliver softness worth pausing for, textures worth talking about and a story worth passing on. By grounding the campaign in sensory branding, we proved that even the most familiar category can be reimagined when storytelling, craft and insight work together. When a brand owns a feeling instead of a feature, it becomes unforgettable.
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