Building сommunity and delivering spirits

Founded in 1847, Carlsberg is a multinational brewer based in Copenhagen. Today, Carlsberg Group is one of the world’s leading brewery groups, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Our partnership began in 2016 when Carlsberg wanted to disrupt the real estate market; a surprising project for a company known for making and selling beer. Since then, we’ve been able to strengthen our partnership with different, exciting projects to support the brand.

For a company that brews and then ships beer to restaurants and bars in multiple countries, the threat of those establishments needing to close their doors indefinitely at the start of 2020 was a significant danger. Additionally, Carlsberg has developed a relationship with the businesses that purchase from them and were invested in their success. We wanted to find a way to show that Carlsberg cares about these establishments and wanted to lend support in such challenging times. The result was a campaign we created, shot and activated in only three weeks.

For an effective campaign that needs to launch in a short amount of time, often a simple concept is best. When lockdowns started going into place, we knew that giving patrons a reason to go back to the bar when possible was important, but equally important was the fact that establishments closing needed a boost with revenue. Our campaign was designed to help with both.

The centerpiece of this campaign was a glass. One glass per bar or restaurant was auctioned to the highest bidder on a popular marketplace. The winner of the glass was promised that their name would be imprinted on the glass as proof of ownership. Then, the glass remains at the venue, giving its owner added incentive to return. For the regulars of these establishments, the chance to have a personal glass emblazoned with their name that only they were allowed to use was a great incentive to participate but being able to help their favorite businesses monetarily during the pandemic was also a motivating factor.

The full proceeds from the auction went directly to the respective establishment. Even though the campaign was being run by Carlsberg, they did not benefit financially directly from the auction. Instead, Carlsberg Sweden matched the campaign’s total contribution, up to 1 million SEK, and evenly distributed this top-up donation across all participating venues. The benefits to Carlsberg were always intended to be reaped later down the line while the primary focus was on strengthening their relationship with their partners while helping to keep those partners in business through a time of uncertainty.

Because the entire campaign was about helping the establishments, we equipped each of them with their own tailor-made marketing kit designed to amplify the interest of their regulars. This way, the bars and restaurants included in the campaigns didn’t have to do anything but collect donations and hold on to the glass.

The campaign spread far and wide on social media. Passionate regulars found themselves bidding from Trelleborg in the south of Sweden right up to Kiruna, north of the Arctic Circle. With 833 bars and restaurants involved in the campaign, 31,801 bids were placed during the two-week timeframe, and the campaign assets received 67 million views across social media channels. In the end, 1 million SEK was raised, and Carlsberg was able to help support key business partners while also providing a sense of consistency for the communities that call these spaces home.