Carlsberg wins with consumer activation campaign

The challenge

In spite of its global presence, Carlsberg recognised the need to react to changing consumer trends, where standard lager was seen to be falling behind developing tastes.

The brewing company went back to its roots to renew its focus on quality brewing as a differentiator. Using this founding principle, it updated and relaunched its Danish Pilsner recipe in March 2019.

Raising awareness, changing perceptions

It wanted to publicise its rebrewing efforts as part of the launch and so, embarked on a major marketing campaign designed to raise awareness, encourage product sampling and drive sales.

Carlsberg worked with Eagle Eye to encourage sampling of its new brew using highly targeted promotions. With 8m target consumers, it identified the best out-of-home venues to engage them.

Developing an award-winning “Probably not the best beer in the world’ multimedia campaign, (inverting its own tagline by inserting ‘not’), it complemented this with On-Trade and Off-Trade promotional activity to:

• Amplify awareness of Carlsberg’s Pilsner relaunch and accompanying marketing campaign;
• Encourage product sampling to boost customer acquisition, retention and sales; and,
• Use promotional data-driven insight to optimise media spend and retarget customers.

Promotion provides campaign acquisition

Carlsberg used the Eagle Eye AIR platform to manage the issuance of promotional offers of free pints of Pilsner, and their redemption in Stonegate Pubs and 500 independent pub outlets.

The promotional activity powering Carlsberg’s campaign was delivered to its target audience via the media, channels and techniques most likely to incentivise registration in exchange for a free sample.