Carlsberg will relaunch Carlsberg Export next February, with a £15m campaign designed to connect with millennial drinkers.
The look and feel of Carlsberg Export will be transformed with a new ‘premium’ design that reflects the brand’s Danish heritage. The new design has been influenced by the cross from the Danish flag, while the signature of founder, J.C. Jacobsen, and the word ‘København’ – Danish for Copenhagen – underline the brand’s roots.
A range of bottle and can formats will be available – including a new premium 330ml-sized bottle, a 660ml bottle and new outer packaging – all designed for the off-trade.
The premiumisation of the Carlsberg brand will continue into early summer 2017, when limited edition packaging will be launched for the Carlsberg 3.8% ABV beer and the bottle increased to a 330ml size.
The new look has been developed following a year-long project comprising exhaustive consumer research, category analysis and trends monitoring. Its aim is to confront the long-term decline seen in the lager category by engaging with the consumer group identified as the most influential and responsible for driving key trends: millennials.
The £15m campaign will incorporate media and integrated consumer activity. It will celebrate the brand’s Danish heritage and attempt to tap into consumer demand for authenticity and the trend towards premiumisation in the beer category.
Liam Newton, vice president of marketing, Carlsberg UK said:
“Standard and premium lagers recruit new drinkers, and if consumers don’t enter through these segments, it is unlikely they will move into world and craft. This means brands like Carlsberg and premium beers like Carlsberg Export remain vital to the long-term health of the entire beer category.”
“By reminding people of where Carlsberg comes from and adopting some of the positive attributes from the people of Denmark, we believe we will have a powerful platform from which to connect with millennials in a meaningful way,” says Newton.
Further details around the consumer activation will emerge in the coming weeks.
