Flying the flag

Since the dawn of quirky adverts and satirical self-confidence, Danish beer specialists, Carlsberg, has probably been top of the list in championing creative promotional campaigns. Now, after 169 years of industry success, a recent rebrand of its flagship product, Carlsberg Export, sees the company embrace a long-established history of Danish brewing.

Dropping its familiar green packaging, the identity boldly adopts a golden umber with Carlsberg’s familiar typeface sitting atop the new packaging. UK-based brand agency, Taxi Studio, produced the new identity with the aim of creating a flexible, progressive and premium push to reimagine the brand. With heritage being a focal point, the Export range had drifted from its Danish roots. The addition of Carlsberg founder J.C. Jacobsen’s signature, the Danish vowel ‘Ø’, and a wooden backdrop effect brings the quaintness of Nordic heritage to the forefront of the brand image.

Founder of Taxi Studios, Spencer Buck, says, “We wanted to create something premium but not cold – simplicity and cleanliness, coupled with a light humour, were within our brief. Danish design is quite progressive and not stereotyped, but this is a perception of Danish design from the outside. Fundamentally, it’s about beautiful aesthetics coupled with incredible functionality.”

Carlsberg began to fall out of favour with its mostly millennial target consumer in recent years, and in reimagining its identity, tapping into the brand’s history adds a newfound maturity to its hopes of gaining further ground in the developing market. The projected rollout of February 2017 will be accompanied by a £15m advertising and marketing campaign in hopes of pushing the brand into the premium end of alcohol products.

Liam Newton, vice president of marketing at Carlsberg, says, “We now have a situation where people tend to trade up to something more premium. It’s a bit more special, and you might not have bought it if you were drinking more frequently. We see this in the world and craft beer segment and we expect them to continue to grow. That’s important because standard and premium lager is the key recruitment ground for people who ultimately trade up into premium.”