Carlsberg UK makes bold statement with new campaign

‘Carlsberg, probably the best beer in the world' is an ambitious statement to make, and an even harder one to execute. Therefore, Carlsberg UK realised that it could no longer vouch for this famous promise and came to terms with the need to reposition itself.

In collaboration with London-based advertising agency Fold7, Carlsberg UK published an honest new campaign, with the purpose of fulfilling its promise. The campaign’s core message is, ‘Probably NOT the best beer in the world,” which shows that the brand is trying to change.

Carlsberg UK's VP marketing, Liam Newton says, "At Carlsberg UK, we lost our way. We focused on brewing quantity, not quality; we became one of the cheapest, not the best. In order to live up to our promise of being ‘probably the best beer in the world’, we had to start again. We’ve completely rebrewed Carlsberg from head to hop”.

 The ambitious campaign contains a repositioning of Carlsberg in the UK. Everything from the packaging to the brewing recipe was renewed. However, the new advertisements do resemble the old ones’ simplicity and straightforward delivery of the message. With this new campaign, Carlsberg gains a brand, which is honest and follows through on its promises.

Fold7’s managing partner, James Joice says: “Today, the value of brand honesty to consumers is more powerful than ever. But it is still rare to see brands hold their hands up when they don't live up to their promise. Carlsberg has not only been brave enough to do this, but have done something about it”.

The campaign is still being rolled out on social media. Danish actor, and front figure for the brand, Mads Mikkelsen will be back on the screen to deliver the new statement.