Carlsberg’s traces its Danish roots in latest ad

Carlsberg’s latest bold push in terms of its advertising is refreshingly honest and takes aim at turning around a brand and returning to its Danish roots.

The TV spot shows Carlsberg’s Danish brand ambassador Mads Mikkelsen rowing a boat across a lake while confessing that “in the UK, Carlsberg pursued being the biggest, not the best and the beer suffered”.

After enjoying a pint of the new Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Mikkelsen hints at what “probably” happened to the person responsible for the old beer in the UK while looking into the depths of the lake.

Speaking to Marketing Week, Lynsey Woods, Carlsberg UK’s director of marketing, says the company wanted to “dramatize” its acknowledgement that its old beer hadn’t been the best while also showing the brand’s humour.

“If you think about the messaging before it was quite a serious message, obviously done with a bit of wit. This TV ad actually shows people that we haven’t lost our sense of humour,” she explains.

“TV, it’s still the best way to tell a great story to a mass audience and gives us the reach that we need and want.”

Carlsberg admitted that it is “probably not the best beer in the world” last month, inverting its famous tagline in outdoor ads and social media activity highlighting that it has prioritised “quantity over quality”.

At the same time it introduced a re-brewed version of its beer, as well as new packs and glassware aimed at reinforcing the changes and its new, more premium, positioning.

Source: Marketing Week