Danish brewer Carlsberg is turning heads in the UK with a new ad campaign that admits its lager is “probably not the best beer in the world.”
The reportedly 20 million GBP campaign is part of a relaunch of the brewery’s flagship beer, which has been revamped with a new recipe and a new name.
According to Carlsberg, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner has been “completely rebrewed from head to hop”.
The full advertisement reads: “’Probably the best beer in the world.’ Once true, but today? Probably not. Somewhere along the line, we lost our way. We focused on brewing quantity, not quality. We became one of the cheapest, not the best.
“So, there was only one thing for it. We had to create a better beer. A new Carlsberg, that’s been completely rebrewed from head to hop. The result? A perfectly balanced Danish Pilsner with a crisper, fuller flavour than before.
“Finally, a beer that lives up to its promise? Probably.”
The ad campaign is a play on Carlsberg’s former advertising motto – “Probably the best beer in the world” – and given the bold nature of the campaign, is getting plenty of industry and marketing experts talking.
“It takes a bold brand to change the way their products have been made for decades, even if it costs them more time and money in the process,” client director at drinks marketing agency YesMore, Tom Harvey, told Drinks Business.
“This will likely earn respect and advocacy from a great portion of their target consumers.”
Harvey also hinted at the role that the overall premiumisation of the beer market has played in this decision.
“It’s well researched and documented that people are drinking fewer alcoholic drinks, but at a higher quality and price,” he added “So with consumers’ tastes opting for quality products, Carlsberg are smart to recognise that selling on quantity alone won’t last.”
Premium Beverages, which brews Carlsberg in Australia, has not yet responded on what the UK campaign means for the Australian market and the locally-brewed version of the beer.