Carlsberg has kicked off a global brand campaign designed to champion the theory that all progress in the world starts with a spark of curiosity, taking a trip through the ages to discover how curiosity not only gave birth to music but also led to the creation of Carlsberg.
The blitz, devised by Fold7, carries the strapline “Do the best things begin with curiosity? Probably, and follows consumer research that uncovered a universally recognised human truth: the best things in life come to the curious.
The theme is that although we are born innately curious, this can be tempered by the pressures of modern life as we grow into adulthood, giving Carlsberg “a clear and emotionally rich role to play in reinvigorating curiosity among beer drinkers around the world” apparently.
The company reckons that curiosity has been at the forefront of everything it has done since JC Jacobsen opened the brewery doors in 1847. Together with the very first employees, his ambition was to find out how things could be done differently: ultimately working to make a better beer. However, it skirts over the fact for many years the brand was derided for being tasteless and weak in the UK.
Yet Carlsberg says this curious mindset remains central at the business today. The Carlsberg Research Laboratory, founded in 1875, is home to more than 100 scientists dedicated to not only brewing better beer, but ‘brewing’ a better world. From inventing the pH-scale in 1909, to winning a Nobel prize for developing click chemistry in 2022, to breeding climate-tolerant plant types for future generations.
Running across all 120 markets, rolling out in the UK, Asia, South America and Europe throughout 2024 and into 2025, the campaign leads with a film across social, digital, TV and film backed by cinema, consumer PR, CRM, OOH, social media, ecommerce and internal communications as well as through in-store and outlet activations.
The story features modern-day clubbers, jazz-era swingers, dancing Roman Legionnaires, flautist shepherds and even whistling cavepeople, showcasing how Carlsberg wants to bring fun to social occasions, especially when getting together with friends.
The film uses the late-1980s breakbeat track, ‘The 900 Number’ by The 45 King. The original track is featured alongside samples authentic to instruments in each era featured in the ad.
Carlsberg global brand director Lynsey Woods said: “This campaign is rooted in the insight that we can push the boundaries of progress with curiosity, something that is intrinsic to our core values at Carlsberg.
“Our founder JC Jacobsen’s mantra was ‘Semper Ardens’, Latin for ‘always burning’. Today, over 177 years later, we are still using our curiosity to push the boundaries of brewing beer through science, whether that’s finding new ways to reduce the energy and water needed in the brewing process, or developing crops which can tolerate a more extreme climate.
“We want to showcase, with a little fun, wit and entertainment, that we can all reinvigorate our curious side, and we hope the campaign does just that for beer drinkers across the world.”
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