Opinion BY Armin

Carlsberg, Partying Like it’s 2015

First brewed in 1847, Carlsberg beer, a pilsner, is produced by Copenhagen-based Carlsberg Group, the fourth largest brewer in the world behind Anheuser-Busch InBev, SAB Miller, and Heineken… which is what brings us to today’s post. In an effort to double its profits by 2015, Carslberg is being repositioned to “help the brand unleash its full potential.” A new tag line, “That calls for a Carlsberg,” and new advertising will help push the new visual identity designed by San Francisco-based Office.

One of five new ads featuring the new tagline “That calls for a Carlsberg”. You can see all of the new ads here.

At the heart of this is a redefinition of its brand proposition — a proposition which celebrates Carlsberg’s heritage and values, while connecting with today’s active, adventurous generation of beer drinkers. The proposition encourages consumers ‘to step up and do the right thing’, rewarding themselves with a Carlsberg for their efforts and it carries the tagline “That calls for a Carlsberg”.

Carlsberg’s visual identity has been modernised, distribution channels are being widened and a completely new range of packaging is being rolled out across more than 140 markets. The changes to both the brand proposition and the visual identity will help to make the Carlsberg brand more consistent, appealing and distinctive to its consumers in both its established and newer markets.
— Press Release

Carlsberg logo remains the same.

The “Carlsberg promo reel for 2011”. A few too many hoochies and douches, but okay, I guess.

One of the hardest projects in identity design is leaving the basics — the logo or, in this case, the bottle — untouched and building a whole new world around it. While Carlsberg’s new look feels like a subtle change its angle feels much more defined, skewing strongly towards a younger demographic, perhaps the demographic that in four years time — when, remember, Carslberg intends to double profits by — will have grown to have better jobs with better salaries and buy more beer. I like the bottle design, although it didn’t change much. The imagery somehow feels more like it belongs on a lemon-lime soda identity, but it does add a bit of vibrancy to the brand. If the promo reel above is any indication, Carlsberg looks like it’s at least having more fun with its brand but maybe they just need to dial down the Go-go.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners