Boating culture was always strong in Sweden. But during the pandemic, its popularity reached record-levels. Unfortunately, summer boating season means that many accidents occur, and with more inexperienced boaters there was an urgent need to address a major cause of accidents: alcohol. (6 out of 10 who die from boating accidents in Sweden are under the influence).

As a large brewery and distributor of alcoholic beverages – Carlsberg wanted to take social responsibility by raising awareness of this issue. The objective was to find a new way to reach thirsty boaters and deliver an unforgettable message about the dangers of drunk boating - while also promoting Carlsberg’s Alcohol-Free beer.

How to get people to stop drinking alcohol at sea? By opening another beer-serving bar of course..

This one-of-a-kind, fully equipped, Carlsberg bar is located at the bottom of the ocean, exactly where deadly accidents end up. Serving as a powerful reminder about the dangers of drunk boating.

But the Sunken bar was more than an innovative stunt. It opened up to the public, serving the solution: Carlsberg's Alcohol-Free beer. Showing that it's entirely possible to enjoy a beer on the boat without risking the safety of yourself and others.

Neither the alarming statistics nor the fact that Sweden has strict drunk boating laws has solved the problem. So a new and unexpected approach was needed.

The strategy was to give the target audience (adult boaters) an emotional understanding for the dangers of drunk boating, by creating a striking metaphor for what could happen. Something that could generate attention to carry the message: "Don’t drink and boat, stay sober and float".

The Sunken bar was placed 20 feet below the surface at a carefully chosen location: Close to the main pier of Sweden’s number one hotspot for boating enthusiasts, Smögen. This let Carlsberg engage the audience at their home turf, where the message would resonate the most.

This approach also gave Carlsberg a unique PR-story to take the message well beyond the bar visitors in both new and traditional earned channels.

The execution started with designing a full-size Carlsberg-branded bar, including all essential features, fridges with non-alcholic beers and eye-catching neon signs with the message "Don't drink and boat, stay sober and float". The location was chosen, and permits secured.

The bar premiered on July 1st with an event attended by media, scuba diving groups, and the public, livestreamed on Carlsberg's social channels. The bar remained open for on-site experience for the first weeks of summer.

Simultaneously, the campaign took off via PR-activation, online films on social media and print ads. In collaboration with Swedish seaside bars, the message reached boaters nationwide using bar signs.

Carlsberg’s Sunken bar became the symbol to abstain from alcohol at sea, exceeding every objective. News spread all over the world, resulting in an earned reach of 31 million and 15,5 million social media impressions.

Brand reputation for Carlsberg Sweden reached an all-time high and in a highly competitive market, the leading share of Carlsberg Alcohol Free extended. Most importantly, reported drunk boating cases dropped by almost 50% compared to the previous summer, according to Swedish Police Authority.