Background and context:

Norrlands Guld was Sweden’s most-sold beer but in 2019 the profitability was pressured, due to new local and global low-price challengers. The brand needed to strengthen the margins, which in the long term meant increasing the prices. Our task was hence to increase the willingness to pay for Norrlands Guld, in order to support future price increases without jeopardizing volumes.

According to market research, the associations with the most positive impact on willingness to pay were “sense of community” and “fun/humour”. These two associations are the foundation of Norrlands Guld’s brand positioning – the social beer. To strengthen willingness to pay and defend market shares in the long term, we needed to strengthen these prioritized associations.

But pressured margins meant that the resources available for such a campaign were very limited. To change the brand perception, with a very limited budget for paid media, we needed an idea that could achieve earned reach and engagement.

Creative challenge:

Norrland’s Guld is the social beer, made to be enjoyed in good company. At the same time, we’re living in a culture of cancelled plans where nothing is ever followed through. New York Times called it “The Golden Age of Bailing”, and here in Sweden there’s an expression that summarizes this better than anything, namely “let’s grab a beer some time”. We all make plans to have a beer, which is then rescheduled, cancelled, or just forgotten about. For people, this is a missed opportunity for some nice, social time with friends. But for Norrlands Guld, this is terrible for business. Each cancelled beer is a lost potential income. So, how could we make Norrlands Guld a true counterforce against the phenomenon of rainchecks?

Solution:

Digital technology is the enemy of beer, it makes people opt to stay home instead of heading out for drinks. But it also provides new tools to create commitment. In Sweden, over 80% of the population has mobile BankID, an e-identity card that makes it easy to pay bills and sign legal contracts remotely. What if we could make beer promises legally binding? By doing that, we could really take up the fight against cancelled plans.

Execution:

Collaborating with leading Swedish law firm Synch Law we brewed up the world’s first Legally Binding Beer Contract, attempting to transform all those “let´s grab a beer sometime” into a legally binding ”yes”. Friends could create a contract in minutes online (at the mobile website olavtalet.se), picking a date, time and place, and then sign it with Mobile BankID. If someone rainchecks after signing the contract, they have to pay a fine of $50, and you also had the legal option to take them to court.

The campaign site olavtalet.se was the center of the campaign, but it was also realized in TVCs, outdoor, print, social media and of course PR. And maybe above all, by hijacking the BankID and using it as a media channel for beer invites.