Norrlands Guld is the beer market leader in Sweden, struggling with the challenge of how to continue driving growth. With a new take on their brand heritage, ”Be together for a moment”, the brand has challenged people to spend more time together, and prioritize human relationships in real life. We were tasked with the challenge of finding a disruptive way to drive business, make more people drink beer more often and choose Norrlands when they did.

It’s frustrating when you make plans to grab a beer with friends, only for them to cancel last minute. However, Swedish beer brand Norrlands Guld had a (slightly dramatic) solution. Working together with lawyers we launched the world’s first legally binding Beer Contract, encouraging friends to stick to their word and actually spend some time with each other. A contract could be drafted up in minutes online, then signed with mobile BankID – Sweden’s electronic citizen identification solution. See you in the pub then. (Or in court, if you breach the contract.) Cheers.

The strategic process combined driver analysis - what brand associations drove volume and price premium - with a collaborative exploration of Norrland’s brand territory ”togetherness” and its meaning in the digital age.

The insight came when the team discussed the idea of ”missed beers”, all the idle promises to ”have a beer” that were canceled at the last minute, or never followed through on. What if we could make those missed beers happen?

The breakthrough moment came when we realized the solution was hidden in the problem. 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?

Collaborating with leading Swedish law firm Synch Law we brewed up the world’s first 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 - Sweden’s electronic citizen identification solution. The service could also recommend Norrlands Guld pubs close to you, based on your geolocation. ? If someone rainchecks after signing the contract, they’ll have to pay a fine of $50, and you also had the legal option to take them to court.

The campaign was 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.

During its 6-week campaign run, The Legally Binding Beer Contract became one of Sweden’s most shared topics and charmed the worldwide press as well with features in ABC News, Unilad, Global Legal Post, Beer Bible, and many others. Brand mentions online went up 390 % as everyone seemed to have at least one notorious bailer-friend, who needed to be handed a contract. Before closing time, over 30 000 Beer Contracts were signed and over 200 000 visited the mobile website - helping to rocket sales into a 19 % increase compared to the previous year.

Results in short:

+ 30 000 signed Beer Contracts

+ 200 000 unique visits to the website

+ 390% increase in brand mentions online

+ 19% increase in beer sales compared to last year

”Let’s have a beer” is now synonymous with the Norrlands Guld brand in Sweden.