We decided to combine our two most loved summer refreshments and create an ice cream made out of beer. We called it the SorBeer. With an ice cream out of beer, we could offer beer drinkers and summer lovers the ultimate refreshment that provided that great beer taste in a sorbet format – with a touch of lemon to add extra freshness. SorBeer was a way to enhance the great flavours and ingredients of Carlsberg beer, while also creating a fun and witty product – filled with taste and totally free from alcohol.

The execution of the project was made in three steps:

1. Creating the SorBeer:

Just in time for summer, we teamed up with the Swedish ice cream maker StikkiNikki. She is known for her high-quality, homemade ice cream and unique ingredients. Based on Carlsberg Non Alcoholic, we asked her to create a recipe for SorBeer.

2. Media outreach:

SorBeer was pitched to Swedish media along with press material, lifestyle photos and the “secret” ice cream recipe from StikkiNikki. The news was also communicated in Carlsberg’s own social media channels.

3. SorBeer on tour:

We created a portable ice cream cart which toured the country throughout the summer, visiting both music festivals and events. SorBeer became an excellent tool for Carlsberg to communicate one of its most important political issues: responsible drinking.

SorBeer instantly became a viral success that lasted throughout the whole summer, from April to September. We released the news in the beginning of April and immediately faced a massive media storm that forced us to start selling SorBeer more than two months earlier than planned. StikkiNikki also handed out thousands of samples to curious customers who had heard about the unusual ice cream.

By taking SorBeer on tour, we could keep the campaign alive throughout the summer. At political happenings, such as Almedalen – which is the single most important Swedish political get-together – SorBeer became the perfect conversation starter for Carlsberg to talk about responsibility issues.

With a minimal budget, 10,000 USD, we managed to create a massive media buzz that quickly spread internationally. Almost every clipping mentioned the quality and flavour of the beer, and sales of Carlsberg Non-Alcoholic went through the roof.

Results in numbers:

A 10 million reach through earned media;

99% of the coverage were in point to our tone of voice and mentioned the beer flavour;

Sales of Carlsberg Non-Alcoholic surged 33%;

66 articles in earned media in Sweden;

2016’s fifth most shared news about Carlsberg in the world, giving pride and acknowledgement for the client internationally;

Mentions of SorBeer were even shared in social media by several members of parliament.

The SorBeer campaign is an efficient, creative and inspiring PR-campaign where all the classic elements of excellent PR are included: planning, insights rooted in consumer behavior, a creative idea and efficient execution. The campaign shows that a refined PR-strategy and on-point idea can have a massive impact – both in brand awareness and in actual sales numbers.

Since the beer boom started in Sweden, Swedes have developed an almost obsessive love for craft beer and the micro-brewery culture. The idea was built on the insight that it doesn’t matter how much we tell people about the quality, brewing history and taste of Carlsberg Beer – we have to put it in a context where beer drinkers can experience it themselves. Only then would we really show that Carlsberg is relevant for the craft beer drinkers. Our strategy was to:

Put Carlsberg Non-Alcoholic(CNA) in an unexpected context to generate interest and curiosity;

Put the ingredients, taste and craftiness of CNA on the agenda to show that the product is more than an “international, mass-produced lager”;

Cooperate with a third party that is acknowledged among the craft beer drinkers to validate the craft and quality of CNA;

Boost the news value and and create topicality within summer context.

Since Carlsberg Non Alcoholic (CNA) launched in 2006, the nonalcoholic trend in Sweden has increased in strength. However, Swedish beer culture has also taken another specific turn – the beer lovers go crazy for craft beer from local micro-breweries. Being an international, mass-produced lager, this created a huge challenge for CNA: proving its quality and relevance to Swedish beer drinkers.

Our mission was to secure – and improve – the number of CNA sold during the Swedish summer, from May all the way through September. The goal was also to make people talk about Carlsberg Non-Alcoholic in relation to taste and quality and to stay relevant and interesting in a country that is all about craftiness.

The quantified goals where:

Generate at least 1million reach through earned media;

25% of the coverage mention the flavour of the beer;

Generate at least one international article;

Increase sales of CNA by 10%.