Title	ZULU BFF - BEST FRIENDS FOREVER TV SHOW
Brand	CARLSBERG
Product/Service	CARLSBERG BEER
Category	A02. NON-FICTION: SERIES OR FILM
Entrant Company	TV 2 DENMARK Copenhagen, DENMARK
Contributing Company	TV 2 DENMARK Copenhagen, DENMARK
Contributing Company 3	HELLO MONDAY Copenhagen, DENMARK
Contributing Company 2	TV 2 DENMARK Copenhagen, DENMARK
Production Company	NORDISK FILM Valby, DENMARK

Name	Company	Position
Kenneth Graupner	TV 2 MARKETING	Lead Creative
Moses Luxhøj	TV 2 MARKETING	Campaign Manager
Ida Groth Larsen	TV 2 MARKETING	Project Manager
Pelle Ammundsen	TV 2 NETWORKS	Editor
Sune Roland Jensen	TV 2 NETWORKS	Head Of Tv 2 Networks
Morten Kjær Petersen	TV 2 MARKETING	Head Of Marketing
Line Sichmann	TV 2 MARKETING	Head Of Branding
Morten Saxnæs	TV 2 MARKETING	Digital Branding Manager
Ann Forup	TV 2 COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS	Head Of Afp/Branded Content
Rasmus Bendtsen	Carlsberg	Brand Manager
Thomas Busch	Carlsberg	Group Senior Creative Manager
Taus Abildgaard Andersen	Nordisk Film TV	Program Developer
Sigurd Bæk Jensen	Nordisk Film TV	Tv Producer
Mads Laursen	Nordisk Film TV	Content Producer
Rikke Agersnap	Hello Monday	Digital Producer
Marcus Fuchs	Hello Monday	Art Director
Jakob Kahlen	Hello Monday	Creative Director
Casper Holden	Hello Monday	Designer
Anders Jessen	Hello Monday	Technical Director
Lasse Korsgaard	Hello Monday	Lead Developer
Katrine Villumsen	TV 2 COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS	Project Manager AFP/Branded Content
Mads Friis	Carlsberg	Marketing Director
Jeppe Aaen	Hello Monday	Illustrator
Younus Abdalla, Torben Dalgaard, Julia Wallin, Morten Claussen, Kasper Bøttcher	Hello Monday	Developer
Olivier Gillaizeau	Hello Monday	Designer
Joey Maese	Hello Monday	Developer

The Campaign

Branded content in Denmark has mostly been practiced by major national corporations such as Lego. However, branded content in television programs in the form of Advertiser Funded Programming is something that has gained increasingly awareness in the last couple of years. Historically, the majority of Danish TV channels only used different brands to sponsor their programs, and rarely the brands played a key part in the program itself. This is partly due to the Radio and TV Board's strict requirements for Advertiser Funded Programming. To protect the end user, they have numerous legal guidelines that must be followed. If you are in conflict with these guidelines, there is a risk that the program is shut down. However the last couple of years there have been a shift within this area, and we are seeing more and more branded content and advertiser funded programming in Denmark. The latest example is Zulu BFF which made history in Denmark being the biggest advertiser funded programming deal ever, and it took this sort of partnership to a new level in the sense that the program was inspired by Carlsberg’s viral ad “The Friendship Test”.

Results

Challenge People used to meet up and watch TV together and be social but today people are spending more time on their tablets and phones when the TV is on. Objective Re-engage Zulu’s and Carlsberg’s core audiences and strengthen their brand positions as companies that cherish true friendship. Strategy We teamed up with Carlsberg and made a branded content TV show based on its famous viral ad, `The Friendship Test´. Furthermore, we wanted to link up TV and second screen to create an interactive and unifying experience that would get people to meet up in real life. Idea Together with Carlsberg, we turned the famous Carlsberg ad into a highly entertaining 7-episode TV show about true friendship. In the show we see how far friends are willing to go for one another, and if the friends go through all the ordeals, they will be celebrated as real Zulu BFF´s in the end. But the show alone is only half the content. To deliver on Zulu and Carlsberg´s brand values about true friendship, we let the show interact with an app. To get all content, you have to meet up with your friends and use the app together. Execution When you watch the TV show and turn on the app, it audio-syncs in real-time with the action on TV. When you are connected, you can choose between three extra tracks of content but only watch one at a time on each device. To get all of the content, you have to meet up with at least two more friends. Furthermore, the app contains 5 interactive real-time multi-user games pr. episode. Each game links up to the action on TV and lets you compete with your friends at home while the BFF´s on screen are doing the same thing.

The TV program premiered on TV 2 ZULU on August 25th which also was the release date for the app. We combined both TV2 and Carlsberg’s platforms and through a cross media campaign comprised by TVC, Facebook, banners, outdoor, print, PR and even special edition Carlsberg beer cans, we directed people to our campaign site. The main focus of the site was to explain people how to attain the full ZULU BFF experience and to get people to download the app in addition to watching the actual TV show.

In the months leading up to the premiere, Zulu BFF had extensive press coverage in most national newspapers and features on several online media sites and blogs. On the premiere date, Zulu BFF was part of making history on TV 2 Zulu who had the best day ever in regards to the share of TV viewers. Sign-ups on TV 2’s VOD service, also increased by 200% on the premiere date. During the campaign period, Carlsberg Pilsner has gone up 12% in a market that has gone back. The app went straight to no. 1 in the Danish app-store in the entertainment category, and 59% used the app together with friends when they saw the show. So not only did we get people to watch BFF, we made a TV show about friendship that got friends together in real life. This makes the whole show a truly engaging and interactive friendship experience that delivers promise on Carlsberg and TV2 ZULU´s core values about cherishing true friendship.