Title	THE BEER BOAT
Brand	CARLSBERG
Product/Service	CARLSBERG NON ALOCHOLIC
Category	C01. Guerrilla Marketing & Stunts
Entrant	BURSON COHN & WOLFE Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	BURSON COHN & WOLFE Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR	BURSON COHN & WOLFE Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production	BURSON COHN & WOLFE Stockholm, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Axel Bringel	BCW	Creative Strategist
Jacqueline Grünthal	BCW	Account Executive
Jonas Eriksson	BCW	Account Director
Sofia Skogquist	BCW	Art Director

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?

Ölbåten (The Beer Boat) was a creative concept that enabled the target audience to experience non-alcoholic beer in a new and unexpected setting. In the scenic but quiet Stockholm Archipelago, visitors were suddenly met by a floating bar, with a beer expert crew. The Beer Boat put Carlsberg Sweden’s brand in a new and previously unexploited setting that enabled new and positive experiences associated with non-alcoholic beer.

Background

The Situation: While demand for non-alcoholic beer has grown in Sweden in recent years, it is still relatively low, amid the lingering prejudice that it’s bland and tasteless compared to ”real” beer. Carlsberg Sweden has a broad offering of high-quality non-alcoholic beer, and tests show that people who sample it tend to be positively surprised. The Brief: With summer 2018 approaching, Carlsberg Sweden wanted a way to make more Swedes discover the flavor and experience of non-alcoholic beer; realizing that it’s flavor that counts, rather than percentages, thereby both promoting Carlsberg’s brand and increase demand for its non-alcoholic range of beers. The Objectives: - Find new situations to consume non-alcoholic beers - Drive positive attention for non-alcoholic beer in traditional and social media - Increase sales of Carlsberg’s non-alcoholic beers in the months of July and August 2018 by at least 20 percent compared to the corresponding months in 2017.

Describe the creative idea

We asked ourselves: when and where would you be the most inclined to have a beer, but at the same time not be able to have one – especially a beer with alcohol? The answer: Driving a boat, in the archipelago, on a sunny summer’s day. The Stockholm Archipelago is one of the largest, most picturesquesuch settings in Europé, and Swedes love spending time at sea. Many would also enjoy a cold beer while navigating, but a strict zero-tolerance policy on ”drunken boating” has been in place since 2010. Through these insights, the ”Beer Boat” concept was born. The idea: to customize a boat with a distinctive look, evoking curiosity and enthusiasm. The boat served as a floating bar roaming the archipelago, with a crew that knew both beer and boating at heart - inviting Swedish holidaymakers to free samples of ice-cold, non-alcoholic beer and educating them about Carlsberg’s offering.

Describe the strategy

Target audience: Holidaymakers enjoying the Stockholm Archipelago in a private boat. Swedes are crazy about their boats – one-third of Sweden’s adult population spend time on a private boat at least once per year. To expand the impact, a strategy was developed to achieve reach in traditional and social media. The basic story: Show that it is possible to both abide by the law and indulge in a cold, tasty beer. Approach: In summer Sweden is abundant with outside bars, music festivals and other events where companies fight for space, and the beer-tents with real beer are in every corner. But at sea, virtually no one competes for attention, and stores are few and far between. At the same time, hundreds of guest harbors in the Stockholm Archipelago are filled with relaxed holidaymakers who are perceptive for new experiences.

Describe the execution

Through a partnership with a boat manufacturer, our boat was decorated and a fridge was installed. The crew were educated, clothes customized and menus printed. A dedicated Facebook page for the Beer Boat was created, and updated daily with schedules and timetables.The launch of The Beer Boat was communicated broadly to daily newspapers and relevant media within the food, beverage, boat life, and lifestyle verticals. A press release was issued together with crisp press images featuring the boat and the beer! We partnered with the archipelago’s primary radio station (Skärgårdsradion), the given channel for any boat-lover. All interactions featured a specialized radio jingle, with seagulls, waves and ”beer sounds”. Skärgårdsradion also did two livestream sessions from the boat and posted the recordings and pictures of the boat in social channels. The Beer Boat event tour took place at the height of Sweden’s holiday season, between July 7 and August 5.

List the results

The Beer Boat event was a resounding success, literally receiving standing ovations when docking at guest harbors. After 3.600 boats receiving visits during the campaign, the boat had made a significant impression – so much so that the love spread from sea to land. In a multitude of media - boating magazines and lifestyle publications, the Beer Boat was described as some of the most delightful news of the summer. In addition, the Boat was a constant presence in social media. But – above all – sales of Carlsberg Sweden’s non-alcoholic beers reached an all-time high. Total reach earned media: 1 451 521 people Total reach social media: 597 361 people Total reach the radio station “Skärgårdsradion”: 300 000 people Total boats sampled: 3 600 boats Total sales increase of non-alcoholic beer: 56 percent compared to the same period in 2017.