THE LEGALLY BINDING BEER CONTRACT

Gold Eurobest Award

Case Film

Presentation Image

TitleTHE LEGALLY BINDING BEER CONTRACT
BrandSPENDRUPS
Product/ServiceNORRLANDS GULD
Category G05. Cultural Insight
Entrant ÅKESTAM HOLST Stockholm, SWEDEN
Idea Creation ÅKESTAM HOLST Stockholm, SWEDEN
Media Placement STARCOM Stockholm, SWEDEN
PR ÅKESTAM HOLST Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production MAKING WAVES Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production 2 BKRY Stockholm, SWEDEN
Credits
Name Company Position
Martin Noreby Åkestam Holst NoA Art Director
Joakim Khoury Åkestam Holst NoA Art Director
Daniel Vaccino Åkestam Holst NoA Copywriter
Magnus Jakobsson Åkestam Holst NoA Creative Director
Bella Lagerquist Åkestam Holst NoA Account Manager
Fredrik Burman Åkestam Holst NoA Account Director
Anna Forsberg BKRY NoA Final art

Why is this work relevant for Direct?

Our campaign is the first ever to utilize the actual BankID for commercial direct messages, by making it mandatory when signing your Beer Contract. Every contract drafted using the BankID became a digital ”receipt” that was sent to the counterpart; a receipt that doubled as a cheeky direct invitation to have a beer together. In short: The BankID was legally ”hijacked” and used in a way it had never been used before. It became the cannon from which our direct invitations ( the legally binding beer contracts ) were shot at our thirsty audience.

Background

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.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

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.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

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?

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

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.

List the results (30% of vote)

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.

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

In Sweden, a country that in many ways were pioneers in ”living on the internet” using the world’s first real broadband and fiber and so forth, hanging out IRL is becoming increasingly rare. Of course, this is not only a Swedish problem, but this campaign addresses the Swedish market based on the fact that Swedes are digital introverts. It managed to break through the barriers of online life by making it impossible to bail out on that cold beer we can’t really drink online. Living online can be great, but nothing beats having a beer with friends.