The new campaign ‘follows consumer research that uncovered a universally recognised human truth: the best things in life come to the curious,’ says Carlsberg as it announced the initiative this morning.
As the Danish beer giant puts it: "Although we are born innately curious, this can be tempered by the pressures of modern life as we grow into adulthood. This insight provides a simple, relatable foundation for the campaign and gives Carlsberg a clear and emotionally rich role to play in reinvigorating curiosity among beer drinkers around the world".
The new campaign launched in Hong Kong yesterday and will hit the UK on May 1, followed by other markets across the next two years.
It will be a fully integrated campaign across cinema, TV, online video and BVOD, consumer PR, CRM, OOH, social media, e-commerce and internal communications as well as through in-store and outlet activations.
A main brand film (below) is accompanied by more than 100 flexible brand assets for all platforms, with the ‘hop’ leaf from the Carlsberg logo featuring prominently across the new campaign.
Carlsberg’s popular ‘probably’ tag - introduced in the 1970s - remains an important element of the campaign, introduced through lines such as “Do the best things begin with curiosity? Probably” as well as the well-known “Probably the best beer in the world”.
Carlsberg points to its Carlsberg Research Laboratory – founded in 1875 – as an example of the advantages of a 'curious mindset': with the facility housing more than 100 scientists dedicated to brewing better beer and improving sustainability.
To date, that has included the invention of the pH-scale in 1909, Nobel prize-winning click chemistry in 2022, and breeding climate-tolerant plant types for future generations).
Lynsey Woods, Global Brand Director at Carlsberg, said: “This campaign is rooted in the insight that we can push the boundaries of progress with curiosity, something that is intrinsic to our core values at Carlsberg. Our founder J.C. Jacobsen’s mantra was ‘Semper Ardens’, Latin for ‘always burning’. Today, over 177 years later, we are still using our curiosity to push the boundaries of brewing beer through science, whether that’s finding new ways to reduce the energy and water needed in the brewing process, or developing crops which can tolerate a more extreme climate.
“We want to showcase, with a little fun, wit and entertainment, that we can all reinvigorate our curious side, and we hope the campaign does just that for beer drinkers across the world.”