Launched on 29 June to celebrate Liverpool FC’s long awaited Premier League title, in Malaysia the club’s long-time beer sponsor Carlsberg marked the victory with a digital first, purchasable ‘Virtual Champions Keg’ which is redeemable via smartphone.
Territory: Malaysia
Agency: Grey Malaysia
Objective
Carlsberg has been a sponsor of Liverpool FC since 1992, the longest running sponsorship in the history of the Premier League, and yet despite the longevity of the partnership June 2020 marked the first time that the club had won the Premier League title during the relationship.
The primary objective of the activation was to mark Liverpool’s long awaited Premier League title win and enhance Malaysia fans’ celebrations by rewarding them with an innovative new way to buy beer which enables supporters raise their glasses to Liverpool FC.
The secondary aims were to drive sales and raise the beer brand’s profile in Malaysia through the surrounding publicity and goodwill generated by the campaign.
The approach also set out to build on and expand the existing ‘Adopt a Keg’ Carlsberg Malaysia initiative which sought to address the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on drinking in licensed premises by rewarding consumers who bought a keg during the crisis to drink later when social distancing restrictions are lifted with free draught beer at participating outlets and thus support Carlsberg linked food and beverage businesses.
Activation
The joint Carlsberg Malaysia and Grey Malaysia marketing team’s idea was to create a ‘Virtual Champions Red Keg’ campaign to mark the title victory.
This virtual keg – which comes with two limited edition Liverpool FC Carlsberg glasses and contains 100 beers which are redeemable via any smartphone – was made available for purchased for RM500.
The redemption mechanic sees customers who bought a virtual keg use their smartphones at participating bars, restaurants and bistros nationwide to simply select the number of beers they wish to redeem (limited to a maximum of 10 per person on each redemption action) which generates a dedicated QR code to show to the outlet in order to receive the beers and share them with friends and fellow Reds supporters.
The Virtual Champions Red Keg was exclusive and available only to the first 100 fans registered via the pre-existing ‘Adopt a Keg’ programme and the redemption scheme runs up to 31 December 2020. Virtual keg balances can also be shared digitally with other users on Adopt a Keg.
The celebratory activation was promoted through a social media video and image content campaign spearheaded by a hero online video which includes a Carlsberg Malaysia ‘celebrate responsibly by not drinking and driving and practicing social distancing’ message.
The ‘Virtual Champions Red Keg’ is an evolution of the earlier ‘Adopt a Keg’ Carlsberg Malaysia initiative to support its food and beverage business clients through the coronavirus pandemic.
Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia Stefano Clini said: “Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Carlsberg has stood with Liverpool FC from the very beginning with the longest partnership in league history – currently 28 consecutive seasons! To reward the loyalty of Carlsberg and Liverpool FC fans as well as our trade customers who have supported our winning drive and Probably the Best Beer in World that ‘Just Keeps Getting Better’, the introduction of this exclusive virtual Red Keg commemorates our partnership with Liverpool FC so fans can share and celebrate responsibly together with supporters throughout Malaysia in anticipation of that momentous trophy lifting next month.”
Grey Malaysia Executive Creative Director Graham Drew added: “The Carlsberg and Liverpool partnership is part of the fabric of the Premier League. With ‘Adopt a Keg’ we found a way to help Malaysia’s bars come back stronger, with the ‘Champions Keg’ we’ve evolved the idea and found a unique way for Malaysian fans to celebrate this iconic moment in Liverpool FC history with all of their mates. Importantly, this historic moment has opened up an entirely new digital means for fans to enjoy and share a Carlsberg.”
Outcome
All 100 Virtual Champions Red Kegs were sold within a week of the activation launch, while the campaign’s social reach saw the video generate 141,672 views on Carlsberg Malaysia’s Facebook page within seven days of being posted (with 125 Likes and 46 Shares), plus a further 3000 Instagram views across 5 posts.
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