To celebrate the anniversary of Liverpool FC’s kit turning all red and the brand’s 26-season partnership with the club, Carlsberg has gone all red for the mighty reds.
The activation marks the 55th anniversary of legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly decision to swap the team’s white shorts and socks for red ones based on the insight that ‘teams wearing red win more’.
To celebrate Liverpool’s all red switch in 1964, the brew masters and beer scientists at the Carlsberg Research Laboratory have brewed an all red beer, with an all red label in an all red bottle specially for Liverpool fans and promoted it through a multi-platform campaign spearheaded by a hero video.
The power of red#allred #lfc More on https://t.co/6LZjj1MqmB @LFC pic.twitter.com/nmR6EjVQdK
— Carlsberg (@carlsberg) May 8, 2019
The limited edition 4.6% ABV pilsner gets its distinctive colour from a barley variety that is naturally red. This bespoke barley was specifically curated and bred by Carlsberg for the campaign.
The hops for the beer were even reportedly grown in soil from Anfield and were played videos of some of Liverpool’s great games on a loop as they grew to instill as much of the great club’s DNA into the beer as possible and this has been amplified in previous Carlsberg/Liverpool marketing content.
Liverpool Red Hops | Carlsberg from Crispin Porter Bogusky CPH on Vimeo.
Combining the best from two worlds. Explore the #RedHops experience on https://t.co/SIpGtbXaH2 and win an exclusive #LFC trip. #Carlsberg pic.twitter.com/JEmF5uJSi3
— Carlsberg (@carlsberg) September 28, 2017
To celebrate the longest standing partnership in Premier League history, we’ve crafted a special beer for @LFC fans. #RedHops #Carlsberg pic.twitter.com/Dj2lP7tZpw
— Carlsberg (@carlsberg) September 28, 2017
While the #AllRed campaign title dovetails with the club’s ongoing engagement initiative built around the same phrase.
“When we were set the challenge of brewing an all red beer for Liverpool FC fans, as part of our constant pursuit of better, we knew it wouldn’t be easy,” commented Carlsberg Research Laboratory boss Birgitte Skadhauge.
“Unlike most other red ales, the colour of this pilsner comes from the outer-shell of the red barley variant – which has a relatively low climate-resistance and has therefore proved tricky to grow in the quantity we required for brewing. The campaign’s barley element alone took more than a year of experimentation, but we’re delighted that our team have finally been able to crack it. We brewed this special beer for Liverpool FC fans and we hope they enjoy it.”
The beer is also running additional content supporting Liverpool’s end of season Champions League and Premiership title tilts.
Come on you Reds! #LFC #YNWA pic.twitter.com/EUsYr0kxD5
— Carlsberg (@carlsberg) May 26, 2018
Comment:
This is a marketing masterstroke and another example of Carlsberg’s imaginative and clever use of its assets – this time its beer – to celebrate its long association with the team and to continue to refresh and revitalise its brand.
Just as Shankly led the 1960s revitalisation of Liverpool (a club which, up until then had largely lived in the shadow of city rivals Everton).
Shankly believed that teams in red win more and, 30 years after his kit colour change decision, quantitative research actually confirms that teams playing in red are indeed more successful.
Now we all might see if the same applies to the beer business.
This is a smart move from Carlsberg: a brand that only recently made the brave, bold decision to admit that it is probably not the best beer in the world.
The Danish brewer has partnered with Liverpool FC for 25 years: the longest running sponsorship in the Premier League.
Carlsberg has been using its dark green and white brand colour coding since back in 1847, so there is a significance to moving away from the commandments of the Carlsberg brand book and changing the colour: even though it is just a temporary, fun one for a limited edition product.
Nevertheless, it is a sign that Carlsberg’s marketers are committed to revitalising the brand.
This isn’t the first team-specific limited edition beer we’ve seen.
Others include Budweiser’s ‘Made By You’ England fan created beer for UEFA 2016 (see case study) and Brahma’s ‘Selecao Especial’ made from barley grown on the pitches of the team’s famous Granja Comary training centre for the 2014 World Cup (see case study).
But there is something authentic about this product stunt that lies in the careful curation of the hops involved and the length of the brand/club partnership.
Cheers Carlsberg!
Links:
Carlsberg
https://www.youtube.com/user/carlsberg
https://www.facebook.com/Carlsberg
https://www.instagram.com/carlsberg/
Liverpool FC
http://www.liverpoolfc.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/LiverpoolFC
https://twitter.com/LFC
https://www.facebook.com/LiverpoolFC
https://www.instagram.com/liverpoolfc/
https://dugout.com/boxsets/boxsets-liverpoolfc
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