Carlsberg is donating to WWF for the first 1 million pints of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner sold in Wetherspoon and Marston’s pubs as part of its year-long partnership with WWF to help protect and restore nature here in the UK, and around the world. This will be the first time ever a mainstream beer brand has engaged beer-drinkers in sustainability at the bar.
Research carried out this year by Carlsberg highlights the mounting importance of sustainability in consumers’ choices and behaviours with four-in-five (80%) consumers vowing to make lifestyle changes to protect the planet.
In response Carlsberg has enlisted the support of on-trade partners, including 875 Wetherspoon and 506 Marston’s pubs up and down the country to offer a donation to WWF for every pint of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner served in venues to help protect and restore nature.
The brewer’s pledge forms part of a year-long £5.5m integrated marketing campaign to raise awareness among pub-goers to inspire them to make small changes that can help protect the planet in powerful everyday ways.
The campaign also sees Carlsberg’s TV advert ‘The Seal’ back on air this month. Pairing Carlsberg’s signature advertising style of light-hearted humor with WWF’s reputation for inspiring purpose, it is no wonder that the ad is tested as the beer brand’s best performing TV advert of all time resonating strongly with the audience.
The TV ad will be live alongside dual branded point-of-sale materials in Marston’s pubs, including fount hangers, drip mats, tent cards plus seagrass t-shirts for all Wetherspoon bar staff.
This will be the first time ever that a mainstream lager brand is investing in sustainability at the bar. With consumers being open and willing to make changes to protect the planet, the brewer sees a unique opportunity to help drive some much-needed sales and consideration for the standard lager category after a tough year for publicans.
The on-trade activation is just one of the ways people can make a big difference through small everyday actions which the brand’s partnership with WWF aims to highlight. Pursuing better is in Carlsberg’s DNA and this is the next step in the brewer’s journey, having famously rebrewed its signature beer recipe in 2019. Now it has made its beer better and relevant, it wants to take positive action towards developing a better future for the planet.
UK Director of Marketing at Carlsberg, Emma Sherwood-Smith, commented, “Pursuing better is in Carlsberg’s DNA – in 2019, we rebrewed our lager in the UK and enhanced all aspects of the drinking experience, from glassware to packaging and beyond, but we’re not stopping there! In addition to making our beer and the drinking experience better, we are proudly launching our latest on-trade activity which sees Carlsberg making a donation for every pint sold in Wetherspoon and Marston’s pubs to WWF. We know that people want to make better choices for the planet, so we’re making it super simple for people and are pleased to be giving beer drinkers a reason to feel good about enjoying a cold pint in their local. All these steps we’ve put in place ensures that by just choosing Carlsberg, you can contribute to protecting the planet meaning there really has never been a better time to stock Carlsberg. So, can changing your beer help change our world for us all? Probably.”
WWF’s Director of Partnerships, Alex Lankester, said: “With such high levels of public concern about environmental issues, we’re delighted to be working with Carlsberg to inspire new audiences to fight for their world. The donations from pints sold will help us restore precious seagrass along the UK coastline, which provides an important habitat for ocean wildlife as well as absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.”
Mark Carter, Head of Drinks Category Management at Marston’s added: “We’re focused on creating a more sustainable Marston’s and feel we have a great story to tell. As a well-known brand in the UK beer industry, we’re delighted to be supporting Carlsberg in championing the actions we can all take to fight for our world. It’s amazing the work that Carlsberg and WWF are doing to help protect and restore nature here in the UK, and we’re proud to be playing our part, too.”
Carlsberg’s on-trade activity launches 13th September and runs through until 4th October 2021.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Carlsberg
Carlsberg. To many we’re a famous Danish Pilsner. To others, we make probably the best beer adverts in the world. But to those that know us, we’re so much more. We’re a brewer with more than 170-years of heritage and a reputation for brewing a range of great beers, including Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg Export and Carlsberg Special Brew. At Carlsberg, the constant pursuit of better has been in our DNA from 1847, onwards – but this pursuit goes beyond the beer alone. We’re also committed to the pursuit of a better tomorrow, which is why we continue to support scientific innovation from the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen, where the pH Scale was discovered.
About the on-trade promotion
Carlsberg UK Limited (Carlsberg) will give a minimum of £100,000 to WWF-UK (registered with charity no. 1081247 in England and Wales and SC039593 in Scotland) in connection with the sale of draught pints and half pints of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner in participating outlets. Carlsberg will give WWF-UK an additional 10p per pint of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner sold, if, after 4.10.21, over 1,000,000 pints of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner have been sold, in total, across all participating outlets. Full T&Cs are available atwww.carlsberg.co.uk/wwf-pint-promotion.
About Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company is one of the newest, historic brewers in the UK. Formed out of a joint venture between Carlsberg UK and Marston’s PLC, who are both shareholders, the brewer combines over 300 years of shared values, history and heritage in UK brewing.
The brewer provides its customers and consumers with an unrivalled portfolio of lagers, ales and craft beer brands from the very best of two master brewing teams, plus those under license from valued partners. These include lagers such as Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg Expørt and Poretti; premium cask and packaged ales, including Hobgoblin, Marston’s Pedigree, Tetley’s, Wainwright and 61 Deep; brands under license including San Miguel, Estrella Damm, Shipyard, ERDINGER, Warsteiner and Kirin; a broad selection of alcohol-free beers; plus distribution of the Brooklyn Brewery and London Fields Brewery craft portfolios.
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company also owns and operates a brewery and distribution network across the UK, including the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton; London Fields in Hackney; Marston’s in Burton upon Trent; Banks’s in Wolverhampton; Wychwood in Witney, Oxfordshire; Jennings in Cockermouth, Cumbria; Ringwood in Hampshire; and Eagle in Bedford; plus a National Distribution Centre in Northampton and 11 UK-wide distribution depots.
Press release from Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company
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