INSIGHT

Carlsberg has been a long-term supporter of English football and the Premier League but have always struggled to convert that support into consumer warmth. We wanted to show the public that Carlsberg understand being a football fan can be tough. It’s not always everything it’s cracked up to be.

IDEA

As Creative Lead for Carlsberg at TMS, I worked closely with the team at Saatchi & Saatchi to create the 'Fan Squad'. They are a Carlsberg-backed collective dedicated to making sure fans get something back for their undying support for the beautiful game.

The Fan Squad, led by Jeff Stelling, Ian Wright and Paddy McGuinness, was launched to coincide with the World Cup last summer, in support of England's (unfortunately disastrous) campaign in Brazil. Together with my team we developed a long-term digital and social campaign to bring energy and authenticity to the concept of the Fan Squad. And made a lot of happy football fans along the way.

GAIN THE FANS' TRUST

The fans we spoke to told us that one of their biggest annoyances was the amount of empty seats at grounds. These seats are given to corporations and often go unused, while real fans struggle to get tickets to see their team. 

TVC EXTENSION

To support the TVC for Carlsberg's World Cup campaign, we used the set of 'The Eternal Optimist' that featured Jeff, Ian and Paddy for an interactive digital game.

THE PRIZE

1,000 winners from the online game won tickets to join the Fan Squad celebrities at Wembley Stadium to watch England take on San Marino in the EURO qualifier. 

To make it more of an occasion we recreated The Eternal Optimist, the pub that featured in the TVC that transformed the experience of watching football. Fans met there for pre and post game activities

(MID) SEASON'S GREETINGS

As part of Carlsberg 'Mid Season’s Greetings' festive campaign, we had Jeff Stelling, nicknamed The ‘King of Football’, deliver his address to the nation on Boxing Day in a ‘King’s Speech’ that reviews the football year. This was the climax in a full calendar of giveaways, exclusive content and one-on-one Fan Squad-to-fan banter over the festive period.