Scan Magazine

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Tuborg

In Scandinavia Tuborg has been regarded as an iconic brand for decades, and its green banners characterise numerous music festivals and venues. In the UK Tuborg has, on the other hand, only had two years to make its way into the music scene, but thanks to its world fame it is more than well on its way. This summer more than a million people will visit music festivals and venues sponsored and supplied by Tuborg.

The UK success is the result of a focused effort by Carlsberg UK, which owns and markets the Tuborg brand in England, to give Tuborg Music the same prominence in the UK as it has gained in other parts of the world. When it was chosen to re-launch Tuborg in the UK, 20 years after the market was first tried out, this was done on the back of a new partnership with the biggest music promoter in the world, Live Nation.

Bringing a world beer to the UK

One of the people behind the launch of Tuborg Music is Gareth Roberts, Director of Sponsorship and Media Relations at Carlsberg UK. He explains the background to the strategy for the re-launch: “Tuborg is very successful in Europe with music associations such as the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Exit in Serbia. The music association is very powerful in Europe and we wanted to replicate that in the UK and give the brand a platform to work from immediately.”

Over the last two years, Tuborg has secured exclusive supply rights and sponsorship deals with the top music festivals and venues in the UK, including the Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festivals and most recently the Academy Music Group. But, according to Roberts, the new UK success is also due to a change in the market and Tuborg’s world beer status.

“As the world beer category continues to grow behind huge demand in the UK, this was a great opportunity to bring an established and well-respected brand in emerging markets such as Russia and Asia, and drive its credibility in the UK market.”

By world beer Roberts means beers that are known as international brands and widely recognised for their high quality. In the UK as in other places the market is growing for these kinds of beers because people want to drink brands that they can identify with. This means that Tuborg stands a good chance in an otherwise declining beer market. “People are looking for new ‘quality’ brands and new opportunities to sample. Being linked to Tuborg’s brand and what it says about the person being fun, social and premium is something they can get behind.”

A responsible brand

Being a social and fun person is also linked with responsible drinking. Carlsberg UK is therefore a committed member of Portman Group, which promotes and drives the marketing and selling of responsible consumption.

“Of course beer is one of the lowest alcohol-by-volume products on the market, but we still have an important role to play. So when we work with music festivals, we aim to ensure that people get the right education and information about what they are drinking throughout the festival. CSR is at the heart of Carlsberg’s daily life, from environmental issues through to ensuring our products are consumed responsibly.”

A good example of that amongst the music associations is the working relationship with the Glastonbury Festival. With a festival ethos of being ‘environmentally friendly’ Carlsberg UK assists with items such as biodegradable cups and comprehensive can collection and waste collection schemes, clearly endorsing the environmental agenda. “It is important that Carlsberg UK deliver on a social responsibility level across all elements of the business. This benefits our customers, our consumers and also creates a great opportunity for our employees to engage and contribute to their own local communities,” Roberts stresses.

Rocking the UK

Although the UK beer market has been declining for the last six years, Carlsberg has continued to build its market share to a level of around 14.5% per cent.

The explanation for this is, says Roberts, that people expect more from brands these days, in the way of quality and accessibility. “We are finding now that even at music festivals people expect a better quality all round, from facilities through to the acts that appear. Tuborg has been accepted extremely well because they feel that they are getting a quality and premium beer. If the quality of the festivals has been uplifted and you add a very premium quality beer brand, it completes and enhances the whole experience.”

The change in the market towards high profile brands and world beers has also meant that some of the regular English brands are suffering because they do not have that international flair. This obviously also plays a role in Tuborg’s success, but the advance of Tuborg Music has been the decisive factor. This year more than half a million people will visit the music festivals that Tuborg sponsors and supplies. Meanwhile around 750,000 will visit the different music venues and properties sponsored by Tuborg throughout the country.

It looks like the iconic combination of music, green banners and cold Tuborg is not only rocking Tuborg’s homeland and the new markets but now, 20 years after its first visit, also the UK.

Facts about Carlsberg UK and Tuborg (in separate box)-Carlsberg was first exported to the UK in 1868
-Carlsberg UK has two main breweries in Northampton and Leeds
-Carlsberg UK employs around 1,800 people
-Among Carlsberg UK’s brands are: Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export, Tuborg, San Miguel, Tetley’s, Holsten and Skol.
-Carlsberg UK is the UK’s fourth largest brewer

-More details on: www.carlsberg.co.uk or www.tuborgmusic.com or www.tuborg.co.uk