Carling

The value beer segment has been driven less by product and more by price sensitivity. Molson was determined to step away from this vortex with Carling, a value brand that truly was a brand.

Carling has been around since 1840, which inherently set it apart from the competition: Carling wasn’t brewed to be cheap – it was brewed to be good. Rather than competing with other brands in a race to the bottom, why not let price be a pleasant surprise for a beer people would choose for its quality? This meant Taxi could position Carling as a truly great beer decision.

“Great Beer Decisions Since 1840” worked off the differentiator of product longevity. Every execution highlights a different great beer decision made by Carling drinkers. While some poetic licence had been taken regarding the impact of these decisions, they all establish Carling as a beer that has been a good choice for a very long time.

Media in the category has traditionally been TV-centric, but both the idea and the budget suggested targeted media and environments to create a whole larger than the sum of its parts. The campaign launched in newspapers with a “dual ad” format that paired an historic great beer decision with a contemporary one. Radio and web told stories of beer decisions, and OOH invited consumers to share their own great beer decisions online. Future extensions include presence at events like CFL football games and in-case postcards inviting consumers to share their stories.

Despite a short time in market, the campaign is proving that “Great Beer Decisions” was itself a great decision.