In 2022, the German brewery Krombacher became one of the main sponsors of the biggest heavy metal festival in the world: Wacken Open Air. Not wanting to be just another beer brand sponsoring a music festival, Krombacher was looking for an impactful way to combine its commitment to metal music with its long-time involvement in species protection.

Growling Creatures – the first metal band whose lead singers are animals facing extinction. Their real animal sounds became brutal metal growls, giving a damn loud voice to endangered species. The animal band released an EP with three headbanging songs and premiered on the main stage in Wacken in front of 83,000 metalheads. Growling Creatures is not just any metal band; it's a revolution in the music industry and in species protection.

How can Krombacher avoid being just another beer brand sponsoring a music festival?

How can the brewery draw attention to its commitment to species conservation and raise money for it without disrupting the heavy metal party with preachy messages?

The strategy for addressing these challenges was simple: give the metalheads what they love. And make an effort to do it as authentically and credibly as possible.

By creating an unforgettable experience that aligned with the festival's values and passion for music, Krombacher successfully distinguished itself from other sponsors and conveyed its commitment to protecting endangered species. The Growling Creatures campaign not only engaged festival-goers but also demonstrated the brewery's passion and authenticity to an even broader audience, resulting in a successful and impactful partnership.

A European bison, cuckoo, lynx and their threatened bandmates released a headbanging EP on all streaming platforms. The songs on it, “Nest Destroyer”, “Furry Inferno” and “Small Number of the Beast” premiered on the main stage in Wacken in front of 83,000 metalheads. In addition to airing on all festival screens, fans on the holy ground in Wacken could buy Growling Creatures shirts to raise awareness and money for species protection. Online, the metal community partied to three music videos and went wild in a growling challenge.

The Growling Creatures reached 83,000 fans live in Wacken. They also gained more than 85,000 online streams and 18 million impressions in only two weeks. Magazines, podcasts and users turned up the volume even more, leaving no doubt that species protection is heavy metal. By creating an unforgettable experience that aligned with the festival's values and passion for music, Krombacher successfully distinguished itself from other sponsors and conveyed its commitment to protecting endangered species. The Growling Creatures campaign not only engaged festival-goers but also demonstrated the brewery's passion and authenticity to an even broader audience, resulting in a successful and impactful partnership. In this way, Krombacher beer drew attention to its commitment to species conservation and raised money for it without disrupting the heavy metal party with preachy messages.