We distilled the creative brief to synchronize Football, EURO 2016 (in France) and Beer, amd we knew that the trick lay in finding an original expression that: A – Aligned with Carlsberg Export’s personality, and B – Stood out as being truly different vs what we thought the competition might be doing

When we presented ‘The Bootiful Game’, a life-sized, photorealistic football boot, complete with stud detailing that concealed well-known French landmarks, it was an instant hit with the marketing team at Carlsberg Export.

We created a highly realistic football boot in Cinema 4D that was deployed across both primary (carton) and secondary (can) packaging. There is no supporting POS or ATL activity – the only consumer touch point is the packaging.

The choice of materials was restricted to standard carton board, however we managed to push the printers to ensure that the copper effect was as realistic as possible.

Please see ‘Jury Information’.

There’s very little discernible difference in how most brands approach sporting events on pack. Aside from visually staying within their relevant visual identity systems, differentiation in terms of big ideas are lacking across the board.

Our strategy was to adopt the convention of delivering on football-related cues, to ensure relevance in consumers’ minds, but to subvert category norms by avoiding the tired and predictable and inject a healthy dose of visual wit instead.

Relevance to the Carlsberg Export brand came from the use of the Football Boot – the most expensive, crafted bit of kit in the players’ locker room – providing a suitable, witty link to Carlsberg Export’s more premium, crafted credentials.

In 2016 Carlsberg Export became official sponsors of UEFA Euro 2016™ in France. We were tasked with creating limited edition packaging to celebrate their partnership and the occasion, and create an impact in beer fixtures across the UK – while specifically avoiding the more obvious football clichés.

The brief demanded that we incorporate elements of UEFA’s identity in the creative solution – including prominently featuring their logo and ‘brand pattern’. The challenge we faced was integrating their brand assets in such a way that it didn’t look like an afterthought, and in a manner that upheld Carlsberg Export’s premium, crafted beer credentials.