Carlsberg boosts fan engagement with English Premier League

Lois Wan, senior marketing executive of Carlsberg Hong Kong, shared details of the new campaign, which includes a Facebook game designed by JWT Hong Kong, a global TVC (‘The ride’) and an interactive game on NowTV throughout April.

The Facebook game launched yesterday and will be active for a month. The player acts as the goalkeeper, and can invite friends to act as shooters. The player with the highest score will win an expenses paid trip for two to watch a EPL match anywhere in the UK in the 2014 and 2015 match season.

To engage with its TV audiences, Carlsberg also partnering with NowTV, which has the broadcasting rights of the EPL in Hong Kong, on an interactive TV game. From 5 April to 8 May, Now TV will pick four of the most dramatic moments from the weekly EPL matches, and ask viewers to vote for the ‘Most EPL moment’ of the week via their remote control. Five winners will take part in a Q&A session to win a Carlsberg-designed mini refrigerator in the shape of a football. They'll also get to choose a jersey from one of the EPL Clubs.

The global TVC ‘The ride’ will be running on TVB iNews channel and Now TV. Commercial Radio Host Patrick Tsang (泰山 ) has done a local version of the voiceover. The ad takes its creative indpiration from the emotional roller-coaster ride fans experience during EPL matches.

OMD, Carlsberg's media agency, will deploy bus advertising and a large 'domination' in one of the city's busiest subway train stations.

It is easy to see why Carlsberg is keen to engage with the EPL, as its broadcast footprint reaches 211 countries, 643 million households and 615 million fans globally, according to Wan.

Football is part of the marketing DNA for Carlsberg as it is sponsoring a number of national teams including Denmark, England, Ireland, Serbia, as well as a number of football clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool, FC Copenhagen and Tottenham Hotspur as well as the European Football Championship since 1988 as well as the UEFA Euro 2016.