Carlsberg launches £4m UK ad campaign

Crate Escape, a humorous interpretation of the film The Great Escape, is set in a remote health spa where some men, who would rather be somewhere else, have been forced to join their partners' luxury spa break.

Our hero finds an ingenious way to not only hold his commitment to his girlfriend but add a much needed element to the Spa experience: an ice-cold Carlsberg.

Leading the way, he and his fellow mates join forces in an effort to secretly break out and smuggle a crate of Carlsberg back into the spa.

These enterprising men use an exercise machine to power a tunnelling operation, hide dirt in a woman's mud bath and then shake it out during Tai Chi.

The commercial ends with success as the hero and his mates enjoy a well-deserved Carlsberg beer. Having improved the Spa experience in that way, our hero is happy to reply to the Spa receptionist upon leaving, that his stay was "most refreshing", underlining the brand’s positioning as a reward for achievement.

David Scott, director of marketing at Carlsberg UK says: "This new commercial reinforces the positioning of the Carlsberg brand and the associated tagline 'That Calls for a Carlsberg.’

"Carlsberg has a reputation for producing memorable, humorous ads and this certainly follows that great tradition.”

The commercial, developed as a 30, 50, 60 or 90sec ad and supported by music from the Elmer Bernstein score for The Great Escape, was created by London-based creative agency Fold7, in partnership with Carlsberg's international brand marketing team. The advert has already proved successful in other Carlsberg markets including Ireland, Sweden and Belgium.

View the advert at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snw5pMMCj_E

11 March 2013 - Felicity Murray