Think International: Carlsberg on language designed to sell

At Eye for Image's Think International seminar on global communication best practices, Carlsberg Company Branding Manager Michael Kreutzfeldt shared his unique perspective about the need to “design” language to match a brand’s visual identity.

Carlsberg’s communication requires a fine balance between two seemingly opposite things: a global company; a local focus.

There’s no question it’s a big brand. Currently, it’s the number one brewery in Northern Europe and it’s in the top three in almost every country in its Western European portfolio. Eastern Europe is Carlsberg’s current growth engine, and Asia is lined up as the growth market of the future. And altogether the company brews 100 million bottles of beer every day. That’s a lot of beer.

But how can it be “a” brand? The company sells more than 500 different beers in 150 countries. How do they know when they have found the right balance between global and local messaging?

'What’s best for the local market?'
Michael explained that this is the central question behind every marketing decision for every Carlsberg Group beer – all over the world. For example, it drives decisions about logos: What is the power of French Kronenbourg's almost 350-year-old logo? Should Carlsberg labels in Eastern Europe include country names in their logos? And if so, in what language and alphabet?

The answers are different in each case, because different things work best in each local market. Loyalty to local tradition combined with the collective strength of Group identity is Carlsberg’s branding formula. But that’s not all there is to it.

Strong link between visuals & language needed for strong branding
Michael showed how the company’s printed communications use visuals and language that complement each other and strengthen brand identity. In both the corporate brochure and the annual report, consistent visuals and tone of voice make a distinct impression. The text is as brief as possible in clear, international English. The “look” of the text, using Carlsberg’s unique font, is as important as the other elements of the visual identity, such as active photos of people enjoying life’s best moments.

But here too, Carlsberg uses different designs depending on what is best for the local market. Michael explained, “Design matters. For a strong message, text becomes part of design – both in format and content. We ‘design’ the text for the Carlsberg Group brand. And to fit our positioning as both global and local, our text also has to be able to be ‘designed’ right for each market."

Tools for text design
Michael also told about a new tool the Group is launching so every Carlsberg country can use and localize corporate brand elements. It’s called the electronic brand center, and it will have guidelines and examples for both visuals and text. For ease of use, it will be divided into a “learn” sub-site for those who need to understand the brand and a “create” sub-site for those looking for ready-to-localize practical tools.

It’s tools like this that can bind all Carlsberg’s localized communications together into one commanding brand.

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Look for more “think international” best practices
In the previous issue of WordSpin, we shared the insights of FLSmidth’s Marketing manager Anders Godiksen.

Keep an eye out for the next WordSpin too, when we’ll spotlight Jacob Barnes, Coloplast’s Corporate Brand Communications Manager.

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