Fishing is part of the Swedish national soul. One-fifth of the population fishes annually, but unfortunately, many combine fishing with alcohol. Last year, drowning accidents related to boating and fishing increased, and alcohol is a recurring factor. An attitude change was needed here, and Carlsberg Sweden wanted to be part of the solution instead of the problem.
To reach the fishing community, the solution was to release their own fishing lure: The DrunkenBait. Designed like a drunk person who has ended up at the bottom of the lake. As a reminder of what can happen to someone who fishes while intoxicated. The lure was produced in a limited edition together with fishing influencer and legendary bait builder Claes "Svartzonker" Claesson. A 16 cm, fully functional pike bait, jointed at the waist for a realistic drunken wobble in the water. Each piece was hand-painted and individually weighted by Svartzonker. We also got the non-profit organization Sportfiskarna on board, who helped spread the campaign to their members and through their strong channels.
The campaign was rolled out across a range of channels with the message "Don't fish drunk" and an appeal to choose alcohol-free options during fishing trips.
Results
Immediately, The DrunkenBait became a sought-after rarity that was sold to the highest bidder at selected fishing stores, benefiting Sportfiskarna's work for responsible fishing. Copies were raffled off on Carlsberg's and Svartzonker's social media, and one was sold on Tradera for the record price of SEK 11,000. News of the unique fishing lure attracted great attention in traditional and social media, as well as in the hands of fishing influencers. One clip gained particularly wide distribution and over 2 million views.
The campaign succeeded in capturing the fishing target group and spreading the message not to fish drunk. Carlsberg thereby conveyed its message of responsible consumption, while sales of their alcohol-free beer broke new records. Several old pike were hooked on the lure, and best of all: The number of accidents related to alcohol and fishing was halved.
