The spot, created by Grey Europe, features Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (known for the TV series Hannibal and movies like Casino Royale and Doctor Strange).

Employing dry humor, the ad follows Mikkelsen as he tells the viewer many of the things that can be done better when drinking alcohol-free beer: playing tennis, balancing, parking in space, appreciating art and even skipping his own ad.

Zero-alcohol beer brands have seen significant growth in recent years, with the launch of offerings from major brands and craft players. Carlsberg Group’s alcohol-free brews portfolio grew 29% between July and September of 2020, the company said.

The new Carlsberg ad will initially launch in Ireland and Denmark before running in global markets later in 2021.

“At Carlsberg we believe that there is more to beer than its alcohol content and that great moments can be made better with beer,” said Julian Marsili, global brand director for Carlsberg. “That’s why we created a great tasting alcohol-free beer to make more moments even better. That’s what we wanted to celebrate in the ad.”

Carlsberg isn’t the only brand to tap into the alcohol-free trend, as consumers seek healthier options.

Last year, Budweiser launched its first ever alcohol-free beer, called Budweiser Zero. Budweiser marketing vp Monica Rustgi said in a statement at the time that the brand has watched “hundreds” of new options enter the market over the past year, with non-alcoholic drinks “quickly rising in popularity.”

Between 2015 and 2019, mentions of Dry January on social media increased by 1,083%, according to analysis from market research firm Mintel.

CREDITS:
Client: Carlsberg
Global Brand Director: Julian Marsili
Senior Global Brand Manager: Eric Yves Schmidgall
Head of Marketing & Sponsorship, Denmark: Christopher Bak Billing
Global Brand PR Manager: Sam Wainwright
Creative Agency: Grey Europe
Chief Creative Officer Grey Europe: Javier Campopiano
Global ECD, Carlsberg: Emiliano Gonzalez De Pietri
Chief Strategy Officer: Lars Samuelsen
Creatives: Andreas Hoff, Sam Haynes, John Gibson
Account Directors: Jeremy Pyne, Charlotte Porsager
Account Manager: Christoffer Jensen
Executive Producer: Casper C. Rasmussen 
Production Company: Canada
Production Company Producer: Marta Argullós
Production Company Executive Producer: Natali Sussman
Director: Miguel Campaná
Composer: Alexis Estiz
Band/artist: Alexis Estiz
Studio: Pickle Music