THE STORY OF BEER SHAVING
GROLSCH LAGER / GROLSCH BREWERY
A trade activation designed to cut deeper
Grolsch is a Dutch beer competing with continental lagers in general and with Heineken and Amstel in specific. While these other Dutch beers have enormous sales volume on their side, Grolsch have established themselves as more of a ‘craft’ like beer with their ‘Truly original character’ positioning. All made to appeal to a more discerning, creative, crowd.
The problem for Grolsch is that not enough pubs and bars serve it or even know about its story. Our task was to create an on-trade activation that would tell the story of Grolsch as well as create a toolkit for some in-bar theatre.
So, we decided to create a serve ritual based on the Dutch bar technique of ‘skimming’ the foam of beers before serving. But we needed to do it with a difference. It needed to appeal to the craft crowd. And it needed to feel quirky and Dutch. And it needed to communicate the Grolsch craftsmanship story.
The idea was simple. Reimagine plain old ‘skimming’ as Beer Shaving. This way we could attach ourselves to the cut-throat barber shave trend as it already appeals to this crowd. And by making it funny we’d get across Grolsch’s quirky and arty personality.
Firstly, bars were sent premium metal boxes in Grolsch green. The clasps were made from the iconic Grolsch swing top and each box was designed so it could be wall mounted behind the bar. The box featured a number of ‘shaving knives’, all uniquely designed with a swirling pattern, telling key moments of Grolsch’s craftsmanship story. And with the iconic swing top as a safety stopper to lock the blade in place.
As the bartender would perform the shave ritual in front of customers the knife itself would create a talking point, with all you’d ever wanted to know about Grolsch, right there on the handle. Also, in the box were USB sticks with an instruction film on ‘How to perform the perfectly crafted Dutch Shave’ including key aspects of Grolsch’s story. A small Grolsch branded video camera was included for staff to film their own shaving tricks for uploads / competitions on Grosch’s site.
Then, to extend the idea of The Dutch Shave, we’d partner with a number of trendy men’s barbers in close vicinity of the targetted pubs and bars. Here we’d offer a signature shave experience that’d include free Grolsch while waiting, as well as deals on pints in the nearest Grolsch stocked pub / bar.
Role: Art Director / Copywriter.
Agency The Bank
