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Carlsberg Group and “superapp” Grab unveil strategic partnership to accelerate growth across Southeast Asia

The partnership will kick off in Q2 of 2024 with an exciting football season campaign in the summer and a Responsible Drinking initiative on GrabAds later this year.

Carlsberg Asia is pleased to announce the signing of an agreement with Southeast Asia’s everyday superapp, Grab, for a strategic partnership that aims to transform how consumers enjoy their beer. This partnership will cover awareness and promotional campaigns on GrabAds across four key countries in Southeast Asia. The partnership will kick off with an exciting football season campaign featuring Liverpool Football Club and a collaborative Responsible Drinking campaign. The partnership also includes the creation of a virtual store on the Grab app, to make it easier for consumers to get their favourite Carlsberg beers delivered.

Both Carlsberg and Grab have a strong presence in Southeast Asia, with a significant overlap in their consumer bases. An internal survey from Grab indicates that 61% of Grab’s user base across the region identify as alcohol consumers. Over 90% of users are also motivated by responsible drinking and safety reasons to choose Grab’s ride-hailing services over driving their own vehicles. By tapping into Grab’s extensive ecosystem and hyperlocal insights in the region, Carlsberg aims to expand its digital footprint in the region and make its portfolio of products available to a larger audience. 

“As part of Carlsberg Group’s Accelerate SAIL strategy, this exciting partnership will help us drive digital  transformation and growth in the region by going beyond traditional retail channels,” said Arindam Varanasi, Vice President, Commercial Asia, Carlsberg. “With our joint forces, we will be able to introduce more drinking moments to consumers and make it easier and safer for them to access Carlsberg’s portfolio of local and international beers and Beyond Beer brands at their doorstep. This will also be a strong initiative to Carlsberg’s continuous efforts in driving responsibility drinking.”

Unlocking consumer experiences and improving accessibility

The partnership will kick off in the second quarter of 2024, with special offers, dine-in deals and rewards that consumers, of legal drinking age, will be able to access through the Grab app. As part of this, Carlsberg and Grab will launch an exciting campaign during the football season in the summer. Carlsberg has been a principal partner of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) for over three decades and became the club’s official beer in 2010. This football season, Carlsberg will bring football excitement to LFC fans across Southeast Asia by leveraging Grab’s multiple touchpoints, online to offline. Carlsberg will also collaborate with GrabAds, Grab’s advertising arm, on a Responsible Drinking campaign later in the year to promote responsible alcohol consumption and prioritise safety by encouraging GrabCar rides.

"It’s truly an honour that Carlsberg, one of the world’s leading brewery brands in the world, chose Grab’s advertising arm, GrabAds, to strengthen their brand equity through purposeful consumer campaigns – the exciting LFC partnership and the Responsible Drinking Campaign,” added Ken Mandel, Regional Head of GrabAds and Brand Insights. “This partnership not only showcases the extensive and impactful reach of GrabAds’ online to offline touchpoints but also attests to GrabAds’ effective engagement with high-value consumers who use Grab to engage or transact with brands and merchants every day.”

“We are delighted to be Carlsberg Asia’s preferred partner in Southeast Asia to launch these innovative consumer campaigns in key markets and a virtual store in Singapore,” said Jerry Lim, Regional Head of Grab Sales & Support. “This partnership is a great example of how global brands, such as Carlsberg, can leverage the Grab ecosystem to provide delightful and seamless experiences to consumers in Southeast Asia.”

“This partnership is a testament to Carlsberg Group’s commitment to accelerating our growth in Asia,” said Russell Close, Global eCommerce Director, Carlsberg Group. “We are confident that this partnership with Grab will create a transformative synergy and help us not only redefine boundaries of eCommerce, but also unlock unique customer experiences and improve accessibility. Through our collaborative efforts, we hope to become top-of-mind and continue to lead with innovation within the Beer category in Southeast Asia.” 

About Grab

Grab is a leading superapp in Southeast Asia, operating across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors. Serving over 500 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries – Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Grab enables millions of people everyday to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app. Grab was founded in 2012 with the mission to drive Southeast Asia forward by creating economic empowerment for everyone, and strives to serve a triple bottom line: to simultaneously deliver financial performance for its shareholders and have a positive social and environmental impact in Southeast Asia.

About GrabAds

Established in 2018, GrabAds has evolved into an integrated advertising solutions provider that provides advertisers with multiple channels, such as in-app advertising, branding, and product sampling via the Grab ecosystem, for building awareness, engaging audiences, and triggering action across the Grab platform. Through its advertising and technology capabilities, GrabAds aims to help people discover, engage, and connect with the best businesses in Southeast Asia.

Contact

Please address enquiries to:

Head of Group External Communications

Kenni Leth

Tel +45 51 71 43 68 Email Kenni.Leth@Carlsberg.com