Carlsberg Launches Lost Passport Campaign

Finding a "lost" passport in the back of a cab or at the end of a bar may become a trend in cities across the countries if New York-based communications agency Cossette Post has their way. The company will litter cabs, bars, libraries, malls and other popular locations around the country with fake branded passports. Upon finding the passports, people will find in place of a photo of a fellow American, information on Carlsberg beer. For its first major targeted consumer effort in the US, New York based advertising agency Cossette Post has created the Carlsberg Passport, inviting consumers to "Drink with a world of friends." The guerilla marketing "passport" campaign will commence across the U.S. on February 1, 2005 in key cities in 35 states across the country including Chicago, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Philadelphia. The passports will be distributed through April of 2005 by local Carlsberg affiliates. A national television campaign will follow.

The faux passports, which look and feel like the real thing, feature textured covers in Carlsberg Green and include 12-pages of company facts and worldly information presented in a fun and attention getting fashion. Designed to appeal to the worldly consumer, the inside pages include the requisite “stamps” from countries around the world along with information on how to toast in 34 different languages and how to ask "May I please have a Carlsberg beer" in everything from French to Romanian. There is also a two-page outline on "The Carlsberg Way of Making A World of Friends," which includes international do’s and don'ts for world travelers. For example, in China, "spitting, staring and drinking Carlsberg are acceptable. However, wearing shorts isn’t," and in the Netherlands, "if you split the bill, never say your ‘going Dutch.' It’s really an insult."

We wonder how our security conscious, over-reactive society will take to this. We're sure it will be much fun to watch.