CARLSBERG STRIKES GOLD 3RD YEAR IN A ROW
PUTRA BRAND AWARDS REAFFIRMS CARLSBERG’S LEADING POSITION

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25, 2012 – Consumers once again pledged their ardent support for their favourite alcoholic beverage in Malaysia by voting Carlsberg as a Gold winner of the Putra Brand Awards. Adding this prestigious award to its stellar achievements, Carlsberg is the only alcoholic beverage that bagged the Gold Award for three consecutive years, reaffirming the brand’s leading position in the market.

Soren Ravn, Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia, said, “Carlsberg’s success as Malaysia’s most preferred beer brand is a result of constant innovation to the brand’s products, packaging, promotions and marketing. Winning Gold for three consecutive years at the coveted Putra Brand Awards, as voted by consumers and endorsed by industry leaders, truly sets Carlsberg apart as the beer of choice. Now that calls for a Carlsberg!”

The Putra Brand Awards is not the only achievement Carlsberg has earned on the back of strong consumer preference. For the past 13 years, Carlsberg has been voted as the Most Trusted Beer Brand at the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Awards. In February this year, Carlsberg’s Chinese New Year (CNY) Campaign also won the Gold Award at the annual CNY Greeting Ad voted by readers of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press.

“Carlsberg’s success is a testament of the strong customer support and loyal consumer base. The new campaign themed ‘That Calls for A Carlsberg’ has proven to be a great achievement with consumers embracing the new visual identity and tagline while continuing to value the unique heritage of the brand and superior quality of the brew,” added Ravn.

Focusing on brewing excellence and engaging consumer campaigns have paid off handsomely for Carlsberg. As part of the re-launch of the Carlsberg brand, consumers saw an enhancement across every channel, market and touch points with the unveiling of the iconic Carlsberg Crown and the new packaging of its big and small bottles as well as its cans.

Other key brand-building activities that contributed towards Carlsberg being a winning brand include Carlsberg’s Where’s the Party?™ activated through social media platforms, Carlsberg’s sponsorships of golf at the Maybank Malaysian Open and Carlsberg Golf Classic tournaments as well as football that saw the brand sending consumers to watch the FA Cup finals in Wembley last year and another 100 Malaysian football fans to watch the UEFA EURO 2012™ Semi-Finals in Ukraine end June 2012, just to name a few.

Additionally, Carlsberg is the only beer brand that has won the Effies Awards two years in a row in 2009 and 2010 for marketing effectiveness.

Organised in association with the Malaysia’s Most Valuable Brands (MMVB), the Putra Brand Awards is a recognition and brand valuation exercise initiated by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) to recognise brands that are near and dear to the hearts of Malaysians. While MMVB measures best brands by financial valuation, the Putra Brand Awards measures brands by consumer preference utilising a robust consumer research methodology developed by Pulse Group.

About Carlsberg.

Since 1847, the Carlsberg brand has enjoyed global brand distribution, has become a brand of high awareness.

On 6th of April 2011, all across the globe simultaneously witnessed Carlsberg undergo a successful global transformation, across more than 140 countries. The Carlsberg brand underwent a major transformation and the introduction of a new slogan‚ ‘That Calls for A Carlsberg‛.

All of the changes links back to Carlsberg founder, whose deep heritage of passion, innovation and entrepreneurship still connects with today’s young consumers. A sign that their spirit is still a part of what makes Carlsberg special.