From Denmark to Russia Our Journey to the Top 3 Strong Lagers in Russia

In the competitive world of beer, standing out requires a bold vision and a commitment to quality. Here’s a story of how we brought a Danish strong lager to Russia and, within five years, climbed to the #3 spot amongst all strong lagers in the nation. Our journey began in 2010 with a licensing agreement. We secured a partnership with Harboes A/S, the brand owner, to become their contract brewer for their strong lager in Russian market. Armed with the recipe and packaging artwork, we hit the ground running. Trial brews commenced under the watchful eye of Darguner chief brewmaster, ensuring the beer met the highest European standards. However, we soon encountered a unique challenge. Unlike many global brands, Harboes had traditionally focused solely on the product itself, with no marketing materials or brand positioning. This presented an opportunity for us to make the brand closer to Russian consumer. So we embarked on developing from scratch a brand positioning and NPL strategy specifically for the Russian market. Recognizing the power of storytelling, we hired a copywriter to think up a story of White Bear on the label. The video commercial aired on national TV, while print ads were used predominantly in-store. Within just five we achieved the #3 position among all strong lagers in Russia.

Bear Beer Strong Beer 2011 TV/Digital Campaign