Special Brew receives £1m makeover

Carlsberg-Tetley is to launch a £1m advertising campaign to rid super-strength lager Special Brew of its “park bench” image.

The nine per cent-proof lager will be promoted as “the beer of the gods” in a series of press ads in The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times and three national tabloids.

But the campaign – the only above-the-line UK work for a super- strength lager in recent years – has been slammed by the charity Alcohol Concern. A spokesman for the campaigning group says: “We are very worried about this and urge Carlsberg to reconsider its strategy. Special Brew’s image is associated with street drinking and anti-social behaviour.”

Special Brew is the number one super-strength lager in the UK, with 31 per cent volume share, although sales are thought to be falling.

A drinks industry analyst says: “This campaign is an indication of how much trouble Carlsberg is in with Special Brew. It is obviously trying to move it upmarket, but the campaign is barely credible. I think it is suffering from delusions of grandeur.”