In a departure from its usual fermented fare, Carlsberg has offered a new experience: A chocolate bar—that is, a drinking establishment made entirely out of chocolate.
The brewer built the edible edifice outside the Old Truman Brewery in London's Shoreditch neighborhood, disguising it as a billboard in the shape of a giant chocolate bar (the confectioner's kind), then unwrapping it to reveal the unusually sweet watering hole.
Five meters wide, three meters high and two meters deep, the stunt includes bar stools and a fake TV featuring English World Cup highlights, all built from a half ton of chocolate, according to Campaign magazine.
During the event, which lasted from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, patrons could enjoy a half pint of Carlsberg from a special chocolate glass. While that short lifespan is lamentable, it's probably for the best—nobody wants to hang out in a well-trodden public chocolate bar.
Agency Fold7 and Carlsberg came up with the idea as part of the brand's Easter celebrations. Blackjack Promotions and Talon Outdoor constructed the bar, and food artist Prudence Staite helped with the design, which took 3 months to execute, says PR Week. OMD was responsible for paid media, and The Marketing Store handled social, per Campaign.
Part of the brewer's 'If Carlsberg Did' campaign, this stunt was brilliantly ridiculous, in keeping with the tagline's spirit - which has also seen the brand dabble in erotic filmmaking and karaoke videos. While pun-based advertising should generally be avoided, the level of commitment required here is so over-the-top as to warrant praise. It also takes the free-booze experience from the company's last beer-dispensing billboard - also located outside the Old Truman Brewery - to impressive new heights.
Alas, it's still hard pressed to one-up the billboard made entirely of cakes.
This article first appeared on the AdWeek website here.