Carling beer launches ‘Support Your Local’ campaign with Havas London

Carling’s campaign, Support Your Local, champions the central role that local pubs play in British culture and society

Covid broke the bond between people and their local pub. Broke the habit. Scattered the characters. Made the local a forbidden place and then and an unsafe place for a while. Now Carling and parent, Molson Coors’ lead creative agency Havas London, are rebuilding that bond.

Their campaign, Support Your Local, champions the central role that local pubs play in British culture and society. The launch commercial was filmed at a local pub with a real landlord, who reminds Carling’s audience of the importance of supporting an institution that has always given back.

The campaign is launching across social, VOD and radio this week, with further activity planned for later in the month, before TV broadcast in early September.

Support Your Local will be amplified with a PR and influencer campaign in which celebrities and influencers share their experiences of returning to their local, highlighting how pubs are still a place for people to enjoy safely.

The campaign is the next phase of Carling Made Local, which champions and supports people who are making a positive impact in their hometown – just like Carling which is brewed by local people in the historic brewing town of Burton-on-Trent.

Phil Whitehead, Managing Director, Western Europe, Molson Coors, commented, “Pubs and bars across the country have been working tirelessly to make sure they’re providing a safe and welcoming environment for regulars and new customers, and as Carling is Britain’s #1 beer we have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to use our voice to showcase the incredible role they play.

“We know that pubs are an integral part of what makes Britain special and they are so much more than just a place to go for a drink. Yet many will be facing an uncertain and challenging future. That’s why we’re calling on everyone to join us in supporting their local in whatever way they can to help make sure that they continue to be the cornerstone of our communities, and a place where we can all continue to remember old stories and make new memories for generations to come.”

Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, added, “Pubs are woven into the very fabric of the local communities at the beating heart of this country. From the Swifty or the gastropub lunch to the footy and the darts – pubs’ closure during lockdown left a fundamental void in all our lives. Where they’ve always been there for us, now we need to be there for them – and whilst this film is all about what we’ve missed, it’s also about what we can start to get back.”