The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2025
Eriksberg rebrands its Christmas beer 24-pack as an advent calendar
Fed up with overhyped calendars, Swedish alcohol-free beer Eriksberg rebranded its existing 24-pack as one — the same beer in every window, no new product.
Eriksberg (Carlsberg Sweden)
What it had to solve
Advent calendars have become one of the season's most hyped products and, for many buyers, one of its most disappointing. A Kantar Media survey commissioned by Eriksberg found one in three Swedes have been let down by calendar contents, and most said they would be satisfied with a calendar that simply delivers what it promises.
How it works
In a few years the advent calendar went from a children's treat to one of the most hyped seasonal products in Sweden — and, for a growing number of buyers, one of the most disappointing. A Kantar Media survey commissioned by Eriksberg found that one in three Swedes (37%) have at some point been let down by what an advent calendar contained, while most said they would be satisfied with a calendar that simply delivers what it promises.
Eriksberg, Carlsberg Sweden's alcohol-free Christmas beer brand, answered with BBDO Nordics by refusing to join the arms race. The team took the classic 24-pack of alcohol-free Christmas beer that had been on shelves since 2023 and rebranded it as the Eriksberg Advent Calendar: the same product, the same packaging, the same beer in every one of the 24 'windows.' No new product, no limited edition, no surprises.
The campaign was officially launched on November 24, 2025 in regular Swedish supermarkets. 'There are so many trying to surprise you at Christmas — we do the opposite,' said Ann Baker, marketing director at Carlsberg Sverige. BBDO Nordics art director Isabelle de Susini called it 'an advent calendar made by not building one': in a season of over-engineered calendars packed with single-use materials, the boldest move was to do absolutely nothing.
The survey data gave the joke its edge: 64% of Swedes said they would be happy with a calendar that matches its promise, and 69% would be happy if it felt worth the money. Among those who no longer buy advent calendars, 51% would rather spend on something they know they want, 24% called the calendars unsustainable and 25% too expensive. The Eriksberg calendar answered all three objections with a product that already existed.
Why it lands
- It inverted the category arms race: the boldest seasonal move was to release nothing new.
- It was grounded in commissioned research — one in three Swedes had been disappointed — not a guess about consumer mood.
- Reframing an existing shelf product created no new material or waste, answering the sustainability objection directly.
- The pack already was a 24-part product, so the calendar logic was latent in the packaging — nothing had to be invented.
What it did
The reframing made a statement against overpromise culture without a gram of new material: 64% of Swedes in the brand's own survey said a calendar that matches its promise would satisfy them. The ordinary pack was repositioned as an anti-hype hero, earning coverage in Swedish packaging and drinks press plus international advertising trade media.
What you can take
When a category races to add more, subtraction can be the surprise: reframing an existing, honest product as the answer to hype can stand out more than building another elaborate version.
Since then
The Eriksberg Advent Calendar was launched on November 24, 2025 in regular Swedish supermarkets, built on the classic 24-pack of alcohol-free Christmas beer available since 2023. BBDO Nordics framed the work as a quiet rebellion against throwaway calendar culture: same product, same packaging, nothing new engineered for the season. The restraint earned coverage in Swedish packaging and drinks media and international trade press including LBBOnline, holding up the alcohol-free 24-pack as the transparent alternative in the holiday aisle.
Sources
- Swedish Beer Brand Eriksberg Turns Classic 24-Pack into Advent Calendar
- Eriksbergs julkalender för den som tröttnat på julkalendrar
- Eriksberg relanserar 24-packet som julkalender
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe the brief you are staring at, and see who has been given the same problem.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card