Carlsberg Asia unveils strategic partnership with Grab to drive transformation and growth across Southeast Asia

17 April 2024 - Carlsberg Asia is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Southeast Asia's everyday superapp, Grab, for a strategic partnership that will transform how consumers enjoy their beer. This partnership will cover awareness and promotional campaigns on GrabAds across four key countries in Southeast Asia (SEA) - Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore, and will kick off with the launch of an exciting football season campaign featuring Liverpool Football Club and a collaborative Responsible Drinking campaign. The partnership also includes the setting up of a virtual store for Carlsberg on the Grab app in Singapore and Malaysia, to make it easier for consumers to order and have their favourite Carlsberg beers delivered.

Both Carlsberg and Grab have a strong presence in Southeast Asia, with a significant overlap in their consumer bases. An internal survey from Grab indicates that 61% of Grab's user base across the region identify as alcohol consumers (1). Over 90% of users are also motivated by responsible drinking and safety reasons to choose Grab's ride-hailing services over driving their own vehicles (2). By tapping into Grab's extensive ecosystem and hyperlocal insights in the region, Carlsberg aims to expand its digital footprint in the region and make its portfolio of products available to a larger audience.

"As part of Carlsberg Group's Accelerate SAIL strategy, this exciting partnership will help us drive digital transformation and growth in the region by going beyond traditional retail channels," said Arindam Varanasi, Vice President, Commercial Asia, Carlsberg. "With our joint forces, we will be able to introduce more drinking moments to consumers and make it easier and safer for them to access Carlsberg's portfolio of local and international beers and Beyond Beer brands at their doorstep. This will also be a strong initiative to Carlsberg's continuous efforts in driving responsibility drinking."

Unlocking consumer experiences and improving accessibility

The partnership will kick off in the second quarter of 2024, with special offers, dine-in deals and rewards that consumers, of legal drinking age, will be able to access through the Grab app. As part of this, Carlsberg and Grab will launch an exciting campaign during the UEFA Euro 2024 season in the summer. Carlsberg has been a principal partner of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) for over three decades and became the club's official beer in 2010. This football season, Carlsberg will bring football excitement to LFC fans across the SEA region by leveraging Grab's multiple touchpoints, online to offline. Carlsberg will also collaborate with GrabAds, Grab's advertising arm, on a Responsible Drinking campaign later in the year to promote responsible alcohol consumption and prioritise safety by encouraging GrabCar rides.

"It's truly an honour that Carlsberg, one of the world's leading brewery brands, chose Grab's advertising arm, GrabAds, to strengthen their brand equity through purposeful consumer campaigns – the LFC partnership and the Responsible Drinking Campaign," added Ken Mandel, Regional Head of GrabAds and Brand Insights. "This partnership not only showcases the extensive and impactful reach of GrabAds' online to offline touchpoints but also attests to GrabAds' effective engagement with high-value consumers who use Grab to engage or transact with brands and merchants every day".

1 Source: (2023) Grab in-app survey with 14,971 responses from active Grab users in ID 2,882; SG 1,681; MY 2,540; TH 3,246; PH 2,752; VN 1,870
2 Source: (2023) Grab in-app survey with 6,020 responses from active Grab users in ID 749; SG 721; MY 1,057; TH 1,535; PH 1,091; VN 867