Will the fall of the Berlin wall help sell beer?

Lion Nathan has launched a marketing campaign for Beck’s, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The program encompasses outdoor advertising and experiential activities including on-premise events and photographic exhibitions at venues nationally as well as limited edition packaging and point-of-sale.

Tim Buesing, creative director at digital agency Holler, curated the photographic exhibition, which will feature in bars in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Buesing grew up in Germany and lived in West Berlin when the Wall fell. This has enabled him to bring an authenticity to the exhibition and overall campaign.

“We often say we live and breathe our clients and their projects, and that’s never been more true as far as this project is concerned,” said Buesing.

“The fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989, marked a new beginning for Berlin and I can still remember the emotion and excitement from that time. I was able to draw on my memories for inspiration for this project, which was a real labour of love.”

The photographic exhibition launched on November 1st and captures 20 hours in the lives of a small group of real Berliners and will run for 20 days.

The images feature places along the boundaries of the former divide that have taken on fresh meaning, allowing the city’s residents to express themselves in creative ways.

Photographer Sebastian Pfütze, a native Berliner, was commissioned to shoot the photography for the exhibition.

“The reunification between the East and the West saw the city become a hub of creativity, reinvention and inspiration. Twenty years on, Berlin has become renowned for its distinct music, art, design and cultural innovation and I really wanted the images to capture this,” said Buesing.

Commenting on the strategy behind the concept, Arno Lenior, category director – Premium, Lion Nathan, said, “Beck’s beer drinkers are intrigued by the Berlin we’ve presented in previous campaigns and we want to celebrate this important anniversary by inspiring people to discover this moment in history and the modern art and lifestyle culture Berlin now represents."

“We work with Holler across all of our brands and it was serendipitous that Tim could bring such a personal touch to this Beck’s campaign. Holler also developed the new Beck’s brand and UBERSELEKTOR websites and social media properties.”

Not forgetting the music for which modern Berlin is renowned for, an anniversary tour of the Beck’s Berlin Sessions will bring German DJs and Berlin club culture to Australian audiences.

Communication consultancy Thought By Them, worked with music promoters, Future Classic, to create the tour, which will move through Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane during November.

Beck’s has also partnered with MTV to broadcast the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), which will be held in Berlin this year.

To celebrate, Beck’s is giving away a return trip to Berlin for one consumer to experience the MTV EMAs and be in Berlin for the 20 year celebrations.