Holsten Edel
Move the tribe
Reviving a true Nordic original beer brand. Retro, real and raw. An underdog spirit that punches above its weight, guerrilla style.
Holsten Edel is the original Holsten beer, loved by generations of beer drinkers across Northern Germany, since 1913. Hailing from Hamburg’s Altona district, the popularity of the brand extends beyond the city of Hamburg, into the Schleswig-Holstein region. With its robust Nordic character and striking knight motif, we created a brand that successfully bridged the gap between tradition and modernity, with a new look and feel that showed Edel was easy to drink, down-to-earth, and full of sessionable Nordic cool, and a new tagline — ‘Auf Edel & Wig’, ‘For Edel & ever’.
Sector
Food & Beverages
Expertise
Brand Identity
Brand Experience
Communications
Partner
Carlsberg
Edel’s sessionable Helles beer style was trending. So, to attract the next generation, the opportunity for Edel was to tap into Hamburg’s youth culture, and to put its beloved brew centre stage.
Tapping into its true Nordic ‘Heimat’, or ‘Hometown’ spirit and Retro throwback trends – we created a look and feel that showed Edel was easy to drink, down-to-earth, and full of sessionable Nordic cool.
The key to unlocking the emotional connection with Hamburg’s youth culture was leaning into Edel’s anti-commercial, underdog mindset and playing into its old-school image. With its understated character, regional roots, and authentic heritage, Edel was perfectly placed to appeal to Gen Z’s desire for nostalgic cool and local belonging.
