Carlsberg‘s British arm will inject a further £15 million into their marketing spend in a bid to attract the millennial demographic and revive its Export brand, according to industry reports.

Following a year-long project conducting ‘exhaustive’ consumer research, trends monitoring and category analysis, Drinks International reports that Carlsberg will aim to confront the ‘long-term decline’ seen in the lager category by engaging with the millennial consumer group; identified as the most influential and responsible for driving key trends.

As of January 2017, the Export brand will have a new design that will reflect the brand’s Danish heritage. In addition, all consumer ‘touch points’ have been remodelled, including a new bar font and glassware, through to a new premium 330ml-sized bottle.

Liam Newton, UK vice president of marketing, said: “The fundamental reason for the decline in the beer category is the fact the biggest segments – standard and premium lager – are losing relevance with millennial consumers. In our eyes, the dramatic change in the UK beer market requires bold action, and an even bolder approach, and this lies at the heart of our revitalisation of Carlsberg.

“Standard and premium lagers recruit new drinkers, and if consumers don’t enter through these segments, it is unlikely they will move into world and craft. This means brands like Carlsberg and premium beers like Carlsberg Export remain vital to the long-term health of the entire beer category.”

Drinks International has cited statistics that the company claims the number of consumers drinking standard lager has fallen by 1.1 million, and the number drinking premium lager has also fallen by 430,000 over the last five years.