• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

Carlsberg gave Berlin taxi drivers a very unexpected reprieve from their daily grind.

Carlsberg, the national beer of the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Men's National Team Football, recently launched “Fare Game,” an event designed to “give back to these drivers who so often miss out on watching football live.”

The promo was  inspired by a recent Carlsberg-commissioned research study that found while nine in 10 taxi drivers around the world call themselves football fans, almost 60% miss major football matches due to work, since  58% can’t afford to take the time off.

The beer brand booked Berlin taxi drivers for what they thought were standard fares, which also took place during the UEFA Nations League Finals semifinal match played between Germany and Portugal. Instead of dropping their “fare” at a random destination, the taxi drivers were directed to what the brand calls the “ultimate football setting.” The “Fare Game” cab park contained a full-size cinema screen on which the drivers could watch the match. The brand provided its non-alcoholic Carlsberg 0.0 beer and snacks for free, along with guaranteeing the drivers they would cover the full fare of their time spent, so no driver was “left out of pocket.”

"Carlsberg is committed to giving everyone access to the best of football through our new partnership with UEFA,” commented Lynsey Woods, global brand director at Carlsberg, in a press release. “

The Censuswide report also discovered that six out of 10 taxi drivers said that “hearing celebrations while driving the streets heightens the feeling of missing out on a big sporting event,” and 58% say they “feel like a less dedicated fan when unable to watch live sporting events due to work.”

Carlsberg created a short film to commemorate the event, which can be seen here.