Stella Artois, the beer originally crafted for Christmas, launches global Christmas campaign

The “Send a Card, Save a Tree” campaign offers consumers around the world the opportunity to send a free, augmented reality Christmas eCard. In celebration of every eCard sent, Stella Artois® will secure the future of a rainforest tree located in the threatened Atlantic Rainforest, with the goal of saving one million trees before Christmas Day, representing one million eCards sent.

The campaign is the latest in a program of new, pioneering environmental initiatives Stella Artois® has launched over the past 12 months, including the very successful Hedge Fund campaign, and the hit online TV programme, Le Recyclage de Luxe show.

The “Send a Card, Save a Tree” campaign carries on the brand’s commitment to taking small steps to protect the environment, in this case helping to save threatened Atlantic Rainforest trees, one of the most endangered habitats in the world.  Working with leading global environmental organisation the World Land Trust, www.worldlandtrust.org the campaign aims to save one million trees located in Argentina’s Misiones Province in a vital land bridge connecting two national parks in neighbouring Brazil and Paraguay.

Creating maximum seasonal wow-factor, Stella Artois® commissioned leading agency Bright Spark Digital to create a cutting edge  3D “augmented reality” Christmas eCard for the campaign. The Stella Artois® eCard can be sent from www.stellartois.com and can be personalised with a message from the sender to the recipient.

Augmented reality is a pioneering new technology that allows images to spring to life in 3D from a seemingly blank surface when viewed through a web camera. The Stella Artois® eCard will reveal stunning interactive seasonal imagery, providing recipients with a truly engaging experience.  

Andreas Hilger, Marketing Director InBev UK comments: “As the beer originally crafted for Christmas, Stella Artois has a unique heritage linking it to this special time of year.  We’re proud to be working together with the World Land Trust to preserve one million trees this Christmas.  It’s just another way Stella Artois is engaging consumers with the message that we can all take small steps towards improving the environment.”

“This is a fun and engaging way for consumers to experience our brand, while doing something positive for the environment,” Hilger concluded.

The Send a Card, Save a Tree campaign will be supported with TV, digital and out-of-home advertising throughout December, as well as special Christmas packaging in-store.

Progress of the campaign will be tracked via a sustainably sourced Christmas tree which will light up in stages for each 100,000 trees saved until the goal of one million eCards sent, and one million trees saved is achieved. The tree is located in the “Winter Wonderland” in London’s Hyde Park, and can be viewed remotely by consumers around the globe via webcam at www.stellaartois.com.