A group of Carlsberg drinkers unite and step up to overcome the oppressive regime of a female-centric spa in the latest global ad to support the brand’s ‘That calls for a Carlsberg’ strategy.

‘The Crate Escape’, created by Fold7, is a humorous interpretation of the film ‘The Great Escape’ that plays out in a remote health spa where the men are unwilling participants in their partners’ luxury spa break. Brutalised by the all-female staff at the spa, the men join forces to alleviate their suffering – by breaking out of the spa in order to smuggle a crate of Carlsberg back in.

The central theme – that a beer tastes better when you’ve earned it, particularly as a joint effort with mates – runs through the ad’s comedic scenes. We see the band of new-found friends appropriate an exercise machine to power a tunnelling operation, before hiding the dirt variously in a woman’s mud bath and shaking it out of a trouser leg during outdoor yoga practice. Music from the Elmer Bernstein score for ‘The Great Escape’ acts as a backdrop to the ad.

‘The Crate Escape’ ends with the main male character telling a bemused spa receptionist that the couple’s stay was “most refreshing” – underlining the brand’s positioning as a reward for achievement.