A BIG BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR CHOUFFE

Meet Marcel. Yeah, he’s a gnome. But not just any lutin. He’s a guide. A hiking buddy. An ambassador of adventure. Since 1982, he’s been wandering through the Ardennes in his wooden clogs and dipping his beard into the glasses of beer lovers everywhere.

But even legends need a little reinvention. Without losing their magic. Without selling their soul.

Today, Air signs the rebranding of Chouffe. Born in the tiny village of Achouffe, right in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes, Chouffe has stood out since the 1980s as a true symbol of authenticity, warmth, and whimsy. Its quirky world, mischievous mascot, and local roots have made it a genuine icon of Belgian craft beer—both at home and abroad.

But refreshing an icon is no easy feat. Chouffe is a brand loved by a fiercely loyal community, the kind that says “don’t change a thing, it’s perfect as it is.” Still, to keep winning hearts and reach new generations, Chouffe needed to evolve. The challenge was to stay true to its identity while opening the door to new drinkers.

To do it right, Air decided to work hand in hand with Chouffe fans. Every step of the way, the brand evolved with them, building a new identity that encourages everyone to get out there, live everyday adventures, and share them together.

Visually, the challenge was balance: how do you modernize a legend without alienating its fans? The answer, by making Marcel even more iconic. Now he’s standing tall, ready to guide beer lovers toward new horizons. Each SKU will take him on fresh adventures, keeping his cheeky, loveable personality intact.

To preserve that sense of continuity, Air worked again with Chouffe’s original illustrator, but refreshed the style with a lighter, livelier etching look. The color palette is bolder and more streamlined, and the new typeface—now the logo itself—draws directly from the world of outdoor sports and adventure.

The creative process was just as innovative. Chouffe and Air ran a brand-new qualitative pre-test by going straight to the source: meeting beer drinkers in bars across Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam. At the same time, AI tools helped run fast, precise quantitative testing,blending human insight with tech efficiency. This human-tech combo allowed the team to fine-tune every detail of the new design, whose success was obvious the moment the bottles hit the shelves.

And the rebrand didn’t stop at the packaging. Air reimagined the entire Chouffe universe, from brand identity to communication, activations, digital assets, and a launch campaign with a film celebrating this new chapter. A full-scale transformation, inside and out, showcasing Air’s strategic, creative, and craft expertise in helping iconic brands evolve and stay relevant in today’s culture. Olé !