UK: Marketing drive emphasizes brewing heritage of Staropramen

Interbrew is emphasising the authentic brewing heritage of Staropramen — the fastest-growing premium lager in the on-trade — with a £1m support package for 2005, including a design update for the brand that will boost its consumer appeal and drive its sales success.

The Staropramen font and bottle have been redesigned as part of a global strategy to refresh the image of the brand and reinforce its brewing credentials. It is spearheaded by the introduction of a traditional Czech-style copper font which will raise the brand’s bar profile and provide top-quality draught beer for consumers.

Staropramen will be emphasising its Czech roots by continuing its sponsorship of Czechmania — an international festival showcasing the design quality of the Czech Republic. It is the third year of the sponsorship and the event has now become so popular it has been expanded significantly this time around.

Kim MacLarty, Senior Brand Manager for Staropramen at Interbrew UK, says: “This marketing package will support Staropramen’s brewing roots and the history that goes with it and drive the considerable success of the brand.”

“The design update will communicate to premium beer drinkers that Staropramen is a credible Continental brand and build its sales momentum. Staropramen increased its on-trade sales by 83% over the past year, making it the fastest growing premium lager, and one of the top ten brands. It enjoyed 30% growth last year and it has built up a loyal distribution base in both the take home market and in the on-trade.

“A growing number of on-trade retailers now appreciate that stocking a niche brand such as Staropramen creates a clear point of difference, encourages consumers to trade up and delivers incremental value because of its higher retail price.”

The shape of the new font mirrors the design of a traditional brew kettle — emphasising that it has been produced in the heart of Prague since 1869 — and also features subtle lighting to underpin the branding.

A stylish bottle is also being introduced featuring a silhouette of Prague on the label to stress the brand is imported and a seal to underline product quality. The new neck label features a clean, simplified logo to increase consumer awareness with greater focus on the word “Imported”.

The new font and packaging will be rolling out from July and Interbrew UK will be distributing point-of-sale to retailers later in the year to support the brand.

Czechmania will begin this summer under the banner “Czech 100”, focusing on Czech design across the last century. Events will be held in Brighton in July and in London in September as part of London Design Festival.
The series of events profiles the Czech lifestyle with an emphasis on design, photography and film and will be held in a wide variety of venues including galleries, cinemas, public spaces and shops.

Interbrew UK is targeting local pubs with support to help them maximise the opportunity and supplying them with copies of the new Czechmania/Staropramen Guide to Prague.

“We are investing in marketing activity that reflects the brand’s Czech roots to appeal to its target consumers and drive brand awareness and product knowledge,” says MacLarty.

Staropramen is also stressing its European heritage through involvement with the Czech Centre which is a non-profit, non-political organization based in Britain — one of 19 around the world.

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