Third birthday for Pardál beer today

Pardál pale draught beer was launched on the South Bohemian market on 1st March 2007. Unusual and unique for Czech circumstances, its development was for the first time significantly shared by the future consumers. More than 300 Czech beer connoisseurs took part in three rounds of large tasting events, helping to tune the flavour, colour, bite, froth and other qualities of the new beer. Their work resulted in the new Pardál beer - the first beer adjusted by the consumers themselves. Taking in consideration Pardál draught beer’s great popularity, the co-makers met again last January, helping to develop a new version of this favoured beer - 11° pale Pardál Echt, beer for special occasions.

Today, Pardál beer celebrates three years from its launch on the market and therefore it is time to review. A total of 467,789 hectolitres of Pardál beer were sold during the three years of its existence. “The Pardál brand has done really well in the highly competitive and demanding Czech beer market and is becoming more and more popular amongst customers. In 2009, the sales of Pardál noted a 3% year-on-year increase, having reached a volume of 198,403 hectolitres,” says Budweiser Budvar’s domestic sales manager Martin Horejš. The beer consumption in the Czech Republic, however, decreased by as much as 10% last year. During a mere 7 months of 2009, bottled Pardál Echt became the sixth most sold 11° beer in the Czech Republic, with about 40 brands presently existing in the Czech market as far as 11° bottled beer is concerned.

“The Pardál brand represents also a unique way of communication. Consumers themselves were actively involved from the very beginning on the promotion of the brand as well. Therefore they can be seen on POS materials supporting Pardál’s sales, outdoor billboards or in TV spots,” says Budweiser Budvar’s Pardál brand manager Alena Mazancová. The so-called “whisper propaganda” and other alternative and new forms of communication play a big role in the communication of the brand. “Since Pardál was developed in an unconventional way, we are also trying to use untraditional forms of communication with very active involvement of the customers themselves. Also for that reason, our promotional events often take place in the areas where people spend their free time, holidays or meet up with friends - all the places where Pardál should be present,” adds Alena Mazancová.

Pardál advertising campaigns have been awarded many times. In 2007, the advertising campaign “Pardál - One of us” was awarded a silver Effie 2007 in the A category - foodstuffs and beverages (the expert panel evaluates the effectiveness of commercial spots) along with the “Best Small Campaign” award at the FLEMA 2007 competition (an innovative use of media is evaluated). A Pardál TV spot won a second place in the international advertising and marketing festival “Red Apple 2009” in Moscow as well as a “Silver Drum” at the international advertising festival in the Slovenian town of Portoroz. The product itself - pale draught beer Pardál was awarded the “Consumers’ Choice - the Best Newcomer 2008” title in the “Beer” category (winning products presented on the grounds of a survey amongst consumers) as well as a silver medal in the voting of the Beer Friends Association’s members in 2008.