Communication Partners of the Plzeňský Prazdroj Follow Rules of Responsible Communication

The training for responsible communication is geared towards all suppliers of marketing services: advertising and PR agencies, companies which provide creative solutions, final designs, TV ads, websites, etc. 

„Plzeňský Prazdroj follows strict ethical rules in commercial communication. These often go above and beyond the scope of legislation which regulates the marketing of alcohol. Beer is the Czech national drink, made from the best Czech ingredients and is completely natural. But it contains alcohol. Therefore, a number of laws influence us and dictate what our advertising can include. But we go beyond them. As a responsible producer, we established our own self–regulating codex,” explains Drahomíra Mandíková, Director of Corporate Relations and Communication of Plzeňský Prazdroj. 

Advertising for Plzeňský Prazdroj beer in no way targets individuals who are younger than 18 years of age. No actors playing beer consumers in ads can be younger than 18. The corporate self-regulation demands that actors in ads have to be at least 25 years old and cannot look younger. Plzeňský Prazdroj airs ads for beer only in media or during shows and events whose audiences are at least 70% adults. Before airing, all advertising by Plzeňský Prazdroj is also evaluated by an ethics committee.

„The goal is for all communication and marketing activities to be prepared from the start according to our rules of responsible communication. We explain to our suppliers not only the rules, but also the reasons why Plzeňský Prazdroj follows these rules and why our communication partners have to respect our rules when working with us,“ emphasised Drahomíra Mandíková. 

„Beer is a part of Czech culture. A lot of it is drunk here and it is heavily promoted. Maybe it is for this reason that Czech beer producers improved the responsibility of their communication to such a  level that some principles of their ethics codex were transformed in the codex of ad making. And it is good that Plzeňský Prazdroj, as a leader in the Czech beer market, is a moving force even in the area of responsible commercial communication. Every segment which influences regulators or the public a little more should by itself try to adhere to maximum ethical advertising so that its final product isn’t damaged by possible complaints directed at individual subjects. For this reason, responsible communication, including training of suppliers, makes sense at Plzeňský Prazdroj and it can be an effective example for others,“ shared Ladislav Šťastný, Executive Director of the Board for Advertising.

Training in responsible communication for communication agencies takes place over three months for newcomers, followed by an e–learning educational course. Since Prazdroj has eight beer brands in its portfolio, it trains a large number of employees using the same approach. Specialised internal and external training in responsible communication is performed across the entire SABMiller company, to which Plzeňský Prazdroj belongs.

Notes to editors:

• With total sales of 9.9 million hectolitres in the 2010 calendar year (including licensed production abroad) and with export to more than 50 countries, Plzeňský Prazdroj is the biggest producer of beer in the region and the biggest exporter of Czech beer.
• Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., is a member of the SABMiller PLC. Pilsner Urquell is an international flagship of the SABMiller brands.
• SABMiller PLC is one of the biggest beer companies in the world, with activities and distribution in more than 60 countries on six continents.

Contact:
Jiří Mareček
Manager external communication
Plzeňský Prazdroj
Ph. no: +420 724 617 219

Plzeň