Pilsner Urquell
Deer nature, Pilsner Urquell knows a small detail can change everything.
Background
The Pilsner Urquell brand, as a Czech beer icon and the founder of a beer category, is never one to dabble in product innovation. But it profoundly influences everything around the beer industry and is a remarkable trend setter in Czech beer culture.
This time the brand has shifted its focus to reusable bottles with a highly recognizable design and a unique, golden foil top. It is this very foil that is the biggest change of the whole design, which aims to lessen the negative impact on the environment we live in.
Problem
For the core target group of Pilsner Urquell, it is this golden foil that evokes nostalgia. The target group is also immune to “eco-adverts” because of all the sustainability campaigns that so many brands run nowadays. The numerical arguments are also rather abstract. On the other hand, we face a risk by not taking enough measures in the eyes of eco-friendly people, and due to the scale of the Pilsner Urquell brand, a huge amount of waste could be saved.
Strategy
Emphasize the impact of a seemingly small-looking change by comparing it to an easily imaginable and memorable symbol of Czech and Slovakian nature.
Creative idea
Sometimes even small details can make a big difference. By changing the packaging, we can save up to 106 tons of waste a year. It matches the weight of 530 European deer – a typical symbol of Czech and Slovakian nature. That is why deer are the main protagonists of the whole campaign. But not just any deer! The deer are folded from those golden foils and quite literally run away from their iconic Pilsner bottles.
When looking at the herd of golden deer running away, everyone can see it’s a good idea and will gladly say goodbye to the characteristic golden foil. Because our environment is simply more valuable gold!
Execution
We have processed the creative design of the change of packaging into a short video spot with high media reach on television and online channels to spread the awareness of the change as much as possible. The deer jumped out of several online media formats to point out this significant change of a more ecological packaging.
Those who experienced the innovations were engaged in a non-traditional, augmented reality tool. After pointing their camera phones at a new Pilsner Urquell bottle, they witnessed golden deer folding at the top of the bottle along with an explanation of why the new design is beneficial for our environment.
Of course, we also thought of those who don’t necessarily have such bottles around them. This tool was spread online with the help of relevant influencers. It helped the influencers to open up this topic with their followers.
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The deer became an inspiration for designers who helped us create a sustainable collection of T-shirts. Selling them helped to raise funds for “Nadace Partnerství: Lidé a Příroda” in the Czech Republic and “Nadácia Ekopolis” in Slovakia.
