Pilsner Urquell gets £2m spend

By Rosie Davenport

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Pilsner urquell Beer Miller brands

Miller Brands, the SAB Miller subsidiary, is ploughing £2m into the relaunch of 4.4% abv Pilsner Urquell, to make the beer "more familiar to a wider...

Miller Brands, the SAB Miller subsidiary, is ploughing £2m into the relaunch of 4.4% abv Pilsner Urquell, to make the beer "more familiar to a wider audience".

The investment covers marketing and sales activity over the next 18 months and kicks off with ads in the Sunday Times magazine in October.

Miller Brands commissioned three photographers to each produce a three-minute "documercial", which aims to capture the taste of the beer in the final image. The end shots run in the ads.

Jean-Pierre van Lin, Miller Brands marketing director, said: "Pilsner Urquell is the number one premium lager in the Czech Republic, but we believe it has a greater market in the UK than it currently enjoys." He said the main focus for the lager would be London, followed by a national push in six to 12 months time. The company will be targeting gastropubs, and outlets with "a genuine passion for high quality beers".

Miller Brands has designed new crystal branded glasses to coincide with the relaunch, which will be rolled out over six months to outlets that sell the beer.

Recipes for a range of bar snacks designed to accompany the beer are also available to licensees. The snacks were created by the Michelin-starred chef Albert Roux and include organic salmon rarebit and chicken wings a la Roux.

As well as Pilsner Urquell, Miller Brands manages the sales, marketing and distribution of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Castle Lager in the UK.

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