Prague, 3 March 2008 –The campaign's creative conception is based on the first successful flight of Jan Kašpar from Pardubice to Prague in 1911. The character of the pioneering aviator appears in all three television spots that are part of the campaign. The television campaign will be supported by bigboards along motorways and primary roads, as well as advertising in the daily press and selected society titles. The campaign's slogan is "We change with the times".
"We would like the campaign to link up to the tradition of a Czech brand. However, at the same time we would like to tell customers that we have made the long-awaited step forward and that now we are able to match our competitors, and in some areas even surpass them," says Veronika Vlášková, Benzina's marketing manager, who is behind the campaign project.
Each of the television campaign spots presents one of the three pillars underpinning the Benzina Plus brand – Verva premium fuels, the refreshments offer, and high-quality services. In a light-hearted form, these spots will inform viewers about the recently refurbished Benzina Plus petrol stations. They will familiarise them with state-of-the-art car washes, let them look into Benzina Plus interiors and visit gastronomic facilities with a wide offer of superior freshly brewed coffee and delicious crusty sandwiches. Naturally, all three spots are also focused on promotion of the Benzina Plus brand as such.
The print campaign will be enriched by gifts for readers. In some media outlets, readers will find a coupon for free coffee or a game card with a glued-on chip to be filled in by Benzina customers in order to win interesting presents. In March, a new promotional campaign will be launched which instead of DVDs, as previously, will offer cuddly animals, car models and sports bags.
A new Benzina Plus website (www.benzinaplus.cz) has been prepared containing in-depth information about the products and services offered by Benzina Plus. Owing to user-friendly search engines, customers will be able to find out where the nearest Benzina Plus is located in their neighbourhood and what exactly the particular petrol station has on offer.
A salient feature of the campaign is its execution. "The creative idea works with the blending of the black-and-white image of Mr. Kašpar as a symbol of the past, which appears in the colour picture representing the present. Among other things, we let the viewer think over the story: Who knows what it was like back then? How did Mr. Kašpar succeed in achieving the impossible, and how did the first petrol station originate?" Vlášková explains.
The television spots were directed by Jakub Sluka. The role of Jan Kašpar was rendered by the Serbian actor Milos Vlalukin, a one-hundred-year old Bleriot aeroplane was piloted by the Swede Mikael Carlson, who is the only person in the world capable of getting this veteran machine off the ground, as well as landing it. "When preparing the spots, we also considered 3D animation of a historic aircraft, yet the savvy production manager discovered Mikael, who not only can pilot the Bleriot but also owns two originals of these planes. And so, a one-hundred-year-old aircraft, original down to the tiniest nut and bolt, appears in Benzina's TV commercial," adds Vlášková.
Media outlets in which the campaign will run:
The ČT1 and ČT2 channels, NOVA television station, Impuls radio station and selected printed media outlets.
Who was Jan Kašpar?
The engineer Jan Kašpar, one of the most famous figures of Czech aeronautics, was born on 20 May 1883 in Pardubice. After graduating from the Realschule (Technical Secondary School), he studied mechanical engineering at the Czech Technical University. He subsequently worked in a Laurin & Klement factory, where he and his fellow engineer Hieronym constructed the first aircraft engine in our territory. He was so enchanted by aeronautics that he left the company and, together with his cousin Evžen Čihák, began exclusively devoting to flying. He learned to fly on a monoplane he had built himself. It took him three months to construct the aircraft, and in February 1910 Kašpar and his cousin carried out on it their first experiments. However, the machine's power was very low and it was destroyed during a crash. Another three machines experienced a similar fate. In order to accelerate his experiments as much as possible, Kašpar purchased a Bleriot, a top aircraft of the time. On 13 May 1911 he made in it the historic flight from Pardubice to Prague. This date can be designated a milestone in Czech aeronautics. A host of successes followed – for example, in the very same year the first flight with passengers on board – but also difficulties, obstacles and injuries.