Staropramen Brewery recently announced that its flagship beer will have a new look and design when it hits the shelves in March. In a major rebranding campaign that cost the brewery tens of millions of crowns and took more than a year, Staropramen will now be packaged in a green bottle with a new logo.

The rebranding follows research by Staropramen, which also produces Braník and Kelt, that shows that packaging is becoming more important to a young consumer base that is increasingly image-savvy. In 2004 and 2005, the brewery carried out detailed consumer surveys that indicated that 60 percent more people would buy Staropramen in the new bottle than in the current one.

"Consumers' opinions of packaging are changing," said Michaela Trýznová, public relations manager for Staropramen. Because of this, "we have decided to give our key brand Staropramen new, modern packaging."

The move was also a part of Staropramen's strategy to make its beer stand out.

"Our aim while preparing the new visual identity was to differentiate the Staropramen brand from competitors' brands," Trýznová said. "Staropramen is the only beer in the Czech Republic to go with the trend-bucking vertical logo format."

The green bottle, however, is nothing new. Rival Pilsner Urquell switched to green in the 1980s, and Budvar underwent a similar rebranding last year.

"It's part of the overall market development," said Alexej Bechtin, spokesman for Plzeňský Prazdroj, which produces Pilsner Urquell. "It's nothing new or exceptional."