This month, we hear from Euan Edworthy MBE, founder and senior partner of our Commetra partner Best Communications in Prague, about the PR landscape in Central & Eastern Europe:
I came to Prague 30 years ago to work on Foreign Inward Investment. I liked the place – it had a fast-moving, anything-is-possible atmosphere – so I stayed and set up Best.
Today we are 16-strong, with offices in a 17th-century palace opposite the Astronomical Clock. Everyone speaks two languages and some speak three. Our clients are 50 per cent Czech and 50 per cent international. We do everything for them, from public affairs to crisis management and from media relations to advertising, social media and influencers.
Aviation and defence have been our largest practices since day one. I grew up on RAF bases, so maybe it was inevitable. Well-known names include BAE Systems/Saab, Sud-Aviation/Airbus, Rheinmetall, Bell, AERO Vodochody, Supacat… and, on the civilian side, British Airways, Emirates, NetJets and Avia Solutions Group. And, of course, Textron/Cessna on 8020’s behalf.
Ten years ago we had the idea for a memorial to the 2,500 Czechs and Slovaks who flew with the RAF in World War Two. The expat community here dug deep into their pockets and the ‘Winged Lion’ sculpture was unveiled by Lord Soames. Today it is one of the top ten visitor attractions in the city.
Growth prospects for aviation, travel and transport in C&EE
The defence sector in this region is buzzing – for unfortunate but obvious reasons. Every EU country is talking about massive defence budget increases; those on the front line are actually doing it.
The Czech Republic is exactly in the middle of Europe and has spent 30 years developing a terrific road transport and logistics infrastructure. Our client Prologis is the largest player in warehouses and business parks. The outlook for storage and transport in this country – whether military or commercial – is very positive.
Travel: since the Velvet Revolution, the Czechs have been crazy about flying. They love exploring. Our agency plays its part by working for Emirates and also for destinations in Austria, Italy, France and further afield. This sector has grown steadily and will continue expanding unless geopolitical factors intervene.
Trends in C&EE consumer behaviour
Leaving aside the very wealthy, who are much the same in Prague or Paris, central Europeans spend extraordinary amounts on health and fitness. They consume OTC pharmaceuticals avidly. They run, climb, hike and paddle at every opportunity. Gyms and sports brands do very well in this region.
The online fashion market is very large here. Central Europeans became digital natives right from the word go: the internet and liberation arrived at the same moment.
Automotive is huge in Central Europe. Most people bought the best car they could afford before they thought about investing in property. You see a lot of Porsches whose owners live in a panelak (low-grade tower block).
Media and cultural nuances to take into account
The media here resembles the UK press thirty years ago. They take their public role seriously and are sceptical. They set out to investigate, expose, hold to account… they are ‘difficult’. All the major outlets are owned by oligarchs, though their influence can be hard to discern.
Cultural aspects… rather than religion, the Czechs believe strongly in nature, psychology, managing personal health, both physical and mental… education, training… they do not expect the state to do much for them. As it happens, the departments of the Czech state are extremely efficient.
By contrast, the Poles, Slovaks and Hungarians are far more religious than the British. They are also more ‘right-wing’ than the Czechs, who tend to be ‘liberal’.
There is a 10 per cent immigrant population in the Czech Republic, many from Vietnam and recently Ukraine. They are valued highly. However, all Central European countries are averse to uncontrolled immigration and don’t allow it. All C&EE countries operate an identity-card system – you must carry your card with you at all times and present it when officials demand to see it.
Most trusted media outlets
As in the UK, in C&EE, the harder it is to get coverage, the more valuable it is. And vice versa.
Central Europe always had a lot of authoritative media and still has numerous outlets that are economically viable. They carry weight with decision-makers and opinion-formers. TV and radio are much more important here than they are in the UK.
Editors and journalists on these titles are more uncompromising than they are in the UK. To get results you have to develop relationships with the writers over time.
Digital media like LinkedIn commands numbers that clients find compelling. Overseas clients need to bear in mind that the most C&EE influential social media channels operate in the local language – Czech, Slovakian, Polish, Hungarian, Slovenian and so on.
The role of PR in influencing government transport/mobility decisions
The democratic system in the Czech Republic is – one could say – extremely democratic. It was designed by Vaclav Havel and his friends to not only allow, but to encourage lobbying by companies, factions and interest-groups.
The Czech legislature and regulatory apparatus is, in theory, more accessible than most others. In reality, just as in Westminster or Washington, what counts is knowing who matters, what they want and how to align our clients’ interests with their own.
A rich area for persuasive comms
The C&EE region is of great interest to defence and aviation companies at present; large sums will be devoted to G2G and commercial contracts. Knowing the key decision-makers and key opinion-formers is a critical competitive advantage.
In the B2C category, this small country (10 million) is nuts about travel and provides airlines, operators and destinations with a rich area for persuasive communications.
