The year has come and gone, and it's time to recap what has made its mark on marketing in the domestic market. Artificial intelligence has already become a standard in marketing work, brands are increasingly emphasizing chatbots and avatars, and they are finding their way into the gaming community. The Mall.cz brand has disappeared from the market, next year it will happen with Sazka. The automotive sector is starting to be filled by Chinese brands, while beer is driven by innovation. Here's an overview of the events and trends that influenced marketing this year.
(1) Artificial intelligence is becoming the standard
Far from being just an interesting experiment,artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of marketing work. Almost a third of companies and almost all communication agencies operating on the Czech market (29%) are already using it, not only for brainstorming, but also for copywriting and creating visuals. This puts AI right in the middle of creative work. With its help, this year's advertising was created by, for example, online supermarket Rohlík, deferred payment service Skip Pay, brand Ploom, comparison site ePojisteni.cz, Puella laundry perfume, travel agency Invia or O2.
(2) Brands rely on chatbots and avatars
In addition to artificial intelligence, there is an increasing emphasis on automation. Companies are now routinely deploying chatbots and voicebots on customer lines, with more than 70% of Czechs already having experience with them and 28% using them regularly. Avatars are being tested in brick-and-mortar branches - for example, the Coop chain introduced a digital avatar at an Orlen petrol station, where it opened its 94th automated store. Česká spořitelna also introduced an AI avatar at its first 24-hour branch. Decathlon also placed an AI sports assistant in its Fitness & Run Store to help customers navigate its services.
(3) The health trend is on the rise
The willingness of Czech consumers to adopt a healthier lifestyle is growing, according to a survey by Ipsos. This translates into a change in eating habits and more conscious consumption of alcohol. Brands are responding to this, with their offerings expanding, particularly in the field of dietary supplements. Pill has introduced its own Daily brand, while another new product is OlaOla. But alongside products, companies are also coming up with services that offer personalised recommendations based on blood tests, Pill is an example, and Powerlogy has plans to do so too.
(4) Gaming is no longer the domain of teenagers
According to research by MNForce, 62.9 percent of people in the Czech Republic already play digital games. Gaming has become a normal part of everyday life across generations and a full-fledged leisure medium that rivals TV and streaming services in popularity. That's why gaming is increasingly becoming a part of marketing campaigns - the Práce za rohem app has built its campaign on gaming, Komerční banka has introduced a gaming competition in collaboration with Mastercard, Axe has been inspired by the aesthetics of pixel games and Penny has teamed up with Streamers Clash.
(5) Sazka to disappear from the market, to be replaced by Allwyn
Sazka, the largest Czech lottery company, which will celebrate 70 years of existence next year, will be renamed Allwyn at the end of January 2026. The rebranding will affect the visual identity and the sales network, but the products themselves and their names, such as Sportka, Eurojackpot or Černá perla, will remain. The change is intended to help the brand attract the younger generation as well as enable further development. Since autumn, Sazka has been explaining the merger with Allwyn with a communication campaign.
(6) The Mall.cz brand has disappeared, it has been transferred to Allegro
The well-known e-commerce brand Mall.cz suffered a similar fate as CZC.cz, at the end of March it disappeared and moved to the Allegro platform. The Polish owner explained this move by the consolidation of all technological platforms in the group and their transition to common software.
(7) Chinese car companies enter the Czech market
Chinese automotive brands have started to flow into the Czech Republic in large numbers. This year alone, the BYD brand, which is already beating rival Tesla in sales, has officially entered the market, as has the Chery Automobil concern, which launched its flagship Chery brand in the Czech Republic after its Omoda and Jaecoo brands. The Dongfeng car company or the British brand MG, which is now owned by the SAIC group, also operate here.
(8) New to the presentation are holoboxes
The first Czech sponsors tried out a holobox that provides a 3D product model, a live broadcast of a concert or a virtual tour guide. Thanks to the combination of 3D realistic display and touch control, it can turn passive viewing into an interactive presentation. It has already been tested by companies such as Allwyn, Ray Service and Uniqa, which presented an interactive meeting with Olympic champion Jiří Prskavec, or rather his hologram, at the World Cup in the water slalom in Prague's Troja.
(9) Luxury is growing, the number of brands has increased significantly
Luxury brands have taken a liking to the Czech market. Last year, Patrizia Pepe, The Brands, Le Labo and The Ingredients opened a store in Prague on Vězeňská Street and Tudor on Old Town Square. This year, Cartier expanded its store. It also opened Fairmont Golden Prague with a total of seven new stores, including Grenardi jewellery, as well as Pasquale Bruni and Damiani and a new Max Mara flagship store. Another new project is Pařížská 25 by Kaprain Real Estate, which added another 1,000 sqm of luxury retail space. Beyond Pařížská Street, the opening of Balmain Hair Couture on Dlouhá Street further strengthens Prague's position as a key luxury goods market.
(10) Beer is losing ground with the Czechs, innovation is needed
Although beer consumption in the Czech Republic is still the highest in the world, even in the beer drinkers' paradise it is declining. An average of 128 litres per capita is drunk here annually, 25 litres less than in 2009. The decline in beer consumption is due, among other things, to the fact that the number of die-hard beer drinkers is falling and the number of occasional drinkers, often young consumers, is growing. They are bothered by the bitterness, dullness, heaviness, beer stink and the risk of beer belly. They appreciate lightness, lower bitterness and lower alcohol content, and are therefore attracted to innovations, whether functional beers such as Cool or Birell Active, non-alcoholic variants or light beers such as Proud.
Source: mediaguru.cz