“Promile SMS” Has Proven Good and Is to Get More Publicity

“Promile SMS” is a service that provides drivers and cyclists with a rough estimation of their present blood alcohol level and information about the time that must elapse for their blood alcohol content to drop to zero. Since its launch two years ago, the service has responded to 23,302 inquiries and one-third of clients have used the service repeatedly. The service provider, SANANIM, a non-governmental organization, is now adding WAP as a new way of accessing the service. Together with their new partner, Plzensky Prazdroj, they are launching a massive campaign to stimulate the use of the “Promile SMS” service. The only European countries where this type of service is currently available are the Czech Republic and Finland.

One-third of clients are modest drinkers

Between 1st September 2005 and the end of June 2007, the “Promile SMS” was ordered from 11,635 mobile telephone numbers: 67 % of clients used the service on one occasion, while almost one-third of clients used the service repeatedly. Men prevail among clients, submitting about 80 % of all inquiries. The average client's age is 33.4 years and the highest number of clients (42 %) falls between the ages of 18 – 29. The average blood alcohol content was 0.79 ‰ with the average level of 0.73 ‰ for women and 0.81 ‰ for men. Most of the clients are modest drinkers – the most common amount of alcohol consumed was 40 g (this corresponds to approximately 1 litre of beer). More than one-third of clients had zero blood alcohol content at the time of the test. Most of these are people who want to drive the morning after and want to be sure they will be sober.

One “Promile SMS” costs CZK 20; the money is used to cover the alcohol abuse prevention and treatment programmes of SANANIM and to cover the costs for development and operation of the service. The service has become very easy to use, and now it is necessary to give it proper publicity and build public awareness.

“In order to stimulate usage of “Promile SMS”, we're launching the more user-friendly WAP access to the service, and together with Plzensky Prazdroj we're going to provide the general public as well as specific target groups with more information about the service,” says Jiří Richter, Executive Director of SANANIM.

Plzensky Prazdroj is primarily helping with promotion of the service

Plzensky Prazdroj, a leading Czech brewing company conducting its business on the elaborate principles of a responsible beer producer, becomes the main partner of the service starting this autumn. “Our cooperation, and our contribution to promoting moderate and responsible alcohol consumption, is primarily centred on helping to promote the service itself,” says Marek Hlavica, Corporate Relations Manager of Plzensky Prazdroj.

The service will be promoted in many ways during festivals sponsored and organised by Plzensky Prazdroj (for example, the “Letorosty Festival” in Beroun on 20th September 2007 and the Pilsner Fest on 3rd – 7th October 2007). These cultural events are visited by thousands of people, the target audience of the “Promile SMS” service, and the promo activities will include: information stalls and leaflets with instructions on how to use the service, beer wristbands certifying that the holder is of drinking age, as well as so-called “beer angels” with breathalyzers offering members of the audience a test of their blood alcohol content. Plzensky Prazdroj is also investigating the possibilities of advertising the service directly on beer packaging (beer labels on bottles and cans, multi-packs), receipts, coasters, stands, etc.

How does the “Promile SMS” work?

The “Promile SMS” must contain the following information: sex, age and weight, the hour when the client started drinking, type of beverage and number of drinks. The client follows simple instructions to type in the requested data and submits the SMS. The response SMS is delivered in less than a minute and provides information about the present blood alcohol content and approximate time when the alcohol level will have dropped to zero. The message also contains brief information about risks associated with the calculated alcohol content level. Alcohol reduction, however, depends on many factors and clients are reminded to leave enough time for the body to cope with it before setting off on a trip. For each beverage there is a code, the list of codes is available at the “Promile SMS” website (www.promilesms.cz). The new, more comfortable WAP service is available at http://wap.promile.info, and clients using this type of access do not have to remember the codes of different beverages.

Civic association SANANIM
SANANIM is the largest non-governmental organisation providing care and treatment to non-alcohol drug addicts in the Czech Republic. Currently, the organisation runs ten key programmes – the Outreach project, contact centre, CADAS (outpatient treatment centre), day care facility, therapeutic communities in Karlov and Němčice, aftercare centre and sheltered apartments, a drug information centre, job and social agency, consulting centre for parents and a number of complementary programmes. There are over 95 employees and 38 members of external staff in charge of individual projects today.

Plzensky Prazdroj as a responsible beer producer
With total sales of more than 10.7 million hectolitres in the calendar year 2006 (including licensed production abroad) and exports to more than 50 countries throughout the world, Plzensky Prazdroj,a. s., is the leading beer producer in the region and the largest exporter of Czech beer. Plzensky Prazdroj, a. s., is a member of the global group SABMiller plc., one of the world's largest brewers.
Plzensky Prazdroj takes an active part in promoting the prevention of negative consequences of excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcoholic beverages. The company advocates a responsible approach to alcohol consumption on its own as well as being a member of the Responsible Brewers Initiative.

For more information contact:
Jiří Richter, Executive Officer, obcanske sdruzeni SANANIM
e-mail:
phone: 284 822 872

Marek Hlavica, Corporate Communication* Manager, Plzensky Prazdroj, a.s.
e-mail:
phone: 257 287 252

* (“two different job titles used in the text, the latter is “manažer firemní komunikace” in Czech) 

Prague