Prulček became one of Slovenian music scene’s most recognized brands by remaining non-commercial, non-conforming, non-mainstream, and offering a platform for artists and art lovers.
Adnan Shaker / Partner
About Prulček
Prulček is an alternative cultural venue on the edge of Ljubljana centre. It offers non-mainstream artists a carefree path to artistic expression and a noble audience. Both artists and visitors feel welcome and at home in this unique atmosphere. It’s a place to meet friends, exchange ideas, and discuss the world while listening to great live performances.
Problem
Today Prulček is widely known as an all-inclusive and creative space of an alternative cultural community that supports art and promotes social dialogue. However, this was not always the case. Back in the day, before the venue was bought by its current owner in 2012, it was a local sports bar. It was a gathering place for sports fans to watch the game and socialise. TVs were always on and drinks were always ready to be served. The bar had its regulars who knew to come early or stay late to catch their favourite teams. They drank beer, told stories, discussed games and had a good time.
While this might have been enjoyable for sports fans, the neighbourhood was not really thrilled about it. The bar was not an inclusive environment and it often resulted in a lively atmosphere with lots of drunk individuals. After the changes in the venue’s ownership, these issues got noticed. The new owner decided that the best way to address such problems was by making Prulček an all-inclusive cultural space.
Objective
The main objective was to reevaluate the Prulček brand and align it with the newly founded company values. Owners’ passion to change the environment for the better needed a very clear and strong marketing communication. More so, we needed to determine Prulček’s brand archetype as it is an important building block of our branding process.
Process
In the case of Prulček’s cultural venue branding story, we needed to establish a clear understanding of their core values and determine their brand archetype. Only when these segments were made clear next steps could have been taken.
Discovery and thoughts
When Prulček came into our hands, it already had good branding materials. Their logo and visual identity were well thought out and created, but they were not used. So, our first task was to find the brand archetype that fits Prulček. More so, the venue’s identity needed to be refreshed to reflect its new direction – the commitment to alternative and non-mainstream artists and their audiences.
Plan of action
The discovery of Prulček’s archetype allowed us to move forward with the branding process. As Prulček already had its logo and visual identity created by Darko Miladinović from Armada, our job was to make proper use of them. We developed Prulček’s website and maintained its social media presence and communication. In doing so we paid extra attention to the visual details and the brand’s tone of voice as both of them have an important role in supporting this cultural venue’s branding story.
However, our main point of action was to create a connection to Prulček’s target audiences. That is why we made sure that their slogan “Tle smo doma” – meaning “We are home”, is not just a slogan but the way every person at Prulček feels. To make this unique atmosphere possible, extra focus was put on staff hiring and training. After all, we needed to find the right kind of people to help us out and ensure we are delivering the best experience we can for Prulček’s community. Our goal was to create a space where both musicians and visitors feel that they are at home and that they belong here.
Besides this, we also made sure that Prulček’s branding and marketing materials clearly presented its values and ideals. Brandician’s team focused on building the content and communication that help Prulček move toward its objectives. This means that our team worked together to create valuable content, and build engaging experiences that catch the attention of Prulček’s customers.
Archetypal analysis
The idea behind the venue’s new direction was built on the philosophy of carefree exploration, inclusive audiences, and open communication. Our market research showed that the brand archetype of similar venues was either a ruler or an everyman. Yet, nighter of them really suited the spirit of Prulček and its community. As it turned out, Prulček’s spirit and the spirit of their community are bold, versatile, and non-confirmative. In other words, Prulček’s brand archetype is a rebel.
What makes Prulček’s brand archetype a rebel?
- It is non-conformist: Prulček is a space of an alternative cultural community that supports non-mainstream artists and promotes social dialogue.
- It is free-spirited: Prulček offers non-mainstream artists a carefree path to artistic expression and a noble audience.
- It is inclusive: Prulček offers a versatile live program and welcomes those who do not belong to the mainstream environment . It is a place to visit if you are ready to escape popular culture and explore the beauty of Ljubljana’s alternative cultural scene.
Prulček is the brand that captures the spirit of the space and the community it is a part of. As a rebel, it is passionate and determined. With its ideals, Prulček supports free-spiritedness, artistic expression, and open social dialogue. This brand brought much-needed cultural change to the city as well as cultural community and shortly after became one of the favourite hangouts for music lovers in Ljubljana.
Work and result
The new brand was designed to be bold, non-conformist, and — most importantly — open-minded. It was created to reflect the Prulček community in a way that would be instantly recognizable and relatable, but would also be flexible enough to grow and adapt as the community does. Prulček was imagined as an inclusive place where people come together to experience the beauty of Ljubljana’s alternative music scene.
We not only developed a beautiful website for our clients, but also designed and implemented an integrated booking system so that it is easy to use. This makes managing concerts much more convenient.
We made sure that Prulček’s alternative spirit and values are shared through its music program and exhibition selection. More so, special attention was put on staff hiring and training. Employees were provided with a dress code and behaviour guidelines to help share Prulček’s values with their visitors. The goal of this process was to create a better experience for the community and build a more welcoming and friendly environment for everyone who walks through Prulček’s doors.
We also helped Prulček with their printed materials and online presence. For example, we created their website to be engaging, straightforward, and informative. The site provides visitors with all the relevant contact details and information they need. More so, it is well-organised and easy to navigate, with a clean design and plenty of high-quality photos that bring additional value. We also made sure that this unique cultural venue does not shy away from social media. That is why we supported Prulček in creating social media accounts to share photos, videos, and posts from their events.
Conclusion
As time passes Prulček continues to grow and develop. Their musical program started with jazz bands, but now they work with groups that play all kinds of alternative music, jazz, blues, rock, and ethno. The Prulček is a great success story of a local sports bar that completely changed its direction and became a cultural centre of Ljubljana’s alternative music scene. On any given night, the place is packed with people listening to different kinds of music gigs, meeting their friends, or just hanging out and having a few drinks.
An important part of this success story was finding the brand’s archetype and sharing its core values with the community. As we at Brandician like to point out – knowing one’s brand archetype is essential for a good branding process. Besides this, the Brandician team also made sure that Prulček’s logo and visual identity were put to good use. After all, just having one simply is not enough. That is why we helped Prulček live and share their values. This is done through staff hiring and training process, quality program selection, and strong online presence.
Brandician’s team has helped Prulček find its brand archetype and refresh the venue’s identity to reflect its new direction. As our cooperation with them continues, we are more than happy to work with Prulček to move even further with this cultural venue’s branding story.
Testimonials
We’re proud of the work we did with Prulček to help them achieve their goals. The Prulček is a great success story of a local bar that developed into a cultural centre of Ljubljana’s alternative music scene. But you do not have to take our word for it. After all, the brand is what other people say about it. So, scroll down and take a look at what people have to say about Prulček.
I always feel like home at Prulček. Everyone is friendly and appreciates what we do. You can always find a warm smile and friendly conversation when you walk in the door. It feels nice to belong here.
Julijan E / Musician
It’s wonderful to have a venue where young performers can be heard, and it’s even better to have one that promotes alternative music. You can meet new people, get inspired and energized by the music and cultural environment at Prulček.
Anja G / Visitor