One Facebook post caused a lot of stir today among breweries and football fans
Even birds on trees know that Croatian football is very closely linked to politics but on February 15, 2016, one Facebook post sparked an all out PR crisis for one of the largest breweries in the country, Zagrebačka pivovara, producers of Ožujsko pivo (one of the main sponsors of the Croatian Football Federation).
Their direct competitors, Heineken Croatia signed a contract with Hajduk and Karlovačko pivo is now one of Hajduk’s largest sponsors. Just minutes after the contract was signed, an anonymous group of authors behind Hajduk Products Facebook page (no relation to official Hajduk page) posted a very interesting photo with a very direct message: It is your duty as a Hajduk fan to drink Karlovačko from now on. Because not only are they now the club’s sponsors but also, depending on the volume of all types of Karlovačko beer sold in Dalmatia, Hajduk can make even more money based on the variable clause of the contract. Also, keep in mind who is the main sponsor of the football mafia and who is holding the ladder for them!
The message on the photo is also very clear When you’re drinking be careful who’s getting the money again insinuating that with every Ožujsko beer they are giving the money to HNS (Croatian Football Federation).
Photo was shared a few dozen times and most of us thought it was a clever pun move and an example of Dalmatian dišpet spite), but this morning, attorney Jadranka Orešković contacted the administrators of Hajdučki proizvodi, presented herself as the legal representative of Zagrebačka pivovara and threatened to sue unless they remove the photo from their Facebook wall because it was against Croatian and European marketing regulations and because they used an offensive term (mafia) to describe the Croatian Football federation.
Administrators once again stated that they are not an official Hajduk page but Ms. Preskovic did not stop there and sent several other Facebook messages asking them to remove the photo in question, presenting herself as the official representative of the brewery. Our colleague Goran Antonijević then contacted Zagrebačka pivovara to check whether Ms. Orešković is indeed their legal representative and whether they are planning to take legal action against anonymous administrators. This is their answer: Given that the communication and messages on the mentioned Facebook page are against the good business practices and valid legislations in advertising, we have asked all relevant experts for their opinion, including the offices of Čačić and Partners (where Ms. Orešković works). We have not authorized anyone to speak on the behalf of Zagrebačka pivovara. Statements made in the media today do not represent the official stand of Zagrebačka pivovara. Ožujsko pivo has been a friend of sports, football, Croatian national team and all its supporters for many years now. We stood by them during their biggest successes and even when they failed to qualify for the biggest European and World competitions. Our support remains unquestionable because t is the characteristic of a true football friend.
t remains to be seen how this matter will be resolved but one thing is certain; Ms. Orešković’s solo outburst only made the team behind Hajdučki proizvodi more determined to get their message across: “We will print billboards and leaflets if we have to, and we invite everyone to share the photo ” they said for Dalmatinski portal earlier today.
This just in – Law firm Čačić & Partners just sent an official apology to Hajdučki proizvodi in which they state that Ms. Orešković’s actions do not represent the official opinion of Zagrebačka pivovara or Čačić and Partners.
