Bernadette opens its Prague office

Bernadette, the digital and innovation division of the global VCCP Group, is extending its footprint to the Czech Republic. The Prague office joins our global mission to bridge the gap between strategy and execution to make products, experiences and campaigns that deliver real value. By honing in on the industry's weak spots, Bernadette Prague aspires to amplify ROI and instil a renewed sense of confidence among clients.

Bernadette Prague will be led by Martin Mikyška, previously a founder and director of Studio Iceberg. Mikyška and his team, now transitioning to Bernadette, bring a wealth of experience from working on Czech e-government projects and brands such as Saint-Gobain and LEGO. Additionally, Mikyška has been actively promoting awareness in product and service design through workshops and mentoring sessions, notably with Google for Startups Academy, Holky z Marketingu, and Impact HUB, among others.

According to Mikyška, many companies are still struggling with unsuccessful digital transformations or low returns on innovation projects. This inevitably leads to overall caution, fear or disillusionment around digitalisation and innovation among marketers and product managers. Bernadette's entry into the Czech market aims to address and rectify common challenges, setting the stage for more successful digital projects.

"Even after 14 years in the industry, I continue to encounter common, yet solvable problems across many projects," Mikyška remarks. "The main problem tends to be a gap between strategy and execution. Both are crucial, but they don’t always receive equal attention. Some solutions are tailored to the composition of the team, rather than the other way around, and at times great strategy can suffer in execution. And this often leads to investment inefficiencies rather than savings.”

Another aspect is how companies approach customer understanding. “Knowing the customer is key to designing and developing innovations, and it's important that companies can gather and utilise this information internally.” Additionally, the lack of transparency in the technical aspects of projects can be problematic for clients. “They may end up investing in solutions they don't fully understand, which can lead to technical debt or security risks down the line."

Bernadette's ways of working seek to eliminate these challenges. Working with a broad team of specialists, we ensure that strategy is always at the forefront and each project is then developed by a team tailored to the proposed solution. We promote close collaboration with clients in blended teams to enhance their internal capabilities over the long term. And we emphasise transparent dialogue about technology to ensure well-informed client decisions, preventing unpleasant surprises in the future.

In addition to serving local clients, the Prague office will act as a digital development hub for Bernadette globally, joining forces with an existing digital production team, headed up by Jan Louda. Providing a complete full service digital proposition for local and international clients.

Pete Grenfell, CEO of Bernadette, added: "Adding such a talented team and breadth of capabilities is a brilliant addition to both the global Bernadette proposition and VCCP’s wider offering in the Czech market. Helping clients really get the most of their digital investments and delivering real value.”

Currently, Bernadette Prague is working on the development of digital tools and services for Saint-Gobain, Shell and Software602, pioneers in the digitization of companies and offices.