This year the list of the Latvia’s most beloved brands is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The changes in the list and in various aspects of life are nearly unbelievable.
Just imagine! In 2004, only 15% of people in Latvia had access to the Internet, which basically only existed on office computers. What did we do at a tram stop or during a traffic jam? What did we do in the evening, and how did we communicate with friends? That is unclear to lots of people today, to say nothing of our children. We basically travelled on buses, and only one-quarter of us travelled outside of Latvia each year. Today we are no longer sure that there are bus trips at all. The airport used to be for the elect, but now it is livelier than Old Rīga on Friday night or the Central Market on Saturday morning. Ten years ago we engaged in sports and gained cultural experience with the help of our TV remote control. Now we have gone out into the streets of the city to maintain ourselves in physical and mental terms. Our experience is now more important than the things that we buy.
Ten years ago, the Laima sweets company was the most beloved brand here in Latvia. Now, for the past five years, Google has been our sweetest snack. After all, it can answer (nearly) every question that entertains us and helps us to make our way through the unknown parts of the world. What’s more, it does so free of charge. Who could dislike this?
We, too, have grown substantially during this period of time. When we put together the first list of the most beloved brands in 2004, we shyly sent out a news release about the ten best-loved brands in Latvia. Today, five partner companies take part in the process, and the research focuses on all three of the Baltic States. Once a year we publish a report on the list that is around 50 pages long in the magazine Kapitāls, and we bring together the directors and marketing directors of the most influential companies in the Baltic States, along with experts from the various sectors, for a prize ceremony at the Palladium concert hall.
A special guest at this year’s ceremony will be the global marketing director for the Interbrand company, Graham Hales. Interbrand puts together the very prestigious Best Global Brand lists. Like TED, which was an exclusive club for 22 years before making its stories available to everyone in the world, we will democratise the club and offer a live streamed broadcast of the ceremony on Delfi.lv for anyone who is interested in it. I hope that that will be a valuable gift on the 10th birthday of this celebration of beloved brands.
One thing has not changed during this decade, however. Lots of people ask whether a brand can even be loved. As we can see, yes, it can.
Zīmolu tops 2014 / Andris Rubīns / Atskats uz Zīmolu topa desmit gadu vēsturi from DDB Latvia on Vimeo.
