Branding: A brand by any other name

The annual Superbrands awards were given out last week. Domestic firms were able to fend off competition from international giants to secure 11 spots in the Top 20 Business Superbrands which were named for the first time in Poland. State-owned giants like PZU and PGNiG were among the Business Superbrands, alongside educational institutions like the Warsaw School of Economics and Warsaw University.

Around 200 brands were named consumer Superbrands of 2007, chosen from some 5,000 established names on the Polish market. There were fewer Superbrands chosen this year, but companies like Polish cosmetics producer Dr Irena Eris managed to make impressive leaps in the rankings. The firm jumped from 97th place in 2006 to ninth place in 2007.

"The huge leap is a result of our extensive communication strategy," said Joanna Łodygowska, spokesperson for Dr Irena Eris. "We have been working on increasing brand prestige and selectivity by advertising in women's luxury magazines and prime outdoor locations," she added.

A Superbrand is chosen because it is considered by experts and the public as having the best reputation in its industry. "These brands are, for the consumer, simply the only choice [when they need to make a purchase]. And the only place where a brand really exists is in the consumers' minds," said Superbrands project coordinator Nina Kowalewska-Motlik. "Our valuation does not measure the marketing strength of a brand, brand value or market share - it is a purely subjective evaluation," she added.

"In the 21 Century, the aim for marketing is not to sell as much as possible, but to create a strong brand," Kowalewska-Motlik explained.

Consumer brands were evaluated by experts and consumers, and the latter were split into consumers using the internet and those not online. The results differed in all three groups but the Superbrands were selected from among the sum of all groups' results. Around 10,600 consumers were surveyed.