The Superbrands Romania Programme

Superbrands operates’ membership programmes that comprise amongst other things publications, websites, events and PR campaigns aimed at presenting the strongest brands on a local market and their stories. The organisation rewards brand reputation and promotes the discipline of branding, paying tribute to exceptional brands through programmes in more than 90 countries across the world.

Since entering the local market in 2005, Superbrands Romania has developed several Business and Consumer Superbrands Programmes. BDR Associates, the strategic communication agency and Partner of Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Romania, is the official partner appointed by the Superbrands International Organization to develop the Superbrands Programmes in Romania.

Superbrands Romania has developed the 10 editions of the Superbrands programme.

At the heart of all the programmes is an independent and voluntary Council of leading business experts and outstanding media professionals. The key role of the Council is to score a short list of brands from relevant business fields following Superbrands specific methodology. Only brands that are highly appreciated by the Council and are validated through the market research are eligible for the Superbrand status and are invited to join the Programme and present their success story in the Superbrands Books.

Following the Council’s vote and the market research, the Superbrands Book is published. Each of the brands validated in the previous steps of the programme is entitled to receive an invitation to advertise the story of their exceptional branding efforts.

With a main goal of presenting successful stories of exceptional branding, the Superbrands book, aims, at the same time, at conferring an overview of the Romanian market potential. Also known as “branding bibles”, Superbrands books present, annually, around 40-45 models of highly acknowledged reputation and branding on the market.

The Superbrands books benefit from an extensive distribution network, several thousand copies circulating both at national and international level, within the Superbrands network.

Brands with “Superbrands Status” receive a Superbrands Award Seal and a certificate, as recognition of their exceptional branding efforts. The seal can be used on their packaging and in their advertising campaigns. Following previous programmes, many brands have chosen to advertise the fact that they have received Superbrand status, i.e. Bonduelle, Olympus, MedLife, Rompetrol, Ocean Fish, Mol Romania, Ziarul Financiar, SENSIblu, AmCham Romania and more.

Superbrands programmes offer members the chance to make new connections and extend their professional network. The exclusive, high-class Tribute Events organized at the end of a cycle, with several hundred attendees, key figures of the Romanian business environment; grant members the opportunity to interact with fellow colleagues from different industry fields.

A voluntary honorary Superbrands Council is formed annually, comprised of highly recognized professionals with a deep appreciation of the business environment, specialized in marketing, communication and business administration and reputed representatives of business media. The Council members have the mission to score approximately 1850 brands from more than 65 fields of business.

The definition considered in their evaluation of a brand is the following: “A Superbrand has established the finest reputation in its field. It offers customers significant emotional and/or tangible advantages over its competitors, which (consciously or sub-consciously) customers want and recognise.” The following criteria are taken in consideration when evaluating a brand: Reputation, Quality, Trust, and Distinction, according to the Superbrands methodology.

Following the Council’s assessment, the lowest-scoring brands are eliminated and approximately 60% of the leading brands are further surveyed through market research, and high achieving brands are entitled to receive the Superbrand status and are invited to join the programme. IPSOS Romania is the traditional partner of BDR Associates for the Superbrands Programme. The research institute is responsible for the documentary work, elaboration of the brand list and development of the market research phases of the process.

The story of Superbrands begins with a radio show on GLR (now BBC Radio London), created with the purpose of offering consumers an insight into the brands that touched their lives. Following this highly successful show, Superbrands Ltd. was founded in 1995 with the mission to identify, promote and pay tribute to exceptional brands.

The inaugural Superbrands Book featured a wide range of brands, such as American Express and Coca-Cola, British Airways, and Cadbury. Following this first edition of the programme, Superbrands further consolidated its authority in the UK with two successive programmes, in 1996 and 1997, before extending operations at an international level, with a first edition of Superbrands Australia.

27 years later, Superbrands organization has grown extensively, conducting programmes all around the world, honouring extraordinary reputation and brand building stories on key markets in more than 90 countries around the world.