At the end of September, on Thursday, 29 September, the award ceremony of the annual study “Most Loved Brands Top” will take place, announcing Latvia’s most loved brands, as well as the most influential, highest quality, best value, most unique and most associated brand. Inbox.lv is also eagerly awaiting the 2011 results. For the past two years Inbox.lv has taken a high 3rd place in this ranking, behind only “Google” and “Nokia”. This makes Inbox.lv the most loved local brand. What will happen this year?
This year the “Most Loved Brands Top” will be determined for the seventh year in a row. The “Most Loved Brands Top” is organised by “DDB Latvia” and the magazine “Kapitāls”, with support from “TNS”, “Soon” and “Cube”.
“This year 439 brands in 46 different categories are being evaluated, both local brands and foreign brands well known to the people of Latvia. The most loved brand will be determined using the DDB Brand CapitalTM methodology applied in 30 countries worldwide, which examines the strength of consumers’ relationship with a brand, assessing both their intention to purchase and their opinion of the brand,” clarifies Linda Vīksne of the agency “DDB Latvia”, project manager of the “Most Loved Brands Top”. The intensity of the relationship between consumers and a brand is expressed on a multi-level scale ranging from indifference to love. Brand lovers are those people who have indicated that they would definitely buy the particular brand the next time they shop and that it is one of their favourites. It is the number of such people in society that determines a brand’s place in Latvia’s “Most Loved Brands Top”.
There has been much discussion about whether the word “most loved” is the most appropriate. Linda Vīksne explains that it is a catchy name and should be seen more as an attention-grabbing title rather than taken literally. Brand lovers are those consumers for whom the brand has become their favourite choice.
“Data from previous years of the “Most Loved Brands Top” show the rapid rise of the internet in the eyes of Latvian residents and consumers, as many internet portals and internet service providers were at the top of the “Most Loved Brands Top”,” notes Andris Griķis, Chairman of the Board of Inbox.lv.
“In conditions of global competition, users in Latvia are not interested in diagnoses of the Latvian economy. Users want to receive the best service. And if we want to compete in the local market with such “monsters” as Google, Yahoo, etc., we have to be just as active, however difficult that may be at the moment. This is a very appropriate time to improve existing products in order to ensure the loyalty of Inbox.lv users,” said Andris Griķis, commenting on the results of last year’s “Most Loved Brands Top”.
