Superbrands, represented on the local market by the strategic communication agency BDR Associates, announces the start of the 10th edition of the Superbrands Program for Romania and the successful completion of the first stages. This year, the Honorary Council includes 30 professionals from different industries, such as management, marketing, advertising, communication, branding, and media, consulting. The Superbrands partner for market research is Ipsos, as in previous editions.

1857 brands evaluated by the Superbrands Council. 56% of the total brands initially listed enter the market research stage. New categories in the top 10, in a challenging year.

The list finalized by Ipsos for the first phase of the program included 1857 brands, from 65 categories, which have been considered eligible for the status of Superbrands. Following the vote of the specialists from the Honorary Council of the Superbrands Romania Program, 1040 brands, representing a percentage of 56% of the total listed brands, qualified for the second stage of the selection, namely the market research among consumers. The criteria taken into consideration in the selection process were reputation, trust, quality, and market differentiation.

Following the judging carried out by the Honorary Council, a list of the top 10 categories that enter the second stage of the current edition emerged, namely: Bookstores & Office Supplies; Gum & Candy; Gaming & Entertainment; Restaurants, Fast-food Chains, and Coffee Shops; Meal Tickets; Hotels; Baby Food & Beverages; Personal Care; Accessories; Festivals. The ranking shows that the Bookstores & Office Supplies field, as in previous editions, remains the leader of the categories that entered the evaluation process, having the most brands selected for stage 2, compared to the number of brands listed in stage 1. There are also some changes most likely influenced by the atypical conditions of last year. The Gaming & Entertainment area is also kept in the top, going up by three positions, compared to the previous rankings, being a field that has grown and been positively influenced by the pandemic. Restaurants, Fast-food Chains, and Coffee Shops represent another new category that entered the top 10, a remarkable repositioning compared to previous editions, in which it was towards the end of the ranking. Although they were closed for much of last year, restaurants have grown in the delivery area.

In this year's edition of the Superbrands program, several new categories were introduced, namely, Festivals, Real Estate, Social Media, Accessories, as well as Mobility. It is noteworthy that the Festivals were ranked in the top 10, the explanation being given by the fact that in recent years this field has become an industry, has grown exponentially and has become very popular. Even if, in the context of the pandemic, many festivals did not take place last year, it is viable the probability that their placement in the top 10 happened against the backdrop of nostalgia. The presence in the top of categories such as Restaurants, Fast-food Chains, and Coffee Shops, Hotels and Festivals, brings to attention a certain mood regarding a lifestyle that we have been deprived of due to the pandemic.

Regarding other categories, located outside this top 10, Audio / Video Streaming stood out, being in a more advanced position compared to previous editions, which confirms the continuous rise of the industry.

About Superbrands Romania: Present in Romania since 2005, through the strategic communication and public relations agency BDR Associates, the Superbrands organization develops programs dedicated to the Romanian market and the local branding culture. The programs developed so far have included seven editions of Consumer Superbrands, in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019, respectively, and two editions of Business Superbrands, in 2007 and 2008, respectively, offering over 350 successful models in branding and communication. Superbrands programs in Romania have brought together, over time, in the Superbrands Honorary Council, over 230 specialists and professionals in management, marketing, communication, branding, and other fields. More information about the Superbrands Romania program is available at www.ro.superbrands.com. 

About BDR Associates: Founded in 1995, the strategic communication and public relations agency BDR Associates is the exclusive partner in Romania of Hill + Knowlton Strategies, part of the WPP Group, one of the largest communication groups globally. BDR Associates has expanded its activity in other markets, starting with 2002, when it opened the first communication agency in the Republic of Moldova. BDR Associates provides strategic communication services, public affairs, and crisis management, specialized training, corporate communication, branding, events, creative development, digital PR, EU projects, specific monitoring and sector analysis, other services for multinational or entrepreneurial companies, international institutions, or non-governmental, other categories of clients, developing over the years strategic partnerships with various consulting companies in Europe and other areas, thus becoming a leading agency of the communications market in the region. More details at www.bdrassociates.com.

About Ipsos: The French-based international group Ipsos ranks 3rd globally in the field of market research, is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, and is present in 90 countries. Ipsos is the largest research group present in Romania, the three companies – Ipsos Romania, Ipsos Interactive Services, and Ipsos Digital - having together over 1,000 employees. Ipsos Romania, the full-service research agency, celebrates this year 20 years of presence on the local market. For more information, visit https://www.ipsos.com/ro-ro.