The seventh BRAND OF THE YEAR/EFFIE award ceremony was held in the format of a formal reception in the Expocentr exhibition center on October 26, 2004. The BRAND OF THE YEAR/EFFIE award is a registered trademark, the sole property of its host, namely RBC. The best of the best of the Russian businesses attended the event. They included almost 1,000 top managers and heads of leading Russian and transnational companies, advertising and marketing firms. Many of them received the main trophy, the status of a BRAND OF THE YEAR/EFFIE 2004 laureate.

Each year, the number one Russian brand building award gets weightier and weightier, and the ceremony itself becomes more spectacular. This year, 284 brands competed with each other, compared to 18 in 1999, 36 in 2000, and 200 in 2003. The more companies that apply for the prize, the more unpredictable the intrigue gets. For several hours the guests of the ceremony couldn't wait for the moment to come when the winners in 29 categories, and the happy recipient of the Grand Prix would be announced.

The main tendency of the year could be described in the following way: mass media (including TV), clothing, footwear, and fashionable brands have seen healthy growth in our country recently. Most of the awards were given to Russian companies. The winners couldn't hide their pride, as the award not only recognizes the brand's success on the market, but the professionalism of those who made it possible to become a leader amid strong competition. Judging by the results of the event, it is clear that the contest successfully implements its global aim, as it draws the attention of the business community to the process of building new development strategies in a competitive environment, and therefore, leads Russian businesses to new heights.

According to the organizers of the award ceremony, in the future the BRAND OF THE YEAR/EFFIE is to turn from a well-known but not quite public ceremony into a fancy business show that would resemble the Oscar award ceremony. It will also be possible to watch live coverage of the ceremony on TV. "THE BRAND OF THE YEAR has become a very emotional event, - Chairman of the organizing committee Mariya Khokhlova said. - Our number one aim is to make it similar to the Oscar, with the only difference that this is going to be a business show.

This time, the most precious prize for the winners of the award is five minutes of advertising on the first Russian business television RBC TV. "We all know that one minute of TV advertising can be more important than just one minute, one calendar month, or even one year - General Director of RBC Yury Rovensky declared as he opened the ceremony. - Ad minutes are really golden minutes, and it seems to me that this is the best present for the winners of the award in the marketing and advertising categories."