The seventh annual ceremony of awarding the winners of EFFIE/THE BEST BRAND was held in the Expocenter in the Krasnaya Presnya district on October 26, 2004. This was the greatest and the most colorful ceremony in the history of the contest. A lavish reception, attended by about a thousand managers of leading Russian and transnational companies, was accompanied by an excellent show. The EFFIE/THE BEST BRAND award is a registered trademark, owned by the organizer of the grand ceremony, RBC.

Launched in 1998 to promote development strategies on a competitive market, The Best Brand has become the most valuable award for companies struggling for leadership, regardless of business sector. At present, winning this contest is a real sign of business reputation gained on the market, in the entrepreneurial community and among consumers as a result of fair competition.

Not just the contest but also the award ceremony has become an event in which participation is associated with prestige and elitism. To some it is a moment of professional triumph. To others it is a chance to be in the center of intrigue (the names of winners are kept strictly confidential before they are officially announced from the stage) and compare their professional opinion to the opinion of the jury. In fact, just 94 brand names out of 284 nominated for the contest have won awards.

“EFFIE/THE BEST BRAND is primarily a serious business award. Practically every project of this year is a supreme achievement in the building of a brand name, and many have appeared on stage to receive an award. It is deeply regretful that everyone cannot be a winner. However, we have done our best to make this party a great festival for our guests, a professional celebration for the modern business community,” Maria Khokhlova, the chairperson of the contest’s organizing committee, pointed out.

The ceremony has confirmed that The Best Brand had become not just an important but also a very emotional event. Agitation of the nominees, joyfulness of the winners and endless applauses have created an exciting atmosphere, which literally burst out in ovation when the Grand Prix was given.

The jury gave the main award in the category “New Name” to the Baltimor holding company for a most successful launch of the “8 Ovoshchey” (Eight Vegetables) brand name. In the “Changing of Image” category, the award was given to HP for the most efficient rebranding. SAMSUNG received the Grand Prix in the category “Reputation and Confidence.” Samsung Electronics was the real triumphant of the party: its representatives appeared on the stage to receive two gold prizes in the categories “Hi-Tech Goods” and “Consumer Electronics” and a silver prize in the category “Home Appliances.”

This year’s trends include growth of strong brand names in such categories as the media, including TV channels, as well as clothing, footwear and fashion. “To the Savage company, the “The Best Brand” award means appreciation of the work on the creation of a product intended to form the nation’s taste and style. The more strong and reliable Russian companies and brand names appear, the stronger our country is. The opinion of experts is new evidence that there are successful brand names in Russia,” Vladimir Morozov, the general director of Savage, which won a silver prize in the category “Clothing, Footwear, Accessories,” emphasized.

“A bronze prize at the EFFIE/THE BEST BRAND contest marks the work of the Komus company on the creation of a national brand name in stationery. It is particularly valuable, as a company from the office supplies market has received a prize for the first time in the history of the contest. The Best Brand is a certificate of high quality, and we are really happy with this victory,” Komus Deputy General Director Anatoliy Kulish, who could not hide his joy, remarked.

As RBC General Director Yury Rovensky declared at the opening of the ceremony, in addition to memorable prizes, made of precious metals, each winner will receive 5 minutes of free airtime for advertising on RBC television. A fully televised version of the award ceremony of the EFFIE/THE BEST BRAND contest will be shown on this TV channel soon.