Ukraine’s tangled history, especially during the bleak seven decades of Soviet rule, has produced a country that struggles to grasp its identity. Internationally, this means that Ukraine is little known and little understood.
Put plainly: it has no brand.
Other countries have brands, or traits that come immediately to mind. In Ukraine, Germany evokes expectations of order and precision. France is a land of romance, Italy one of hedonism, and Japan one of politeness and well-run businesses. The associations differ from country to country.
Except for Ukraine. There seem to be no strong, positive associations with the country. So it’s high time that a Ukraine brand appeared.
Ways of building one will be discussed at the Branding Ukraine panel at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference on Dec. 5 in Kyiv.
A common tactic is to promote a country’s highest quality, best-loved consumer brands. Japan’s image is intertwined with Toyota and Sony, and Sweden is known for Ikea and H&M.
However, Ukraine has no famous international brands, as can be seen in the ranking of the country’s top 100 most valuable brands. The list was compiled by MPP Consulting and published in Novoe Vremya magazine on Nov. 17.
It makes for sad reading.
First, none of the top brands are prominent outside Ukraine. Some are working to change that: the company behind vodka brand Khortytsya is expanding in the West. Another, Nemiroff, can be found in duty-free stores around the world. But there is no breakthrough.
The ranking also highlights the insecurity and offshorization of Ukrainian business: almost every big company on the list is owned through offshore entities. When the owners of the country’s top companies think it’s too risky to register them in Ukraine, what does that say about the business climate in the country?
Saddest of all is the fact that the No. 1 Ukrainian brand according to the ranking, Morshinska bottled water, is owned by a Russian company.
Nevertheless, there is scope for optimism. The list features many high-quality products and services. Any of them could achieve international success. And if just a few Ukrainian consumer brands make it internationally, Brand Ukraine would be well on its way to being forged.
