Samsung, Jacobs and Lavazza, the first positions in the top 30 strongest brands in Romania

The top 30 strongest brands in Romania, according to consumers’ perceptions, is led by Samsung, which has a brand capital 3 times higher than the average of the electronic products category, followed by two coffee brands, Jacobs and Lavazza, according to the ranking by Kantar Romania, which analyzed the 100 most valuable brands.

“The hyper-fragmentation of media channels, points of contact with consumers and the multiple anxieties they go through in recent years, makes it critical for brands to have as much clarity as possible, to find and follow a common thread, in everything I do,” said Carmen Pătraşcu, Managing Director of Kantar Romania.

She pointed out that for brands it is an extremely challenging context. They must take into account the fact that turbulences are permanent: whether they are sanitary, macro-economic and geo-political or military.

The analysis highlighted the essential role of brand capital in supporting higher prices, a Premium positioning. 40% of the brands analyzed by Kantar Romania have difficulties, in the sense that they are either seen as a simple product (commodity), whether they present a risk of eroding the profit margin or are simply seen as too expensive for what they offer.

Kantar experts have shown that brands that rely excessively on promotions and price cuts will have difficulty returning to a previous price level once purchasing power returns. Thus, it is critical that they invest in brand perceptions to be able to justify the choice not to reduce the price or to ask for a higher price.

Among the analyzed brands, the ones that manage to justify their price positioning the best are: Samsung, Jack Daniel’s, Revolut, Ferrero Rocher, Angelli, Lavazza, Apple, Raffaelo, eMAG and Milka.

“Brand capital is a crucial factor in the success of a company, because it contributes to increasing sales and provides protection against price reduction pressure in complicated periods,” continued Mădălin Vladu, Senior Director, Brand Lead at Kantar Romania. “In addition, our analysis showed that brands that have a clearer positioning in the minds of consumers, help both to obtain a higher level of brand capital and also in the market, having a larger base of consumers who have recently bought them and a better retention capacity”.

Kantar consultants have highlighted the role that advertisements have in achieving clarity of brand positioning or to get the most out of a communication campaign.