Magazine: MagyarBrands 2015: Hungarian brand, international value

The MagyarBrands Committee of Experts has been rewarding brands with a Hungarian connection for six years. Seven criteria are considered in brands’ evaluation: traditions, employment, ownership structure, reputation, identity, how well known a brand is and popularity. Based on the lessons learned in the last 5 years, in 2015 the MagyarBrands index has been calculated a bit differently than before: based on ownership, employment and identity there was a pre-selection done. In the following traditions, reputation, identity, how well known a brand is and popularity were weighed and points were given.

Almost three quarters of the 2015 MagyarBrands winners are in 100-percent Hungarian ownership and their manufacturers employ 570 people on average. On the winners’ podium of classic MagyarBrands we find Richter Gedeon, Zwack and Tungsram (business brands), and Pick, Unicum and Gundel (consumer brands).

MagyarBrands special award winner Igazgyöngy Foundation has been active since 1999 in one of Hungary’s most underdeveloped region, in and around Berettyóújfalu. They make great efforts to save talents, especially from the Roma population. The foundation operates an elementary school that focuses on arts, where 350 from the 600 pupils come from a very poor background. They also started a complex programme which aims at ending the segregation in the education of children who come from socially and financially disadvantaged, mainly Roma families.

Budapest Festival Orchestra is a real success story on the international music scene: it is ranked as one of the 10 best orchestras in the world. One of the reasons their work was recognised with the MagyarBrands special award is that Iván Fischer and his musicians are always looking for new ways and new forms. One of their special projects is called SpaceDanceConcert, which isn’t only about music and dance but also about a collective creative process, tolerance and equal opportunities. Despite very often playing on international stages, one of the orchestra’s main missions is to entertain Hungarian audiences.

The shock caused by the news that one has cancer and the ensuing battle against the disease is a lasting negative experience for many Hungarian families. At the moment cancer can be cured in about 50 percent of cases, but is there a chance that in the future everyone can recover from this illness? MagyarBrands special award winner Oncompass Medicine is already working on it. For instance they have created the Real Time Oncology Calculator, with the help of which – using a large database – doctors who treat cancer patients can more easily decide which would be the most optimal treatment for a given patient.

MagyarBrands winners have at least one thing in common: in their own fields they represent special value, which can be used for the benefit of consumers, of the whole country. With Hungary’s economy growing and the strengthening of consumer patriotism, we can say that the popularity of Hungarian products and services is definitely growing.