In implementing the Strategy for the Presentation of Lithuania Abroad 2020-2030 and ensuring the country’s overall positioning as “open for co-creation”, the entrepreneurship and export development agency Enterprise Lithuania presented the Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand and unified national export stand concept at the Lithuanian Business Forum.
“Lithuania presents itself to the world as a country that is open, go-getting and in search of partnerships. At Lithuanian companies famous for their receptivity to innovation, Lithuanians are editing genes, developing financial tools, and creating advanced lasers and many other solutions that are relevant worldwide. Exports of Lithuanian origin are breaking records and reaching unprecedented heights, so the economic progress and potential of our country is one of the main areas of communication to the world about Lithuania. Additional international communication and marketing tools will definitely draw the attention of global business, attract new potential foreign partners for Lithuanian companies, and give our country’s exporters added value,” says Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė.
Lithuania did not previously have an export brand, but the creation of one was provided for in the Strategy for the Presentation of Lithuania Abroad 2020-2030. “This task was entrusted to the organisation that works the most with the country’s export marketing and communications – the national entrepreneurship and export development agency Enterprise Lithuania. The goal of the Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand provided for in the strategy is to start concerted communication about Lithuania’s economic potential and industrial competitiveness at international business exhibitions and trade missions, and to promote products or services of Lithuanian origin and co-created with partners by marking them with the country of origin brand. With the help of best practice in other countries, Lithuania now has a professionally prepared export brand as well,” says Marius Gurskas, head of Strategic Communication for the Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
According to Mr Gurskas, the Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand was implemented using the Lithuania Co-create visual identity, so this will increase Lithuania’s recognition abroad.
Before the pandemic, Enterprise Lithuania alone organised an average of 12-15 national stands at various international business exhibitions, where Lithuanian exporters presented themselves to the world. The visual identity of the agency’s international brand – Enterprise Lithuania – was used for this purpose.
“However, in addition to ours, joint stands are also presented at international exhibitions by other business associations that use their own visual identities. So there were times when you could see three different Lithuanias at the same exhibition. That was not a good practice – we were missing a unified national identity, compared to how other countries and their producers have a unified presentation at international exhibitions and are easily recognisable. So we made great efforts to ensure that Lithuania has a unified export brand and message to the world that will help people remember that we are a collaborating and innovative country, and will increase the attractiveness of Lithuanian products and services. “We’re really hoping that the Co-created in Lithuania export brand will be used successfully for several reasons – the detailed concept attractiveness and practical usage guidelines, the ease of implementation, the opportunities for repeated use, and stand design cost savings,” says Rasa Uždavinytė, head of the Enterprise Lithuania Export Department.
In addition to what the national export stand of the country should look like at foreign exhibitions, Enterprise Lithuania has also prepared guidelines for stand participants on exhibition communication in social media and the appropriate representative work stand.
According to Ms Uždavinytė, in order to make the most of the Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand, Lithuanian manufacturers will also be able to use the brand in sales promotion material and brand their products with it. To this end, detailed branding guidelines and rules on what conditions must be met in order to exercise this option have also been developed.
“We’re therefore very much inviting and encouraging partners, business associations, Lithuanian manufacturers and exporters to use the marketing tools that have been developed and to join in on the unified Lithuanian communication abroad,” notes Ms Uždavinytė.
The Co-created in Lithuania national export stand concept is publicly available in the toolbox on the official website of Lithuania, www.lietuva.lt, and on the Enterprise Lithuania website here. Those who would like to brand their goods as Co-created in Lithuania are invited to leave an enquiry here.
“The Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand means that we create together in Lithuania. Together with each other and together with foreign partners. But for now, these are just words, because we still have to give value to this brand by working together and using the brand consistently in practice,” says Lina Vigraitė, CEO of EZCO, the agency that developed the brand guidelines.
Enterprise Lithuania developed the marketing tools and visual usage guidelines for the Co-created in Lithuania export country of origin brand together with EZCO Creative Agency, and METIDA Law Firm took care of international registration of the Co-created in Lithuania country of origin brand and the branding rules.
Record export performance in 2021
An analysis of goods export data performed by Enterprise Lithuania shows that last year, Lithuania’s export performance was one of the best in the last decade. And in terms of the export structure, the most significant impact on overall export growth was made by the growth in exports of goods of Lithuanian origin. According to Statistics Lithuania, Lithuania’s total exports of goods increased by 20.5 per cent over 2021 (or 16.4 per cent without petroleum products). Exports of goods of Lithuanian origin increased by 25.9 per cent over the year (or 20.7 per cent without petroleum products), and re-exports increased by 12.7 per cent (or 10.6 per cent without petroleum products). The main export markets for goods of Lithuanian origin in 2021 were Germany, the United States, Poland, Latvia and the Netherlands – together, these countries accounted for 40 per cent of total export value. It is estimated that nearly 5,600 Lithuanian companies exported goods in 2021.