Made in...

challenge

Difficult times for business

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the occupation of Ukrainian lands, ongoing fighting, missile strikes, a fall in Ukrainian purchasing power of Ukrainians, and mass displacement both within the country and abroad, all of which have had a devastating effect on the Ukrainian economy. According to experts, Ukrainian business suffered $13 billion in direct losses as a result of Russian aggression and total indirect losses of $33.1 billion.

According to a survey of Ukrainian business owners and CEOs, businesses carried out 71.6% of the work they had planned to in the first five months of 2023, representing a significant shortfall. At the same time, 43.4% of respondents indicated they wanted to receive information support from local municipal authorities.

Before the full-scale war, every fourth hryvnia of Ukraine's GDP came from small businesses, which were the economy's main engine. And even after February 24, 2022 — amid instability and economic uncertainty — small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and ambition.

solution

Focus on four cities

To help local businesses scale up and enter new markets, we carried out the "Made in..." project. Its purpose was to lend marketing and communications support for businesses in four Ukrainian cities: Zhytomyr, Uzhhorod, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kamianets-Podilskyi. To do this, the Internews-Ukraine team worked with the cities' governments and created communications products to help promote their small and medium-sized enterprises.

We developed branding for local manufacturers in the four cities and conducted a multi-channel advertising campaign. Using both online and offline engagement, we conveyed the local flavor and skills of 80 manufacturers. They included Ivano-Frankivsk's Old Baker cafe and bakery, Zhytomyr's tea retailer Fito Ukraine and Merry Grandfather family winery, Kamianets-Podilskyi window company ViknoPlus, Uzhhorod fashion accessory brand Shpalta, and many more.

Manufacturer brand books:

• Zhytomyr (UKR, ENG),
• Ivano-Frankivsk (UKR, ENG),
• Kamianets-Podilskyi (UKR, ENG),
• Uzhhorod (UKR, ENG).

We have also prepared online catalogs of local manufacturers in Ukrainian and English (for brand communication with international audiences).

Online catalogues:

• producers of Zhytomyr (UKR, ENG),
• producers of Ivano-Frankivsk (UKR, ENG),
• manufacturers of Uzhhorod (UKR, ENG).

The team organized 4 events, created 80 promotional videos about local brands, placed ads on 60 billboards, and conducted 2 targeted training sessions for business owners. We organized a presentation/workshop for manufacturers and local businesses in Zhytomyr. In Ivano-Frankivsk, we held an exhibition of local producers during the Christmas shopping season.

Kamianets-Podilskyi hosted a two-day business forum on supporting small and medium-sized local businesses during wartime. Uzhhorod hosted a conference presentation titled "Made in Uzhhorod," where the local campaign's communication strategy and an online catalog of local manufacturers and their products were presented.

results

Local brands are growing in popularity

The project helped local producers to expand their audience and increase awareness among local residents. More than 1.5 million users showed interest in 80 social media videos about the local businesses. Our outdoor advertising reached more than 9.5 million.

Brand owners reported that the communication campaign increased the level of interest among potential consumers and, as a result, increased sales. Thus, the Mulyarov Family Restaurant in Ivano-Frankivsk had their site traffic increase by 17% and the income rise by 26%.

We admire Ukrainian business owners who, despite the difficult times, continue to produce high-quality products and provide first-class services. Buying local is not just a fashionable trend, but an essential contribution to the resilience of our economy.

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The project took place as part of the international cooperation program "EU4Business: SME recovery, competitiveness and internationalization" co-financed by the European Union and the German government. The program aims to support Ukraine's economic resilience, recovery and growth, create better conditions for the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises, and support innovation and exports. Read more: www.eu4business.org.ua.

The strategic executor of the program is the German federal company Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The local implementation partner is Internews Ukraine.

Its content is the sole responsibility of Internews Ukraine and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or German government.