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61% of respondents in Latvia are ready to give up a product or service available in Latvia if they do not agree with the position of the manufacturer or seller regarding the war in Ukraine. This is concluded in a survey conducted by the communication agency “A. W. Olsen & Partners ” commissioned by Norstat in early April 2022. In addition, more than half (53%) of respondents in Latvia indicated that in order to start or continue purchasing a product or service, it is important for them to know the organization's position on the war in Ukraine. "A few years ago, the 'business only' rule prevailed, so it was better for organizations to respect social neutrality, otherwise they could lose some customers. In turn, the audience now has important organizational values. It has become an important brand selection criterion for both customers and employees. Values ​​have become an essential element of the trust formula. Organizations are expected to be actively involved in solving social problems relevant to the local community, ” points out the communication agency “A. W. Olsen & Partners” partner Olga Kazaka and adds that 23% of respondents in Latvia have also noted that they have already encountered brands with a different position and refused the relevant product or service. In a survey conducted by the communication agency “A. W. Olsen & Partners ” and commissioned by Norstat in early April 2022, 1,008 respondents aged 18 to 74 ...

Latvian PR agency “A.W.Olsen & Partners” has become the winner of the biggest European communication competition European Excellence Awards 2021 in the category - “Change Communications”.  This year, more than 800 applications competed in this prestigious competition. The competent jury highly appreciated the communication agency “A.W. Olsen & Partners'” campaign "Be real!", which was developed and implemented on behalf of the Latvian Consumer Rights Protection Center (CRPC). This year it is the only European Excellence Award that will travel to Latvia. Full list of winning projects for the European Excellence Awards 2021: https://www.excellence-awards.com/best-of-2021/ Campaign „Esi reāls!” (Be real!) video case: https://youtu.be/NR_cOvdxRX8 The campaign "Esi reāls!" (Be Real!) is recognized as the best in the nominations "Integration of traditional and new media" (agency), "Social media" (agency) and "Influencer management" (agency) in the world's most important public relations competition IPRA Golden World Awards (IPRA GWA) 2021. Also here “A. W. Olsen & Partners” was honored to become the only recipient of the award from Latvia.   About European Excellence Award The most prestigious European Excellence Award has been presented for outstanding achievements in the field of public relations and communication since 2007. An international jury evaluates candidates in various nominations, highlighting the best examples of communication and PR work across Europe.

The processes that take place in the influencer marketing industry are reminiscent of the difficult transition period when a teenager who is cherished and pampered turns into an adult who takes responsibility and treats like-minded people in contact with older people. Decide for yourself. How to call this industry - influencers, bloggers, content creators, opinion leaders, digital content authors? There are more options and discussions now than ever before; this shows the search for self-identification that characterizes every serious industry. The second feature is about financial relationships. The tax reform has eliminated or disadvantaged the common forms of tax payment chosen by influencers in Latvia: patent fees, royalty agreements, micro-enterprises. This shows that influencers also need to show maturity and create financially active companies. We also see that the criteria for selecting influencers for cooperation are expanding. Of course, standard insights such as the number of followers have not disappeared (and this is no longer a goal, as cooperation with nano and micro-influencers has become a stable trend), the portrait of followers (where they come from, what gender and age dominate), signs of fraud and the level of involvement (by the way, imitation of involvement is currently the most common form of fraud among Latvian influencers), whether the advertiser has a suitable influencer image and communication style, as well as the way he usually represents brands. However, against this background, additional criteria, such as the coherence of the blogger's and ...

In cooperation with The International Exhibition Company BT, we are organizing the “RIGA COMM Influencers Marketing Conference”, which will take place this year on October 14 at Kipsala. Olga Kazaka, a partner of our agency “A.W.Olsen & Partners” will open the event with a speech on the situation of the influencer marketing market in Latvia. The conference will provide information on current and upcoming trends in influencer marketing, from topics about cooperation forms and information representation to financial aspects of relationship formation. The event will be professionally and informatively helpful for content creators and influencers, as well as for representatives of brands and agencies. Lecturers will share stories about successful and not-so-successful experiences in the influencer marketing, as well as current topics on legislation, taxes and fair commercial practices, creating a successful cooperation. As part of the event, content creators will have the opportunity to meet brand representatives and establish business contacts. More information about the event: https://rigacomm.com/lv/.

Latvian communication agency “A. W. Olsen & Partners” has been awarded in the world’s largest public relations competition, the IPRA Golden World Awards (IPRA GWA) 2021, in 3 nominations. The awards are given for the communication campaign "Esi reāls!" (Be Real!), which has been developed for the Consumer Rights Protection Center of Latvia, to help the audience more critically perceive the content of social networks, as well as to stimulate influencers and brands that work with them not to mislead consumers.  The campaign "Esi reāls!" (Be Real!) is recognized as the best in the nominations "Integration of traditional and new media" (agency), "Social media" (agency) and "Influencer management" (agency). This year “A. W. Olsen & Partners” became the only recipient of the prestigious award from Latvia. "I am really proud of our and "A. W. Olsen & Partners” work in the implementation of the "Esi reāls!" (Be Real!) campaign! The key to success is that we, as a public institution, have boldly focused on one very important area, influencer marketing, enhanced surveillance and consumer protection, but “A. W. Olsen & Partners helped deliver important messages to audiences. It is also appreciated internationally! At the same time, we are aware that much remains to be done to improve this area and we will continue to work!” Baiba Vītoliņa, Director of the Consumer Rights Protection Center. "There are a number of challenges in the field of influencer marketing that are important to ...

Dynamics of trust If I were asked to name a modern corporate communication formula, I would say that organizations attract the attention of the audience by offering emotions and impressions in exchange, but keep that attention and build relationships through trust. In this context, we see interesting dynamics. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, the international “Edelman Trust Barometer” survey showed a dramatic increase in the trust in non-governmental organizations, the media, businesses and, in particular, governments. A year has passed and it is clear that it was more like a credit of confidence, as the new data clearly indicate that there has been disappointment. The results of the same study in early 2021 show a decline in the trust in the media, non-governmental organizations and, in particular, governments around the world. In addition, it can be seen that trust in traditional and social media as sources of information has become the lowest in the last 9 years. Signs of a crisis of confidence are also observed in Latvia. The “Kantar” study shows that people are increasingly willing to return to the way they were before the pandemic and are less and less willing to comply with the restrictions. In addition, respondents are more likely to express dissatisfaction with the government and call for active action to resolve the problems that have arisen. Most interestingly, according to research, the vector of hope and confidence ...

The general quarantine and the transfer to remote working mode has given new insights to the virtual meetings and has imposed an interesting question: is videoconferencing the same as face-to-face meetings or something else? What rules of conduct apply here? How does it differ from face-to-face conversation? Here are some tips to help make videoconferencing more effective. 1. Prepare well First and foremost, prepare technically. A good microphone and headphones, as well as a good lighting shining on your face from a window or lamp (do not sit with your back to the lit window) have become the basic hygiene elements. The camera should be positioned at eye level. Fully charge the computer and leave it connected to the charger during the meeting. Close all unnecessary windows and programs. Make sure that the background is quiet, so that children or pets do not interfere in the conversation at any important moment. Try out the technique and program beforehand, but do not forget to turn off the microphone when you are not talking. Many questions arise about the choice of background and clothing. Recent research shows that interlocutors pay most attention to background, less attention to clothing style and color; however, these are still important aspects. All these elements are especially important when communicating virtually with men or younger generation. So, when it comes to clothing, the neutral color scheme and business style will help you to look authentic, trustworthy, as ...