The guide from a businessman, Felix Chertok. How to promote Ukrainian brands on the international arena?
Have you noticed that the trend of offering consumers only the financial benefit of purchasing a product or service has pretty much died down lately? This feature continues to be used only by overly conservative companies that actually have nothing else to offer.
Instead, a strong brand in the progressive 21st century is about spiritual values that demonstrate an emotional connection with the consumer. That is why one of the key elements of a successful company promotion on the international arena is the alignment of their values with the priorities of society.
So, how do you create a brand capable of capturing the hearts of consumers around the world, and what role do values play here? Let’s look for an answer in the Feliks Chertok dossier, who is a progressive Ukrainian entrepreneur, investor and founder of one of the largest alcohol distribution companies in Ukraine – “AV” Trading House.
Brand success is natural if you do what you love.
The first step to building a successful brand is your immersion in its life. If you are interested in the product manufacture, work on its positioning, invest all of yourself in its philosophy – then success is 99% guaranteed to you.
Chertok Felix also emphasizes that he is inspired by the creation of business projects that are able not only to sell goods, but also to make people fall in love with the product. And what better way to make people fall in love with the product than to demonstrate its value.
“Brand values are about uniqueness. The strategy of total adoption 一 is the key to failure” 一 Felix Chertok.
Remember one important thing: the company’s values must be internally justified, that is, they reflect the philosophy and ideas of your company. If you decide to add something that is not yours to paint a pretty picture like your competitor’s, you can pay for it with your own reputation and consumer trust.
Imagine: you read an article stating that eco-consciousness is the trend of 2023 and decided to play on it. You published an official statement on the website, where you said that the company cares about the preservation of the environment and natural resources. However, in fact, you refuse to implement energy-efficient production technologies in order to reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere, ignore the requirements for waste disposal, and in general, your product can harm the health of consumers.
Obviously, people will discover the truth and condemn your brand. And believe me: it will take you a long time to wash off this dirt. So it’s better that your value is not so global, but will definitely fill the hearts of consumers with its sincerity. If you want to find more info about Felix Chertok, visit the website.
So what might a company’s values be? 5 main categories from Chertok Felix.
1. Quality in every detail: products, service and partnership
The quality offered by the company is a decisive advantage for consumers in today’s demanding world. It is not only an indicator of flawless product manufacture, but also a testimony of the brand’s caring attitude towards its customers and partners. So, in fact, quality creates trust and loyalty.
However, according to Felix Chertok, product quality cannot be achieved by chance. It requires constant attention, control and effort from the brand. Reliability of raw materials, high quality of production processes, innovative technologies – all these are necessary components of quality products.
For example, the Green Day vodka brand belongs to the portfolio of “AV” Trading House. All technological processes of the production of this product are carried out in compliance with the requirements of the international environmental standard ISO 14024, which indicates its environmental safety. In addition, for the production of Green Day vodka, only highest quality grain alcohol of the “Lux” class is used. Chertok Felix also mentions the innovative technologies called ORIGINAL TECHNOLOGY™, which allow reducing the concentration of safflower oils and aldehydes by 2.5 times with respect to the current GOST standards.
Felix Chertok notes that any product from the assortment of the “AV” Trading House has excellent quality, so it is not surprising that his company is in demand on the market and supplies more than 24 million bottles of alcohol to consumers around the world every year.
2. A team of professionals
The success of a business largely depends on the people who create it. If your people work as a single unit, they become an invincible force that ensures the stability and success of the brand.
Another big advantage of a strong team is commitment and motivation. If employees believe in the values of the brand and have the feeling that they are part of something truly big, they are willing to put in their best efforts to achieve common goals.
Felix Chertok, for example, often notes that the main value of the brand for him is the people in the team. That is why freedom of expression, initiative and love for one’s work are highly valued in the “AV” Trading House, where about 370 specialists of various fields work.
3. Customer focus
“AV” Trading House focuses its activities on meeting the needs of consumers, therefore it constantly monitors their opinions and wishes, takes into account feedback and, based on the information received, improves its assortment and service. This is exactly the kind of business that can make people fall in love with it.
4. Innovativeness
Companies that actively work on innovations, discover new opportunities for growth and improve their products and services, can quickly adapt to changes in the market and build competitive advantages.
“AV” trading house works daily on the implementation of advanced technologies in various business areas. In addition, the company automates work processes that help develop brands and attract strong employees.
5. Ambition
Consumers choose the best! That is why the thirst for improvement is a value that is inherent in the “AV” Trading House and its owner, Felix Chertok. The company is determined to create and develop products that occupy leading positions in the industry.
Respect for Ukrainian traditions and social responsibility are no less important values for companies.
Yes, Ukrainian brands, especially alcoholic ones, have always been highly valued in the world for their high quality, and after the start of the full-scale war, even more foreign distributors of alcohol began to show considerable interest in our national products. Today, companies should focus on the values that their product carries.
For example, let’s mention TM Ukrainka vodka, which was created by the TD “AV” team and entrepreneur Chertok Felix as a business card of strong Ukraine on foreign markets. This vodka is unique not only for its mild taste and the design of the bottle with a national ornament, but also for the resumption of its production during the war.
“”We are happy to restore Ukrainian brands and support the economy of our country. TM “Ukrainka” vodka is already available for sale in 20,000 stores in our country and in 11 countries around the world. I am sure that this product, as a symbol of the stability of our nation, will show itself to the world and become special for consumers,” 一 notes Felix Chertok Ukraine.
As for social responsibility, it is important for companies to be able to highlight their mission to society, the environment and all parties of interest. For example, during the first days of the full-scale war, “AV” Trading House and Felix Chertok personally supported the Armed Forces of Ukraine, provided everything necessary to the company’s employees who voluntarily joined the ranks of the Ukrainian army, financially and humanitarianly helped those affected by Russian aggression.
In addition, Chertok Felix sincerely believes in Ukraine’s bright future, which is why he is already actively investing money in Ukrainian IT projects and involving them in the work of his company. Felix Chertok says that by helping startup businessmen, we help the market develop.
A short guide from Chertok Felix on creating a business that will be loved in the world. [Based on the example of the history of the Dovbush Karpathian brand]
To summarize all of the above about values and the need to love your product, Felix Chertok identified 3 main stages for creating a business:
- Idea. You find a USP, large and interesting, which ignites your enthusiasm. It is important that you see the potential of the brand and that you can draw in your head the further steps to implement the idea.
For example, Felix Chertok business saw a unique highlight in the Dovbush Karpathian cognac brand. This brand was named after Oleksa Dovbush, a member of the Ukrainian rebel movement of the Eastern Carpathians. He is a symbol of the indomitable national spirit, combining the best features of the national character. It was this symbolism that was transferred to the alcohol brand, which is why consumers loved it so much.
- Scale. You share your product idea with the people you plan to bring to the team. If the philosophy of the product resonates with them, then you are lucky to find like-minded people with whom you will implement the idea. It’s like a football game, where the business owner is a coach who explains his tactics and strategy, and all the other employees are players who are ready to implement the strategy in order to win the match. In our case, 一 to score a goal into human hearts.
In Ukraine, the Dovbush Karpathian brand has existed since 2019. Its formation took place precisely during periods of global crises, but thanks to a strong team led by Feliks Chertok, the product has gained a foothold in the market and by 2025 plans to enter the TOP-3 leaders of Ukraine.
- Creating a cool and high-quality product and popularizing it on the market. Here it is important to listen to the wishes of consumers and improve based on their preferences or wishes.
For example, in order to satisfy this need of consumers and the market, the producer of cognac “Dovbush Karpathian” launched a new item in the line “Dovbush Karpathian” Honey, which gives a combination of sweet honey, the energy of the sun and the aromas of high mountain herbs.
“Despite the war and difficulties, we decided to release a new national product. The company invested Ukrainian strength and indomitability in this product, and the most important thing is that our product be recognized even outside the country” 一 Felix Chertok Ukraine.
