Investment Agency of Moldova was ranked in the top five investment agencies in emerging European countries
Moldova has risen 19 positions since 2020, being overtaken this year by counterpart institutions from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. At the same time, Moldova is ranked first in the category of information validity, which refers to the veracity and timeliness of the provided information on the Agency ‘s official website. The pandemic took by surprise many investment agencies from European countries and some of them were reluctant to take action, while the foreign direct investment battle continued. The presence and support provided by the agencies was more important than ever " said the organizers.
"I am extremely proud that the Investment Agency’s team effort has given outstanding results recognized, both inside and outside the country. Our position in the rankings confirms that the strategy I have applied in the agency's activity during the last years has been an efficient one "said Rodica Verbeniuc, General Manager of the Investment Agency.
Agencies’ assessment is based on the following criteria: community support and development, information validity, innovation and creativity, online presence and ease of use and response to current news. As mentioned above, Moldova is on the 1st place in the category of information validity, which analyzes how truthful, relevant and current is the information the agency publishes on the website https://invest.gov.md, social networks and in the distributed newsletter.
The ranking is developed by Emerging Europe, which since 2018 has monitored how these 23 investment agencies in the region communicate their offers, how they use their digital channels to draw the potential investors’ attention to business opportunities in key sectors of their country. Throughout this period some agencies disappeared or reorganized and new ones appeared.
The researchers who conducted the study and developed the ranking pointed a lack of coordination between reputation management elements and institutions involved in promoting the country. This way the country becomes a victim of domestic policy which in time leads to a lack of strategic approach and continuity, outdated approach to the country's branding and an over-reliance on advertising as a promotion method. Sometimes the image is seen as more important than the reality, respectively the brand message is not credible.
Thus, the top ranked countries can serve as an example in terms of communication and provided services’ quality.