Melbourne design company a hit in Vladivostok

Australian export case study

Russia’s Far East is not an obvious export market for an Australian branding agency but South Melbourne-based Di Marca Brand Performance has become a hit in Vladivostok, garnering hundreds of thousands of dollars in design work from confectioners to breweries to heavy equipment road builders. 

Success has not come easily, however. Ron Van Prooyen, Di Marca’s joint Managing Director, first went to Russia more than thirteen years ago looking for business opportunities.

“It took a lot of hard work and perseverance,” says Di Marca’s other joint Managing Director, Steve Alley. “Austrade Vladivostok provided vital help with contacts.

“There’s nothing more comforting than walking into a business meeting with a representative of the Australian Government at your side,” he adds.

He says that Vladivostok has proved to be an excellent location for an Australian services company to do business.

“Our type of expertise is now wanted and needed here. There are virtually no specialist brand development companies nearer than London or Frankfurt providing these types of services.

“And Australia is not so far from the Russian Far East. In fact, Australia is closer than Moscow, and Melbourne is on the same time zone as Vladivostok.”

The future looks bright for business there, he says, and adds that there’s a lot of work going on in preparation for APEC, which will be held in Vladivostok in 2012.