Happy New Year!

Moroz vs Santa

Santa and Ded Moroz are fighting marketing wars in Russia. The most important war is between toy producers. One sees only few Ded Moroz toys in stores as they are produced in Russia and are more expensive. On the other hand Santas toys come from China and sometimes are 2-3 times cheaper. Although they look almost alike the difference is quite visible. Santa’s coat is too short, his hat is silly, he doesn’t have a magic staff and wears glasses. Enough to make Russian patriots mad!

Pepsi and Coca Cola also joined this war over hearts and minds of Russian kids. Pepsi is fighting on the Russian side. Coke – on the side of Western globalists.

Moscow Times staff writer Anastasiya Lebedev covers this story in depth:

Coke's festive season mascot is red, Pepsi's is blue -- and whether it's Santa Claus or Grandfather Frost is up to you.

Both companies call the jolly old man on their respective holiday web sites "Ded Moroz," or Grandfather Frost -- Russia's equivalent of Santa, associated with New Year's rather than Christmas. But Coca-Cola's wears a red hat and coat and is based on the 75-year-old Santa image used to advertise the brand all over the world, while Pepsi's Moroz is garbed in a long blue robe, according to Russian custom, in order to cater to the local consumer.

"It's the traditional Russian color [for Ded Moroz]," said Konstantin Kuzmin, vice president of marketing for Pepsi Bottling Group Russia. He said that the fact Ded Moroz wears blue was a "good coincidence" with the Pepsi brand's color.

The fact that Pepsi's image in Russia is more Russified than Coke's fits with the two brands' histories in this country.

Large-scale production of Pepsi began in the Soviet Union in 1974, while Coca-Cola is a relative newcomer, having opened its first domestic plant in 1992. Coca-Cola soon catapulted to the top of the market and has maintained its position. A study of the soft-drink market by research agency Business-Analytica for March to July 2005 said the two colas led the chart, with Coca-Cola enjoying a market share of 19.4 percent, followed by Pepsi with 13 percent.

I stay with Pepsi.

Technorati Tags: Russia, Santa, Ded Moroz, Pepsi, Coca Cola

Jokes

I don’t need Reach Access toothbrush as I don’t have teeth in places hard to reach.

Close your eyes. Give me your hand. Do you feel it? – Is it silk? – No, I shaved my back.

Do you have speech problems? You stutter? Stammer? Lisp? Ask your pharmacist for new Immonotropodyspohydroscartteoned. Now with lemon flavor.

Vodka ‘Time Machine’. You drink it and it’s tomorrow!

10 Tick-Tacks for breakfast, 70 for lunch and 30 for dinner. Your breath is fresh but very weak.

Drink orange juice! Orange juice is health! Health is sport! Sport is success! Success is sex! Sex is AIDS! AIDS is death! DON’T DRINK ORANGE JUICE!

Internet via railroad rails. The widest bandwidth ever!

Russian Union of Pediatricians endorses only Pampers. Russian Union of Pediatricians is the only union created with the sole purpose to endorse Pampers.

A rat asks a hamster, “Why humans hate me but you have such success with them? What’s wrong with me? I’m good, nice, smart and kind. The only difference between you and me is my tail.” The hamster (pauses), “Have you ever heard of PR?”

Dnevnoy Dozor

I saw this weird billboard in Moscow yesterday. This is an ad of “Day Watch” movie, the sequel to “Night Watch”. In the day light it looks very ordinary – Дневной дозор on white background. But in the dark when the backlight is lit it looks scary. According to Adme the billboard was designed ORT Dizayn studio and placed by News Outdoor.

“Night Watch” movie was a huge success in Russia. Actually before “Company 9” (Девятая рота) was released it was #1 having collected 16.2 million USD. Not bad for a 4.2 million USD budget movie. It also had moderate success in Europe (e.g. 28.7 million USD). The release date for the US is set for the 17th February 2006.

“Night Watch” is also the most heavily advertised movie in the history of Russia (incl. the Soviet period). ORT Channel (major national TV station) bombarded us with tons of ads – it seemed to me that every block of commercials started and ended with a NW trailer. Incidentally ORT is also a producer of the movie so they could afford not only trailers but NW talk show, interviews, book promotion (the movie is based on Lukyanenko’s SF novel). The country was covered with thousands of posters. One month before the release almost all magazines came with NW pictures on cover pages.

I personally didn’t want to see the movie but ORT was so importunate and intruding that I could withstand its attacks. Summary – in comparison with the novel the movie is a disappointment. And its low-budgetness shows notwithstanding some nice computer animations.

Picture via Adme

Technorati Tags: Russia, Moscow, Day Watch, Night Watch, movie, ORT, billboard

New Year Real Taste

Ukranian vodka Bilenka found its own original way to advertise the brand. They create commercials that are look-alikes of global international or simply high profile brands. Every year in Russia and Ukraine before New Year and Christmas we watch non stop flicks with brightly decorated Coca Cola trucks bringing carbonated soda to happy American families. I mean, there’s no way those people could be Russians or Ukrainians: they are dressed and look absolutely different. “The holiday taste that is always real”, - goes the jingle.

In the above mentioned vodka commercial everything is almost the same. Only trucks are not red but blue. Bilenka reminds people that in Ukraine (and in Russia) the REAL taste of the holiday is different. Very different.

In another commercial Bilenka makes fun of the old Fairy commercial. One village bought expensive vodka and poor villages had nothign to chase it with. Another village bought Bilenka and had fun all night through.

Via Adme

Technorati Tags: Ukraine, vodka, commercial, look-alike, Coca Cola

Kalashnikov

Russia cannot boast that its brands are known internationally. Probably the only exception is Kalashnikov. AK rifle is incredibly reliable and almost never fails that make Kalashnikov the preferred rifle of guerillas and insurgents all over the world. More than 140 million Kalashnikov rifles of different versions were produced in the world since 1947.



Kalashnikov was never advertised by its creators. We should thank war reporters for all PR they did for the brand and Hollywood for excellent product placement. Maybe the most effective product placement in the history of cinematography. Today Mozambique does a great job in building the brand recognition by placing Kalashnikov on its national flag. It’s there since 1983.

Technorati Tags: Russia, rifle, Kalashnikov, Mozambique, flag

Overheard in Moscow

At maaskva: nashimi glazami blog I found these hilarious stories "Overheard in Moscow". Thank you, mng, for translations.

Snack vendor on a train (she is pushing a cart down the corridor of the car): "Sodas! Mineral water! Chips! Nuts! Chocolate bars! Wafers! Cookies! Calmari! Suxariki (crouton snacks)...
Passenger: Excuse me, do you have beer?
Snack vendor: Yes, we have everything...with the exception of money and happiness.

Overheard on the Moscow-Odessa train (twenty minutes after departure)
Overheard by lucat_lj

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Policeman (checking the papers of a well-dressed man from the Caucasus): You know, we usually fine your ethnicity...

Overheard by the entrance to Preobrazhenskaya Ploshchad metro station
Overheard by hummobile

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Young man (walking quickly down the sidewalk, pushing passersby aside and shouting into a mobile phone): You have a liberal arts education?! Shi_, you have a liberal arts education? I have no f___ing use for you!

Overheard on Novokuznetskaya St.
Overheard by z_m_z
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A red-haired freckled beauty (sniffing perfume at a counter): I'm telling you this is out of this world. Here, give it a sniff.

Conservatively-dressed man (in a mopy tone): Uh, Elya, as if I have nothing else in this world to smell. If you like it, let's get it.

Beauty: Oh, come on, honey, try it. What if you are allergic to it?

Man:Elya, any minute now I'm gonna get allergic to your tediousness. Come on, choose and let's get out of here.

Beauty: Oh, so that's how you're going to be about it! [turning to the sales girl] Excuse me, where is your most expensive perfume?

Overheard at TsUM Department Store
Overheard by boriskus
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Attractive young woman: Do all of us have to take the oral exam on philosophy tomorrow?
Second young woman, unattractive: No, only those studying early philosophers.
Attractive young woman: (pauses) Is Freud an early philosopher?

Overheard in the metro
Overheard by sounata

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Mother, aged 30: OK, let's see how you studied. Now why did Pushkin die?
Son, aged 9: He challenged some baron to a duel, and the baron killed him.
Mother: OK, but why did he challenge him to a duel?
Son: Because the baron criticized his poems!
Mother: So what, lots of people criticized Pushkin's poems.
Son (after some thought): The baron really teed him off, OK?!

Overheard on the 28 trolleybus on Komsomolski Prospekt
Overheard by shisis

Ded Moroz and Snowgirl

On the picture "We make ads for Ded Morozes and Snegurochkas"

New Year is without doubt holiday #1 in Russia always associated with Ded Moroz (Old Man Frost). Although Ded Moroz looks very much like a Russian version of Santa, these two guys are very different. Ded Moroz has its roots in Slavic mythology. Originally he was a very mean and nasty person – a winter spirit of woods. Old Man Frost (aka Morozko) sowed death by severe frosts and blizzards. Every year on the eve of winter solstice peasants had to tie a virgin to an oak in the Old Man’s wood and if she froze to death overnight it was thought that the gift was accepted.

Later Ded Moroz became less bloodthirsty but until the 19th century he still was a malicious person. He used his staff to hit and freeze naughty children and his big sack was full of Christmas gifts FROM kids. Not the other way round.

Ded Moroz changed his image only in 1840 thanks to a fairy tale by Vladimir Odoevskiy “Moroz Ivanovich”. In this story Ded Moroz is pictured as a kind and fair dedushka (grandfather) but it took Ded Moroz almost fifty years to become a Russian “New Year Man” who loves children and hands out generous gifts. In his present “form” he showed up only in 1910.

Unlike Santa, Ded Moroz is always accompanied by young and pretty Snowgirl (Snegurochka). She became famous after a huge success of Ostrovskiy’s play “Snegurochka” in 1873. Snowgirl became Ded Moroz’s granddaughter even though nobody knew who were his wife and children.

Ded Moroz suffered from Soviet political repressions. In 1927 communists banned New Year Tree, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka as semi-religious symbols incompatible with the ideas of scientific atheism. In 1935 New Year Tree and Ded Moroz were rehabilitated but Snowgirl was allowed to return only in 1955.

Tecnorati Tags: Russia, New Year, Ded Moroz, Snowgirl, Snegurochka, Santa

Useless Gifts

Moscow ad agency PROdvizhenie published a 2006 calendar with pictures of the most useless and tasteless gifts people give for the New Year. It’s hilarious! I have a whole box with stuff like that. Sometimes I find an occasion to “re-gift” them but usually not. An ash-tray on the picture says, “Don’t smoke” in bed and costs 130 rubles (etw. 4.6 USD).

Via Sostav

Tecnorati Tags: Russia, advertising, marketing, calendar, gifts

What Do You See?

Technorati Tags: test, drinking, sobriety

Don't Sniff Glue

One example of social marketing in Russia. Moscow wax figures exhibition shows you very graphically in every detail all dangers of taking drugs. The guy you see on the picture just died in this undignified manner because he sniffed glue. Glue-takers lose cerebral brain cortex in two years, you know. If you are not too sensitive and aren’t scared by the sight of sick junkies (including Freddie Mercury) click here.

It’s recommended that parents visit this exhibition with their teens who are older than 12.

Technorati Tags: Russia, Moscow, wax museum, social advertising, drugs, glue

No More Mineral Vodka

Russian Duma (Parliament) tomorrow plans to adopt in the second hearing a new bill that would make it much harder to advertise vodka brands disguised as mineral water or anything else. Advertising of hard liquor in Russia is allowed only at points of sale. So far Russian vodka producers were very ingenious in promoting their brands as:

- mineral water
- candies
- pickled chilies
- pickled cucumbers
- fashion magazines
- ice cubes for bars and restaurants
- fishing rods

Sometimes people got the message, sometimes not. I personally witnessed once an old woman who took a bottle of Yat’ vodka being sure she was buying drinking water (advertising works). Imagine her shock when she boiled that “water” and made tea with it.



One of the most bizarre vodka ads disguised as a brand of cucumbers (it seems to me) is Russskiy Razmer (Russian Size). Its commercial first pictures cornichon (French size), then a medium sized gherkin (German size) and at last a huge garden cucumber (Russian size). “Size Matters!” goes the slogan. What are they talking about?

Via pravda.ru

Technorati Tags: Russia, vodka, advertising, marketing, disguise, cucumber

Moscow Advertising Festival

The 15th Moscow International Advertising Festival announces the winners. This ad is the winner in the category “Best BTL project” for Nescafe. Its slogan “Hire me! Will work for coffee!”

Agency : Imago reklamna agencija

Via Sostav

Technorati Tags: Russia, Moscow, advertising, festival, Nescafe, BTL

Postmodern Advertising

Another ad that could be used as an illustration for differences that exist between Russian and European (or should I say post-modernistic) mindsets. Let’s consider a situation - in Russia some АБВГД Cooking School asks an agency to develop an eye-catching and creative ad. I’m almost sure the agency would narrow its creativity to good looking cooks, or friendly chefs, or happy thankful family members. Nothing special. Banal clich?s of the past century. Russians don’t even know that civilized nations live in a new shining world of post-modernism where old rules and superstitions don’t work anymore.


No wonder Russians don’t get the idea of this post-modernistic ABC Cooking School ad. When a typical Russian sees this ad she or he thinks that: (1) ABC will teach you how to get rid of rodents in the house or (2) ABC will teach you dishes that would help you drink gallons of vodka without an urge to go to vecheBLUEyka. In any case, in Russia ABC shouldn’t expect crowds of people besieging the cooking school with money in their teeth.

When I try to explain to my friends why Europeans react to this ad in a different manner, I need to construct a logical chain of arguments typical for a member of a post-modern society. In the head of a post-modern man it goes: the rodent is throwing up because it is poisoned by the food it found on the table, because someone cooked some really horrible pasta, because this someone doesn’t know how to cook. Ergo, the post-modern man goes to ABC cooking school because he loves nature and hates to see innocent animals suffer. Because post-modernists care.

Via AdHunt

Technorati Tags: Russia, cooking, ABC School, advertising, Russian mindset, postmodernism

No Drugs Ice Cream

Russian producer Ramzai launched a new brand of ice cream “Our response – no to drugs!” (Наш ответ – наркотикам нет!) with poppy-seed. This is a joint project together with Russian Drugs Control Agency (Gosnarkokontrol). The rationale of the project – it’s too expensive to place billboards around the city with the very same slogan. I personally don’t understand how consumption of poppy-seed ice cream can reduce drug abuse. Do they mean it helps rehabilitation? Ramzai planned to sale about 100 tons of this brand a month but I never saw it in Moscow stores. Most probably it’s been completely sold out to junkies.

This is not the first case of “anti-drugs” ice cream marketing in this country. In 2003 in Rostov-on-Don (Russia) feds arrested a consignment of Ukrainian ice cream named “Your Dose of Hemp” (Твоя конопляная доза) containing – surprise! – not a single molecule of hemp. Its producer Laska (Kirovograd, Ukraine) argued that it actually advocated abstinence from drugs and that Ukrainian DEA had nothing against it. But Russian Gosnarkokontrol managed to prove in court that the ice cream name and package could encourage drug abuse as many people believe hemp and cannabis are synonyms. Even if the feds had lost they could start another legal action immediately – to sue Laska for deceitful advertising. What do you mean – a hempless dose of hemp? Link (in Russian).

Technorati Tags: Russia, Moscow, ice cream, Ramzai, hemp, drugs, Ukraine

Working Money

Money has the right to work! Aton Mutual Insurance calls upon Russians who keep their savings in stockings under mattresses.

Does anyone know, would this ad be banned in the UK?

Technorati Tags: Aton, mutual insurance, money, Russia, advertising