Russian Marketing Blog: April 2007

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Red Devil

Red Devil is the first Russian energy drink that came way before Red Bull etc. that were much too expensive for Russians ten years ago. But several years ago Red Bull, Burn and almost every other energy sodas did come to Russia leaving Red Devil with its outlandish design almost obscene. Red Devil became alcoholic then highly alcoholic but it didn’t really help. So this year Red Devil decided to become really hip as well.

This is Red Devil old design.

And this is what it became thanks to Park Studio (Moscow).

Vodka safety

When you buy expensive vodka in Russia you want to be sure that nobody poured some home-made stuff into a branded bottle. Sometimes it happens. All you need is supply of empty bottles from babushkas, a simple instrument to plug bottles, tap water and pure alcohol. Not with new Nemiroff. Note the red ring around the bottle neck. If someone opens the bottle it is gone and no one will ever manage to restore it.

Generation P

A movie based on Viktor Pelevin’s novel “Generation P” (in English “Homo Zapiens”) will be released at the end of 2007. The draft name for the movie is “Wow!” (in Latin). Viktor Ginzburg (producer) finds the book protagonist’s (Vavilen Tatarskiy) very similar to what he felt when he and his parents emigrated from the USSR to the US. “I became a schizophrenic as two cultures (American and Russian) co-exist inside me”.

Pelevin’s novel is hilarious, highly philosophical, absurdist and creepy at the same time. Generally speaking it is about the violent collision of naïve Russian men in the street with horrors of uncontrollable and unpredictable capitalism. Unfortunately 70% of the novel’s humor and sarcasm is lost to those who didn’t live in Russia through wild 90’s and especially through the 1998 financial crisis.

My favorite quote, “There are several methods of watching TV the zen way. First, as a zen beginner you watch TV with the screen and sound on. Then you watch it with the screen off but sound on. And later when you become a real zen master you can watch TV with both screen and sound off”.