|
Spotlight on PR from Russia: Part II
An interview with Dmitry Krivtsov, Development Director of Omnes Imperium Group in Moscow
 With tensions between the American and Russian governments, as well as the financial crisis in Russia in the news, our colleague Dmitry Krivtsov and his Moscow PR firm, Omnes Imperium Group, has been on our minds. We wondered how recent events have affected them and their PR practice. Following is Part II of our interview with Dmitry, with an update on the current situation in Russia and its effect on Omnes Imperium's PR business.
Bridge: Have the recent economic turmoil, or the political tensions involving Georgia, affected the work you do for your clients? How?
Dimitry Krivtsov: Political tensions around Georgia have not affected our business. We deal strictly with the commercial side of things and we've had no business with Georgia for quite some time. As for the economic crisis, people talk about it everywhere and all the time, but perhaps here in Russia things are not as bad as in 1998 (the year Russian economy almost collapsed). It wouldn't be true to say people are in a panic. However, people are thinking of cutting down on budgets, including PR budgets, so the market is quite slow. Also almost everyone who was planning an IPO or was "IPO hopeful" has decided to postpone it for a while, which affects us since we are always looking for a chance to do another IPO campaign. There will be a lot of changes in the financial market after the crisis, which we think could give us extra opportunities to find new clients later on.
Bridge: How competitive is it to get media attention to the launch of a new product?
DK: A lot depends on the quality of the product or project. The media definitely perceive any activity to promote products aimed at the general public as an advertising attempt. For consumer products, in Russia, PR still has a somewhat subsidiary role to advertising. However, with the development of the Internet this trend is slowly changing. But some products or projects are magnets for the media because they know the public will find them interesting. Moreover, within each segment of mass media there is a lot of competition for exclusive information and the right to deliver it first. PR agencies often use this competition to secure interest in clients' products.
Bridge: Can you give us an overview of the Russian media?
DK:The media can be divided into groups - TV, radio, the Internet, information agencies, print media.. TV channels' news/information programs are carefully watched by the state. However, that absolutely shouldn't be taken stereotypically as direct control or orders from the state. It rather should be understood as mutual silent agreement on what can or can't be shown on TV news. Regarding all other types of broadcasting, TV channels set their policies completely on their own without consulting the state. It should be noted, though, that TV programming is very mass-oriented and there are almost no programs in Russia for premium audiences.
The Internet and information agencies work absolutely independently and have no pressure from the state. However, theiraudienceisstillrelativelysmall. For instance, around 15-20 million people regularly use the Internet in Russia, while the country's population is 145 million.
The print media is very diverse. There is a large block of 'yellow press' with a huge circulation and very specific content, making it impossible to use it in serious PR work. The business media are few in numbers but totally independent. Some of them are quite influential in the business world.
Bridge: Is the Russian media unbiased or are they heavily influenced by advertising expenditures and political pressure?
DK: There is really no single answer to that. The state doesn't try to control all media, only those with the widest audiences. That includes TV channels where the state is directly or indirectly involved in ownership. The press, with the exception of perhaps two or three publications, is not pressured by the state at all. There is a constant dialogue where both sides express their ideas and are always able to find compromises. As for advertisers' influence on media's editorial policies, of course, there are cases when companies offer to advertise in exchange for the media's loyalty. Moreover, a media outlet often initiates such agreements itself to increase revenues. But that is definitely not a widespread practice and most respected Russian publications do not engage in it.
Election Media Coverage
With the presidential election only days away, there has been a considerable amount of discussion about whether media coverage of the candidates has been fair or biased. Senator McCain has made it clear that he is unhappy with the coverage he receives compared to Senator Obama.
According to Politico.com, McCain sent an email to supporters in July claiming that the media has "a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama." However, the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University tracks network news coverage of the candidates and found that ABC, NBC and CBS were all tougher on Obama than on McCain in the first six weeks of the general election campaign. Of Obama's coverage, 72% was negative in comparison to 57% of McCain's coverage in the beginning.
However, The Project for Excellence in Journalism just released a study showing that this has now reversed, and 57% of the news stories about McCain so far have been negative, with 14%positive. The rest were neutral. Obama's coverage was mixed: 36% positive, 29% negative, 35% neutral, the study found. According to the study, the coverage of McCain took a sharp negative turn with his reaction to the financial crisis. The more he tried to take bolder steps to address the crisis, the worse the coverage became. Then the McCain campaign devoted more attention to questioning Obama's character (which the Obama camp interpreted as an attempt to change the topic away from the financial crisis), and instead of helping turn the tide of negative coverage, it made matters still worse for McCain.
Client News
SIM Launches S&P 500 Capital Appreciation Fund
Bridge client Structured Investment Management, Inc (SIM) received SEC approval for its inaugural mutual fund, S&P 500 Capital Appreciation Fund, and has launched the fund. The fund, which has a 10-year horizon, provides the upside growth of a stock market index fund, while providing downside protection of principal and a minimum return.
Baby boomers are a prime market for the fund, since there is a common desire to grow retirement funds without risking principal (especially after the devastating stock market debacle that has taken place over the past month). Parents with children to put through college in coming years are another key audience for the fund. Young retirees who may live another 30 years are yet another.
For more information about SIM and its new fund, please visit online at www.sim.us.com.
ecobee Hires Bridge
ecobee, a new venture-funded green technology company based in Toronto, has hired Bridge for corporate and marketing PR. Bridge has helped launch the company and its first product, the ecobee Smart Thermostat.
The thermostat is programmable and has a very user-friendly interface. It is connected to the Internet and can be set remotely, away from home. It is the first of a line of ecobee green tech products that will help consumers conserve energy and save money.
 "We are very pleased to have been chosen in a competitive bid for ecobee's public relations business," commented Bridge Global Strategies CEO Lucy Siegel.
The Internet is abuzz about the new thermostat. In the past 10 days, news about it has garnered over 50 million blog impressions alone.
Month2Month.com e-Card Site Launch
 Bridge's new client Month2month.com has introduced free high-quality and creative e-cards on a site that is ad-free. The greetings on the cards can be changed and the sender's own greeting can be written instead. In addition, beginning with Halloween cards and rolling out to all cards over the next few weeks, cards can be signed with the sender's name rather than featuring the company's logo. This is a first in the e-card industry.
The Month2Month site is also linked to a blog that provides news and tips about holiday celebrations. Right now it has some interesting Halloween tidbits.
Quick Links
| 
