If you want to attract lots of attention, try a 40-foot-high, red inflatable dinosaur for size.
A giant theropod, which bore a passing resemblance to a T-Rex, was an appropriate mascot for REX '99, the Third National Marketing and Technology Trade Show, held at Kyiv's Palats Sportu from Sept. 14-17.
The event demonstrated that the Ukrainian ad industry, unlike the dinosaurs, is very much alive today. And to hear consumer rights protection committee director Stanislav Sivokon tell it, the significance of the event matched the giant proportions of its mascot.
'This is an event of national significance, because advertising itself has economic, political and social aspects.
'The ad industry should work for the benefit of Ukrainian manufacturers, so that they in turn can boost the economy and export their products.'
Perhaps that's overstating it just a little bit: Although more than 200 ad and PR agencies, marketing firms, newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, Web design and photography studios were represented at the event, none of the big foreign-based ad agencies had stands.
But the ad agencies that did attend seemed pleased to be there.
'We participated in the trade show last year,' said Nataly Dorogaya, marketing manger at the Kyiv ad agency Aker.
'As a result, our sales increased. We established a lot of business contacts during the show and received dozens of calls after it ended. And another plus about attending the show is that we can see how our competitors are getting on.'
Only one foreign participant – Uzbekistan's Lual – had a stand at the show. Lual director Galina Demina said her company was there to give a boost to Ukrainian exporters.
'We want Ukrainian goods to permeate the market in Uzbekistan,' she said. 'Why should the population of Uzbekistan buy low-quality imported goods from Turkey, when they can have Ukrainian goods of much better quality? For example, people often ask for Ukrainian sugar in Tashkent stores.'
Other foreign companies' participation was largely limited to the REX Gallery ad exhibit. There, companies like ARK Thompson, Provid/BBDO and Leo Burnett presented examples of the work for appraisal by their peers.
'I was a member of the jury evaluating the graphic design and photography on display in the REX Gallery,' said Leo Burnett creative director Nataly Usupova. 'It was good for my professional development. Assessing others' creative work, I was made to think how I'd have made ads with the same ideas.'
Internet advertising occupied a prominent place in the show, and on Sept. 16 all the various seminars held at the show were connected with advertising on the Net.
Oleh Drozdovych, a lawyer and patent attorney, drew a crowd for his lecture on copyright and the Internet. While acknowledging that it is possible to gain recompense if someone infringes on your copyright, he warned ad agencies that it's much tougher to prevent such abuses taking place on the Net in the first place.
Finally, REX '99 brought together ad media from all over Ukraine – 76 newspapers from the country's 26 oblasts, emphasizing that despite Kyiv being the industry's home, advertising has a place nationwide. * * *
Those watching the Ukraine-Iceland soccer match on Sept. 6 might have noticed that, while the game was in Iceland, most of the advertisements lining the ad boards around field were for Ukrainian companies. Telecoms companies Utel and Ukrtelekom, Chernihivski beer and appliance maker Ardo all bought up significant chunks of space in the 7,000 seat arena.
Far-flung ads don't just help advertisers, they also give a boost to the players, said Serhy Omelchenko, deputy director of Ukraine Football International, exclusive ad agent for the Ukrainian Football Federation.
Omelchenko said Ukraine Football International is launching a campaign – National Producers for National Football – to secure more advertising ahead of Ukraine's key Euro 2000 qualifying game with Russia on Oct. 9.
