It seems the Ukrainian advertising industry is finally coming of age.
Zaporizhya-based Slavutych brewery has splashed out on a $100,000 television advertising campaign and has earned the praise of the Ukrainian-based creative and production group that won the tender to produce the spots.
The Kyiv-based Esse group beat out eight other bids to clinch the pitch. It came up with the creative idea and produced the ads, which started to be aired in March. Ad reps give credit to Slavutych for the company's advertising savvy.
'It's rare for a national manufacturer to show such a level of understanding of marketing and advertising strategies,' said Arnold Kremenchutsky, producer and copywriter at Esse group.
The sheer size of the budget sets a precedent for the ad industry in Ukraine, which all too often relies on dubbed imports from foreign markets.
Having $100,000 to play with, Esse shot the footage for the ad in Prague, with the help of a Czech production company.
'What makes the commercial stand out is its high-quality of production,' Kremenchutsky said.
The ad is divided into two parts. The first 30-second spot introduces a romantic intrigue, which is resolved in part two, a 15-second spot which will start to air this month.
Esse is hoping the Slavutych ads will be a springboard for further successes.
'We'd like to establish a Kyiv-based production house that can adequately generate creative ideas and deliver high-quality production services,' Kremenchutsky said.
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Environmental concerns come under the spotlight on April 22 in Kharkiv, when the fourth international 'Fourth Block' exhibition of poster and graphic art opens. Artists from Ukraine, China, Japan, Germany, the United States and other countries will display works highlighting environmental problems, particularly those stemming from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
The exhibition is held in Kharkiv every three years, the first one occurring in 1991.
For more information, call Oleg Veklenko at (0572) 40-12-80 or visit http://www.4block2000.com.ua.
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Production quality was the topic under discussion at a meeting of production managers from top ad agencies in Ukraine held in Kyiv on March 21.
Ad agency Bates Ukraine organized the meeting, which explored ways of ensuring top-notch quality standards for clients in Ukraine's difficult conditions. For more information about upcoming meetings of production managers, call Vadim Pinsky at 269-8028. * * *
The April issue of women's magazine Edinstvennaya, a sister publication of the Kyiv Post, features a smiling photo of Anna Bezulik, host of Snidanok z 1+1, a popular Ukrainian morning television show. As part of the magazine's new strategy, Edinstvennaya's cover will feature a Ukrainian female celebrity every month.
'We feel that our Ukrainian readers want to read about Ukrainian women in a Ukrainian magazine,' says Yelena Skachko, editor of Edinstvennaya. 'There are a lot of Ukrainian women doing great things and we feel it is important to spotlight these people in our magazine.'
Olena Nikolayenko can be reached at [email protected].
