Feline's epic dreams come true in lottery ad

In this unexpectedly sweet Russian lottery ad, a cat gets the Laika treatment, blasting off into space. Ignoring the whole problematic issue of Laika's actual demise, the cat happily lives out its dream of space flight, thanks to GosLoto and an understanding owner who needs only to look deep into the cat's yearning eyes to see how important space travel is to the animal. Frankly, it's nice to see a lottery commercial that focuses on how you could make your real dreams come true, as opposed to showing you rolling about on the floor as money ejaculates all over you. Cute cat in a space suit and a story of impossible dreams? This thing is going to be big!

Filed under Animals, Cullers, Lotteries, Russia
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Russia's anti-alcohol squirrel back on sauce

Last year, Russia's health ministry scored a huge viral hit—to the tune of 3 million views—with a PSA (see below) starring a psychotic, alcoholic squirrel manically raving about shooting someone's wife, warbling ethnic folk songs and battling invisible spiders in its cell. His eerie vow to viewers: "I'm coming for you." Watching the rodent literally climb the walls in the midst of an intense, pop-eyed breakdown, one question stuck in my mind: What's that gnarly dude been drinking, and where can I find some, because I really want to get that hammered. Now, Russinvest is marketing a 40-proof vodka with a picture of a crazed "hell squirrel" on the label. The marketer's goofing on the earlier PSA and riding its bushy coattails to generate massive attention—for free. Mighty capitalistic of those sloshed Ruskies. I've been sampling some product for the past few hours, and I can vouch for its potency. I wish I understood Russian, because that's the language I hear from the voices inside my head. And … are those spiders crawling all over my face and head? Oh god, get 'em off me!

Filed under Alcohol, Gianatasio, Russia
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Parasailing ad donkey dies of a heart attack

Sad news from Russia (like there's any other kind): Anapka, the donkey that was forced to parasail last summer for an advertising stunt, has died of a heart attack at the Strely Yarily animal farm. The grim spectacle of Anapka's terrified braying as it soared over a Russian beach angered animal activists and veterinarians, one of whom said the stunt "border[ed] on bullying and unequivocally leads to severe stress, if not death." Frankly, it's a wonder Anapka didn't have the heart attack then! Despite this, Anapka led a long life, making it to 40 years old, when most donkeys cash in at 25 or 35. Since there's no way to end an article about the death of an abused animal with a joke, I'll just raise a glass to Anapka and honor its memory by never, ever going parasailing.

Filed under Animals, Kiefaber, Russia
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Russian drunk-driving billboard is awesome

Seriously, how awesome is this billboard? It's a holiday PSA (thus the guy's Santa hat) from Russia. According to Copyranter, the headline reads, "It could be your body." That's a bit of a stretch. It would take an impressive series of events to be propelled from one's car, thrown skyward and driven halfway through a billboard—while still holding the steering wheel. And yet, if anyone can accomplish it, it's a Russian driver, probably after having "one for the road." Via Adme.ru.

Filed under Alcohol, Nudd, PSAs, Russia
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Drunk squirrel warning Russians off alcohol

This Russian anti-alcoholism PSA is very ... well, Russian, in its handling of the subject. But unlike most tragic Russian humor, people actually seem to enjoy this ad—to the tune of 1.5 million views on YouTube so far. Evidently, the drunken jabbering of a psychotic, red-eyed squirrel is more entertaining than I'd assumed. (The squirrel apparently yammers on about chasing spiders up a wall and a friend's wife who died because she is a devil. He is not voiced by Mel Gibson.) The ad was commissioned by Russia's health and social development ministry because alcoholism kills around half a million Russians every year. Indeed, it's such a problem there that they finally got around to banning drunk driving. It figures they'd be late to that party if they're only now catching up to the angry-squirrel craze we've long since discarded.

Filed under Alcohol, Animals, Kiefaber, PSAs, Russia
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Rainbow-eating giraffe is milked for Skittles

More crazy Skittles work, this time from SapientNitro in Russia. Here, a guy milks a rainbow-munching giraffe and happily ends up with a bucket of Skittles. (Copy: "Drain the rainbow. Taste the rainbow.") Skittles has done the milking thing before, with the notorious milked man who won't stop eating the sour Skittles. Via Copyranter.

Filed under Candy, Nitro, Nudd, Russia
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Russians torture donkey to hype parasailing

Something bad happened in Russia. No, I mean worse than usual. A group of Russian businessmen terrified vacationers by parachuting a donkey over a beach along the Sea of Azov, reportedly as a stunt to promote parasailing trips. Why they didn't think of offering this opportunity to a person who might actually enjoy it is unknown at this time, but what we do know is the poor donkey was even more freaked out than the public was. According to a local police official, "the donkey screamed and children cried" before the animal landed awkwardly in the water. Sheesh. And we thought Richard Branson's nude suit thing was in poor taste.

Filed under Controversy, Kiefaber, Russia, Tourism
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Dirty girls clean up Russian carrier's aircraft

Paris Hilton's car-wash spot for Carl's Jr. was alright, but it pales in comparison to this plane-wash spot for Russian airline Avianova, in which a bunch of bikini babes lather up one of the carrier's planes—and then themselves. Avianova is a low-cost airline, but they're clearly willing to pay a little extra to get the cleaning done right. Via Copyranter.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

Filed under Airlines, Avianova, Nudd, Russia
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We haven't seen the last of 9/11-themed ads

In the wake of the WWF/DDB fiasco, Adland has posted a bunch of other 9/11-themed ads done over the years. Many of them are also pretty tasteless—in particular, the one with the oblivious pilots reading Humo magazine while heading straight for the towers. Adland also points out this 2003 MTV campaign, which similarly compared the death toll of 9/11 with that of other tragedies—in this case, AIDS, famine and poverty. If we've seen this stuff before, Adland asks, why did the DDB ad cause such a backlash? Who knows. It was probably the slow news week and the image of multiple planes, which was particularly upsetting. Whatever the reason, we surely haven't seen the last of 9/11 imagery ads. The visual shorthand of the century's defining image is just too tempting. In fact, there's already a new 9/11 advertisement out—the one above (click to enlarge) from BBDO for the English-language Moscow News. "Things hard to explain, in a language you understand," says the tagline. (There's also a Hiroshima version.) It's pretty harmless, though it does seem more exploitative than it would have a week ago. With future ads, that kind of awareness is probably the best we can hope for—along with a reminder that the total annihilation of New York is never a great advertising theme.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

See also:
One Show bans ad scammers
DDB, WWF reeling from fallout over 9/11 ad

Filed under 9/11, BBDO, Newspapers, Nudd, Russia
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Let's blame the economic crisis on 'Forbes'

Forget about the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and Wall Street greed. The real cause of  global economic turmoil? Underpaid journalists and the capitalist tool they wield at Forbes. That's the view of Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev, who is suing the magazine for reporting that he lost $2.5 billion in the current financial crisis. "I am positive that Forbes magazine, which has repeatedly posted wrong information about me and some others, must be held responsible for the world financial and economic crisis," he says. "The magazine had been inflating the false bubble of billionaires for too long. The bubble blew up and struck a blow to the finance and economy of many developed countries." OK then, the former KGB officer may have found one way to make money in these dismal times: He is demanding "compensation of material and moral damage caused by this defamation." Lebedev appears to be in good company. Forbes estimates that Russia has lost two-thirds of its billionaires, with oligarch-heavy Moscow being replaced by New York as the city with the world's most billionaires. (What Wall Street meltdown?!) Lebedev is no stranger to the cause of free speech. In January, he bought London's loss-making Evening Standard for a whopping £1. He now owns a 75 percent stake in the publication and wants to add politicos like Mikhail Gorbachev and Tony Blair to its editorial board. He also owns a 39 percent stake in Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

—Posted by Noreen O'Leary

Filed under Finance, O'Leary, Russia
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Foreign ads with Obama continue to offend

Somehow we missed this Russian ice-cream ad when it hit the Web a few weeks ago. But we'll post it now anyway, in honor of foreign companies' continuing clumsiness and stupidity in their efforts to capitalize on Barack Obama's election. The company behind this ad claims to be "celebrating the fact there is a black president in the White House." Which is basically the same thing that the German company which made "Obama-Fingers" fried chicken said. See the full Russian ad over at Ads of the World. A cartoon Obama in front of the White House under the words "Flavor of the Month" is a bit coarse for us. And really, it's not like Russia is above suspicion in this regard. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Filed under Barack Obama, Controversy, Kiefaber, Russia
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Sign of the times at Russia's Millionaire Fair

It's been only four years since the first Millionaire Fair in Moscow, and already we're getting nostalgic for those heady early years of petrodollar excess, as falling oil prices and the global economic crisis take their toll on Russia. This year's fair, a three-day testament to hyper-luxury "must-haves" like diamond-encrusted hubcaps, wrapped up on Nov. 30 with a thud, as men in suits and women in gowns searched the exhibition hall for any hint of the Laurent-Perrier champagne that flowed so freely in previous years. The over-the-top event, imagined as only the nouveau riche could after years of Soviet deprivation, was described by Pravda, in its first year, as offering "goods that wealthy people need in their everyday lives: gold-plated coffee pots, marble angels, jewel-encrusted pens, Lamborghinis, yachts and helicopters. There was even a live tiger on a lead near the stand filled with gold suitcases." Most of it was still there this year. The only thing missing were the roubles to finance such gilded lifestyles. Turns out those mega-rich Russian oligarchs are more like us than we knew, cutting back on everyday necessities in tough times!

—Posted by Noreen O'Leary

Filed under O'Leary, Russia
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Make a baby and win a brand-new SUV

When the Volga River region in central Russia launches an incentive program, it literally goes all the way. For the third straight year, the local government has decreed Sept. 12 to be an official “Day of Conception.” Couples get time off from work to procreate and can win prizes like cars, cash and appliances. (Russia’s population has dropped since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.) The old Communist work ethic lingers, however, and residents get only half a day off, so anyone calling in “sick” this afternoon is pretty much busted. The grand prize is an SUV (those are last year’s winners in the photo), but if that’s not enough motivation, there’s always Peeq.com to set the mood.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

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They're lovin' the Big Mac song in Russia

While we’re on the Russia theme, thought it worth noting that among the commercials airing over there was an apparent Russian version of the “Two all beef patties …” Big Mac song, which Wikipedia dates back to 1975. Of course, we couldn’t make out any of the lyrics, but the setup seemed very familiar—quick shots of people-on-the-street singing  snippets of the song. (The tune was altered too, perhaps because it wouldn’t work as well with Russian words.) I haven't been able to find it online, so as a visual, I've settled for this McDonald's logo, which shows that "I'm Lovin' It" is also used to promote the brand.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Filed under Russia
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Counterfeit flag flies high over Russia

While the rest of you were trying to find the true meaning of Advertising Week, I was reveling in the wonderful world of counterfeit merchandise in the city of Tver, Russia. Something tells me that this red Nike flag, along with every single one of the hundreds of pairs of athletic shoes I saw available at this flea market, weren’t exactly authentic.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Filed under Russia
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Capitalism: alive and well in Mother Russia

After our post yesterday about seeing the Dove “Real Beauty” campaign in Russia’s Metro, a reader asked if we were “amazed by the incredible amount of billboards” in Moscow. Well, we were, and even though most of us have heard about that, the overlay of commercialism on a still ample supply of Communist-era symbolism is kind of stunning. If Lenin is still, indeed, buried at Lenin’s tomb in Red Square, he’s rolling in it. Click on the image below for a brief tour of commercial Moscow.



—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

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What is real beauty in Moscow?

I just got back from a trip to Russia, where my husband and I were able to experience the country's commercial awakening firsthand. It is not always a good thing, but it is always intriguing. One day while we were in Moscow, we took the Metro from Red Square to the apartment where we were staying and, on a train, came across this woman's image from Dove’s "Real Beauty" campaign. My mastery of Cyrillic isn’t too good, so I couldn’t figure out if the people of Russia got to vote over the important issue of her pulchritude.

—Posted by Catharine P. Taylor

Filed under Russia
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Times Square's got nothing on Moscow

As capitalism replaces communism in the former Soviet Union, Russians are dealing with some of the issues that Americans have faced for decades, including a relentless assault of advertising. Moscow, it seems, is rapidly becoming one big billboard. Advertising messages are covering the entire facades of the city’s skyscrapers, and the head of the Moscow Government Advertising Committee works in a building covered by a 24-story high ad for a cell phone company. The city’s public transportation system also has been saturated with advertising. According to one report, a single car on the subway system has more than 100 ads, not counting the illegally placed stickers advertising everything from help obtaining work permits to erectile dysfunction drugs. Some of the ads are a bit risqué. One towering billboard for vodka shows a gigantic cucumber placed next to a ruler with the caption, “Size Does Matter.” The proliferation is angering some of the more conservative groups in Russia. One group refers to Moscow as a “moral disaster zone” and vows to fight “immoral advertising.” A Russian religious leader blamed the advertising for alcohol consumption by young people. The Moscow Government Advertising Committee is responding to complaints by promising to reduce the number of ads by 30 percent during the next two years.

—Posted by Jim Lovel

Filed under Russia
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