Ekaterina Sivoratchenko, Gazprom-Media Sales House: “Small and medium-sized businesses in outreach media”

Small and medium-sized businesses are an integral part of the market economy. SMEs create new jobs, make an impact on the development of innovative technologies, and stimulate the growth of income and consumer demand. According to data from the register of the Federal Tax Service, there are over 6 million micro, small and middle-sized enterprises registered in Russia, which employ over 15 million people. https://rmsp.nalog.ru/

SMEs’ activity is also key to establishing a new environment in the advertising market. In many respects, the industry’s quick recovery is due to the effective adaptation of Russian brands that rushed to claim the vacated niches. Consumer behavior is also changing, shifting towards a more patriotic sentiment. Russians want to see domestic products on the shelves and are willing to support local businesses. According to the NAFR Center, 85% of Russians anticipate the emergence of new strong Russian brands, especially in the field of convenience goods. Most importantly, consumers admit that it is necessary for brands to invest in advertising.

According to the results of a study by Meltwater and We Are Social, in Russia, even Internet users receive most information about new brands from TV advertising. It’s no wonder that even small and medium-sized businesses, which typically utilize digital promotion, have turned their attention to outreach media. TV, radio, and outdoor advertising are high-quality and effective ways to build awareness and loyalty.

In particular, we see a noticeable growth in the ranks of SME advertisers within Gazprom-Media Sales House (part of Gazprom-Media Holding). Their share in federal TV is not so large, only 2–4%. However, the share of SMEs in the advertising inventory of large million-plus cities already amounts to about 30%. This share has been growing rapidly since 2020. Regarding the radio, in the last two years, the SME share in this segment has increased from 21% to 25%.

But the potential of SME demand for outreach media is still only partially realized. In our opinion, the main obstacle is the lack of awareness among SMEs about advertising opportunities. According to the results of a survey conducted by POF, Sber, and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, more than 20% of entrepreneurs would like to develop the competences needed to promote their businesses. At the same time, over 23% of SMEs managed to increase awareness of their products or services with the help of educational support programs.

Ekaterina Sivoratchenko

Head of Agency Group at Gazprom-Media Sales House

Advertising inventory on TV and radio is notable for a broad range of formats relevant to SME promotion: regional on-air ad blocks, interactive TV, streaming, podcasts, and special projects. However, entrepreneurs are not always familiar enough with media placement. Sellers need to keep SMEs interested and provide them with more detailed information on media planning, content creation, and efficiency evaluation.

As a measure of support for small and medium-sized businesses, Gazprom-Media Sales House, SME Corporation and RACA have launched a large-scale education project. It is meant for young entrepreneurs, the self-employed, and everyone who is interested in developing their business with the help of advertising tools. There, we discuss the main media segments and also explore sponsorship and the nuances of the Federal law “On Advertising.”

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