Gazprom-Media Sales House hosted a business breakfast dedicated to support measures for regional small and medium-sized businesses

Representatives of ministries of the Sverdlovsk region, heads of advertising structures, and local entrepreneurs discussed the role of the media in the development of SMEs in the regions.

On September 15, the next day after National Advertising Forum (NAF) Regions had ended, Gazprom-Media Sales House hosted a business breakfast in Yekaterinburg dedicated to support measures and media promotion of local brands.

The meeting was attended by Ruslan Sadykov, Minister of Economy and Territorial Development of the Sverdlovsk region; Yevgeny Tikhanov, Deputy Minister of Investment and Development of the Sverdlovsk region; Grigory Novikov, Director for Development of ANO National Priorities; Valentin Smolyakov, Chief Operation Officer of RACA; Vladimir Gritsenko, head of the standalone division of National Advertising Alliance (NAA) in Yekaterinburg; and Andrey Zolotarev, Chief Commercial Officer of the Motiv telecommunications group. The event was moderated by Alexey Filia, Director of Strategy and Advertising Product Development Department at Gazprom-Media Sales House.

The discussion was driven by the development strategy for SMEs until 2030, which aims to double the SME share in GDP, from 20% to 40%. During the meeting the speakers discussed the growth points and defined the challenges for local businesses.

The Sverdlovsk region is one of the top 5 regions with the highest SME development metrics. Despite the maturity of the manufacturing industry, more than 20 billion rubles are allocated annually to support the region’s SMEs in 80 different areas.

The steady growth in the ranks of self-employed persons and SMEs indicates the improvement of the investment climate in the Sverdlovsk region. Over 40% of the region’s workforce is employed in the SME sector. In order to optimize the transition of the business to the next, more mature category and to make the transition as smooth as possible, the system of support measures is constantly being developed in close contact with the entrepreneurs. Much attention is also being paid to the digitalization of services for SMEs.

However, not all entrepreneurs are sufficiently aware of the benefits and opportunities provided by the state. The goal of the media is to announce and inform a wider audience.

The speakers also discussed the mentality of Russian entrepreneurs and consumer behavior. A window of opportunity for SMEs is open. However, according to statistics, not everyone is ready to bring new products to the market and invest into promotion. 64% of large enterprises and only 24% of SMEs take advantage of government support measures.

On the other hand, consumer demand is on the rise. People trust domestic brands more and more. Audiences prefer local production, which is a huge advantage for SMEs. This is why experts believe that, at the moment, SMEs need to increase their marketing budgets and amplify their voices in the market.

Alexey Filia

Director of Strategy and Advertising Product Development Department, Gazprom-Media Sales House

Booming patriotism means endless volume of consumer credit directed to businesses. Russian consumers are ready to forgive any mistakes and support local production like never before. If not now, when else to take a risk and launch new initiatives?

The advertising market is known for its compactness and transparency, and its structure is shown in detail on RACA maps. Benchmarks from advertising agencies and brands are collected in the association’s case books. Conferences and studies on the efficiency of advertising solutions are conducted on a regular basis. Speakers emphasized that it is crucial for SMEs seeking growth to build their brands and leverage the expertise of leading market players.

Experts have also noted the high demand for regional TV and radio, where regional brands have emerged or returned to due to digital inventory shortening. The speakers added that outreach media such as television have helped many brands evolve from local to federal, for example Magnit, Gloria Jeans, Dodo Pizza, Gold Apple, etc.

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