A Comparison of Associational and Claimless-Informational Advertising in Russia

This study investigates the efficacy of cross-class associational advertising in Russia. This proven Western approach seems to be particularly appropriate as it involves a heavily unfamiliar brand, which serves to lessen counter-arguing. However, this study denotes a Russian culture characterized by a mistrust and skepticism of advertising and a suspicion of the claims of unfamiliar brands. A comparison of claim-based associational advertising with claimless-informational advertising confirms the inappropriateness of the Western approach. The study thus suggests that informational advertising that furthers the creation of brand knowledge and awareness may be a useful precursor to associational advertising for an unfamiliar brand. (C) 2006 by The Haworth press, Inc. All right reserved.