An average advertising campaign costs five times more than candidates are allowed to spend
Euroradio has decided to find out what kind of publicity the candidates use, which opportunities they have for that and what prevents them from making a noticeable promotion.
Next two weeks will be the time for media-silence for the candidates. TV and radio speeches finish this week. Euroradio's correspondent has tried to make a good advertisement, having introduced himself as a presidential candidate.
TV channels did not refuse to broadcast our commercial. If we cover several TV-channels and use the evening time, it will cost about 5-10 million roubles.
"We can broadcast you on two channels, for example. For a week or for a month. Or, we can involve more channels. The commercial will be shown several times a day", — suggested the TV-company "Our Circle".
Let us add the price for making a commercial to it- 40-50 million, thus we'll have about... 20 million left out of the money which the CEC provides for campaigning (approximately 80 million).
Billboard owners also had nothing against placing the posters with a candidate's face and motto. However, almost all the billboards in Minsk turned out to be occupied - half of them by ordinary ads, and another half - by social ads.
" All the billboards located in the city are occupied with social ads, so we can offer you something behind the belt road", — this was a polite reply of the publicity agents.
Installing your own billboard at the belt road costs about 400 dollars per month. It is also possible to apply a candidate's ad onto city transport in Minsk. We found out that it would cost approximately 350 thousand roubles a month for one trolley bus, bus or tram. However, it will take one or two months to coordinate such advertisement in all instantions, although registration of candidates starts...a month before election.
In such conditions, some presidential hopefuls have chosen another way of self-advertising. Thus, Jaraslau Ramanchuk prefers to meet with people personally and pays much attention to the internet.
Jaraslau Ramanchuk: "We've chosen another way. We'll better advertise ourselves through pickets, through contacts with people in cities".
The biggest obstacle on the candidates' way is small budget for advertising. Thus, the leader of Vital Rymasheuski's HQ Paval Sieviarynets says they don't have enough money for an advertising campaign of high quality. He said they had already spent the money given by the CEC, while there were only several hundred thousand Belarusian roubles in their charitable fund.
Paval Sieviarynets: "We have posters. We hang them everywhere and write down the time of a meeting with a marker. We haven't published any commercials yet. There is one commercial at Rymasheuski's personal web-site, and we also uploaded it to YouTube, but we have no money to broadcast it in the social networks or as paid advertisement. We have just several hundred thousand Belarusian roubles in our electoral fund".
Besides, the time is also not convenient for the candidates to advertise themselves. A publicity agent Julia Liashkevich says almost all the advertising space is occupied before the New Year. In addition to that, the candidates do not have many opportunities.
Julia Liashkevich: "Naturally, it would be good to use external advertising, transport, direct television advertising. It would be good to use big screens, like the ones at Kastrychnitskaya Square. Theoretically, some things are possible, but in fact they are not. The candidates do not have such opportunities as the President's administration. Sometimes people find some ways out. However, none big planned advertising campaign would pass the control. Especially now, when all the hot advertisement spaces are occupied".
Nevertheless, Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu's HQ is now trying to negotiate about a TV-commercial and external advertisement. However, the head of the candidate's HQ Andrej Dzmitryeu has told Euroradio there are obstacles on the way to an advertising campaign of high quality.
Andrej Dzmitryeu: "We are now trying to place our advertisements in public transport, in elevators, on TV, in the subway. However, we were told in the subway that there was no free space - there used to be some but it suddenly disappeared. The same thing with some transport routes - there was advertising space but it unexpectedly disappeared".
Andrej Sannikau's HQ also elaborates different publicity variants. The head of the candidate's HQ Uladzimir Kobets says they will see if these variants work in a couple of days. So far, they use traditional means: posters in public places, leaflets, booklets, TV and radio speeches.
More on this topic here.
Photo:spring96.org
Next two weeks will be the time for media-silence for the candidates. TV and radio speeches finish this week. Euroradio's correspondent has tried to make a good advertisement, having introduced himself as a presidential candidate.
TV channels did not refuse to broadcast our commercial. If we cover several TV-channels and use the evening time, it will cost about 5-10 million roubles.
"We can broadcast you on two channels, for example. For a week or for a month. Or, we can involve more channels. The commercial will be shown several times a day", — suggested the TV-company "Our Circle".
Let us add the price for making a commercial to it- 40-50 million, thus we'll have about... 20 million left out of the money which the CEC provides for campaigning (approximately 80 million).
Billboard owners also had nothing against placing the posters with a candidate's face and motto. However, almost all the billboards in Minsk turned out to be occupied - half of them by ordinary ads, and another half - by social ads.
" All the billboards located in the city are occupied with social ads, so we can offer you something behind the belt road", — this was a polite reply of the publicity agents.
Installing your own billboard at the belt road costs about 400 dollars per month. It is also possible to apply a candidate's ad onto city transport in Minsk. We found out that it would cost approximately 350 thousand roubles a month for one trolley bus, bus or tram. However, it will take one or two months to coordinate such advertisement in all instantions, although registration of candidates starts...a month before election.
In such conditions, some presidential hopefuls have chosen another way of self-advertising. Thus, Jaraslau Ramanchuk prefers to meet with people personally and pays much attention to the internet.
Jaraslau Ramanchuk: "We've chosen another way. We'll better advertise ourselves through pickets, through contacts with people in cities".
The biggest obstacle on the candidates' way is small budget for advertising. Thus, the leader of Vital Rymasheuski's HQ Paval Sieviarynets says they don't have enough money for an advertising campaign of high quality. He said they had already spent the money given by the CEC, while there were only several hundred thousand Belarusian roubles in their charitable fund.
Paval Sieviarynets: "We have posters. We hang them everywhere and write down the time of a meeting with a marker. We haven't published any commercials yet. There is one commercial at Rymasheuski's personal web-site, and we also uploaded it to YouTube, but we have no money to broadcast it in the social networks or as paid advertisement. We have just several hundred thousand Belarusian roubles in our electoral fund".
Besides, the time is also not convenient for the candidates to advertise themselves. A publicity agent Julia Liashkevich says almost all the advertising space is occupied before the New Year. In addition to that, the candidates do not have many opportunities.
Julia Liashkevich: "Naturally, it would be good to use external advertising, transport, direct television advertising. It would be good to use big screens, like the ones at Kastrychnitskaya Square. Theoretically, some things are possible, but in fact they are not. The candidates do not have such opportunities as the President's administration. Sometimes people find some ways out. However, none big planned advertising campaign would pass the control. Especially now, when all the hot advertisement spaces are occupied".
Nevertheless, Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu's HQ is now trying to negotiate about a TV-commercial and external advertisement. However, the head of the candidate's HQ Andrej Dzmitryeu has told Euroradio there are obstacles on the way to an advertising campaign of high quality.
Andrej Dzmitryeu: "We are now trying to place our advertisements in public transport, in elevators, on TV, in the subway. However, we were told in the subway that there was no free space - there used to be some but it suddenly disappeared. The same thing with some transport routes - there was advertising space but it unexpectedly disappeared".
Andrej Sannikau's HQ also elaborates different publicity variants. The head of the candidate's HQ Uladzimir Kobets says they will see if these variants work in a couple of days. So far, they use traditional means: posters in public places, leaflets, booklets, TV and radio speeches.
More on this topic here.
Photo:spring96.org
