Western Concepts,Russian Perspectives: Meanings of Advertising in the Former Soviet Union

Abstract

Western advertising professionals base their interpretations of advertising in the former Soviet Union on a Western model of advertising and neglect Russian perspectives on advertising. Symbolic interactionism suggests that things have different meanings for different people at different times. The author discusses the influence of Russian culture on advertising in the former Soviet Union and the problem of imposing Western concepts. A month-long research study was conducted in Moscow, Russia in May 1991. Interviews with government officials, business and advertising industry professionals, academicians, and students were audiotaped. Findings suggest that advertising in the former Soviet Union is an interaction between social and economic realities and not just a means of uncovering a new marketplace.