In Ukraine, many things are still at an early stage of development, and advertising is definitely one of them. Our home-grown creatives are constantly searching for new methods of besieging the collective consciousness.
In Ukraine, many things are still at an early stage of development, and advertising is definitely one of them. Our home-grown creatives are constantly searching for new methods of besieging the collective consciousness.
Their experiments produce funny, incomprehensible or simply downright bizarre ads.
Of the latter, it is for some reason billboards that most stick in your head, making you wonder: What kind of a twisted mind came up with that?
Some of the most memorable billboard campaigns were the social ads of 2006. “Kohaymosya!” (Let’s Make Love) posters encouraged youngsters to raise birth rates in the country, while gloomy gothic “Mama, why am I a freak?” placards warned drug addicts that they were endangering their children’s health. Four years on, they may still top the weirdness chart, but there are plenty of new challengers.
The prize for the most irritating ad campaign of the last six months goes to Yakitoria sushi chain. Launched in February and still running, Yakitoria’s kinky ads have definite shock value. The colorful cartoon-like posters boast slogans such as: “Spread your chopsticks” (promoting a discount card), “Take it in your mouth: Swallow before you look” (to advertise a dumplings special) and the latest, “Lick the balls” (to promote a Japanese festival of sorbets). While these ads attract attention, they exhibit such bad taste it’s doubtful they will attract diners.
Celebrities have always been a valuable asset to advertisers. If you lack creative ideas, just stick a famous face in your ad, and you’re done. But although this method is widely used in Ukraine, only rarely do face, message and product actually gel.
My personal favorite is a billboard ad for Beaver, the rubber boots producer, featuring pop star Svitlana Loboda. Imagine an in-your-face woman wearing rubber boots, a blouse and black panties, with “Beaver” emblazoned next to her. On one of the versions of this ad, Loboda is also leaning forward titillatingly, sticking out her half-naked bum. Perhaps not every Kyivan is aware that “beaver” doesn’t just mean a tree-felling rodent, but those in the know can enjoy a smirk.
The undisputed ad queen among Ukrainian celebrities is Ani Lorak. Over time she has plugged it all – from chocolate and makeup to electric heaters and travel companies.
It seems Lorak doesn’t balk at anything – as long as the paycheck’s right. One of her oldest collaborations is with Turtess Travel company – contemporary Kyiv is unimaginable without Lorak plastering the walls inviting us to Turkey, her husband’s home country. But a recent Turtess ad confused me greatly. It shows Lorak munching a strawberry, with a few more berries queuing up next to her. Because the tiny Turtess logo is overshadowed by the giant strawberry-hungry woman, it looks more like a sex shop ad than a plug for Turkish holidays.
Travel company, IdrisKa Tour, also relies on celebrities for ads. Stars’ fake grins suggest full satisfaction with fictional vacations. But in contrast to Lorak-loving Turtess, IdrisKa has an ‘anyone goes’ approach, with their list of ‘stars’ ranging from the moderately famous singers Ruslana and Taisiya Povaliy to Pavlo Zibrov and Viktor Pavlik, both long forgotten in the music world. Their only way of reminding Ukrainians they exist is to feature in such ads.
The most awkward travel company ad I’ve seen this year was for summer holidays in Croatia. “All women dream of our warm reception!” reads a message plastered across the naked male torso. A remark right next to it adds: “Every third one is free.” The ad targets women – not just any women, but those susceptible to the offer of a vacation surrounded by muscular tanned males. So is this a sex tourism ad? Because if it’s not, I can’t begin to guess what it means. Are Ukrainian men not welcome in Croatia, then?
There are many more weird, ridiculous and perplexing ads haunting Kyiv. I’d rather see more genuinely amusing and provocative billboards like the one I found online, photographed in some Ukrainian city and advertising the First Kyiv Foreign Language School. It’s an amateurish collage, featuring a gorilla with a message next to it: “If I spoke a language, I’d sit in parliament.” It’s bizarre, but it makes a good point.
Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at [email protected]
