PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVES

01.25.2010

Who is the most creative in Moscow metro
All are invited to select the most original advertising poster to determine the winner of the second annual contest of the “Olimp” company, “Creative of the year”

Like in the past year, guests of website of “Olimp” (www.olimp-m.ru) can find 12 creations which became winners of monthly voting of visitors of our website. As the result of voting, at the end of February will be determined the winner – the most interesting, likely and memorable advertising poster, which was placed in 2009 in Moscow metro.

Among participants, vote for the title of best on 2009, presented posters of famous commercial companies, catering and entertainment companies. Among them – special series for metro of advertising posters of “Kia” automobiles; interesting creative works of «Jacobs», «Alpen Gold», «Western Union» etc. And also, two posters with image of cute cows: one of them “not informed on economic issues” (“Valio”); and “Torro Grill” “cows which cost like vegetables”.

“Not first year we are collecting and publishing on our website the most remarkable advertising works, which placed in Moscow metro, - says Albert Teplitskiy, Olimp Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Commercial Activity. – Frequently, the winners in nomination “Creative of the year” are images which most accurately convey stylistics of metro, or it has been specifically designed for this advertising place. This year had been presented a lot of interesting and original posters. It is very good, that ideas of creators improved from year to year and contribute to improving appearance of Moscow metro.”

You can find creative advertising images and vote on website http://www.olimp-m.ru/creative-media/year/. Vote results will appear at the end of February, 2010.

07.22.2009
Children will charge metro passengers with optimism

Drawings of young talented children from Moscow kindergartens will appear in the Moscow metro in July 2009. Works drawn by young talents will be placed on escalator boards and roller boards of the Moscow metro. The campaign to provide Moscow metro passengers with positive emotions was initiated by Olimp company.

The Moscow metro is not just the most popular and rapid type of transport in the city but also a territory of positive emotions. The Olimp company management decided so and turned to a zero-risk variant, children’s art, to infuse the “underground city” with a bright and positive atmosphere. Young Moscovites from ordinary kindergartens painted their fantasies on such topics as “Let there always be the sun!”, “A smile will warm-up everyone!” and “Our metro is the most beautiful in the world!” The pictures that Olimp advertising experts found to be most colorful, ingenious and touching will decorate the Moscow metro in the nearest future.

“Our appeal to all passengers is to try to look for positive moments in everything at all times even if they are tough times. Using these sincere and spontaneous children’s works we are trying to give passengers who are always in a hurry and are always overloaded with their own problems an occasion for a smile and good mood, - says Vadim Yukhnovich, Olimp Chief Executive Officer. We understand perfectly well the significance of social projects for society, for the formation of social values and mood. We have been developing, printing and placing social visual materials on our own for over seven years. This time we decided to turn to the children’s art, since we believe that moral support to people is especially important these days, and children are the ones who can arouse the most positive emotions in us.”

“Olimp has offered several infant schools to take part in the contest of children’s drawings that was held on the Children Protection Day. One should note that the young artists’ fantasy was not restricted to brushes and paints, all children expressed themselves in different ways: they molded models out of playdough, glued pictures out of color paper, assembled collages. The ingeniousness of young authors’ ideas is also astonishing, for example, a metro train made out of juice boxes, or a merry turtle made out of candy wrappers. Both the creative process participants and the “strict” judges were charged with positive emotions. All young artists expressed their desire to develop their creative potential and to keep bringing joy with their new ideas. The ingenious and colorful works can be viewed both, at central as well as at some uptown stations of the Moscow metro.

07.08.2009
Advertising of cars has appeared in the Moscow Metro
Kia Motors automobile manufacturer has become a new client of Olimp Advertising Agency

Kia Motors, one of the largest Korean auto makers started its advertisement campaign in the Moscow metro in the beginning of summer 2009 promoting its cars within the medium price bracket (Kia Rio è Kia Picanto). For the last three years the Kia brand has become the second one after Chevrolet whose economy cars were promoted in the Moscow metro.

Posters placed on roller boards, on escalator and light boards as well as posters on the walls opposite the platforms and metro car stickers call upon Moscow metro passengers to “change to KIA”. For the moment promotion of that category of goods in the metro is one of the most efficient and promising lines for advertisers since the research carried out by TNS Gallup Media for Olimp shows that the level of metro passengers’ income permits them to buy medium priced car models while on the other hand half of the Moscow metro passengers (3.5 million) are car owners already, and over 3 million people still remain potential buyers of personal means of transport.

“Accommodation of advertisement of cars affordable for the average consumer in the metro is a very efficient and very wise step on the part of car making industry representatives, - says Albert Teplitsky, Olimp Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Commercial Activity. Today a moderately priced car stops being something luxurious for many people becomes a simple means of transport for them as a result of reduced-rate auto loan programs. And we hope that along with representatives of foreign automakers we will soon also see Russian car makers as our clients whose affordable cars are in demand among the metro passengers in particular, who wish to change from metro to a personal car.”

06.17.2009
Crisis won’t stop marketing research
Olimp continues to assess the efficiency of advertising in the Moscow Metro

In spite of a tough financial-and-economic situation in Russia and in advertising industry in particular Olimp continues to invest into marketing research estimating the efficiency of advertising in the Metro. TNS Gallup Media company that carries out this research for Olimp every year has acknowledged once again that 90% of passengers permanently pay attention to advertisement placed in the Moscow metro. Roller boards advertisement features a number of advantages: relevancy, up-to-date design, safety and they will gradually replace about 70% of city-format light boards existing at the moment at most popular stations.

The marketing research was carried out in two stages like during the previous years: a telephone inquiry of Moscow residents older than 16 years of age and personal interviews at Metro stations. Respondents for the phone interview (2005 people) were determined using a two-stage random sampling selection from over 9.17 million residents of Moscow. 515 Moscovites regularly travelling by Metro were involved in personal interviews. The main research tasks included assessment of Metro advertisement efficiency as well as a description of the social-demographic image of the Metro passengers and their consumer characteristics.

Olimp performs similar studies annually from 2004 using independent experts. It is worth noting that no significant changes of statistical data has occurred during the whole research period. Figures derived in research reports are permanently and predictably high from year to year that testifies to the fact that recently advertisement in the Metro has turned into a full-fledged media source with high-quality audience.

“Olimp continues to consciously invest considerable amounts into the research of metro advertisement efficiency assessment even during such tough times for any business, - says Albert Teplitsky, Olimp Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Commercial Activity. First of all we are doing this to allow our partners and clients to objectively estimate the efficiency of a selected media ground, optimize their expenditures and distribute funds allocated for advertising and marketing activity. Today many companies find it especially important to use advertising budgets with a maximum return. Earlier considerable sums were allocated for advertising purposes while today every rouble counts. It is necessary to realize which advertisement brings maximum results to ensure that every rouble is invested with maximum efficiency. This is what independent research studies supported by competent experts are needed for”.

Advertising vehicle type	% of the Metro passengers (monthly reach)	% of the Metro passengers (one trip reach)
Car stickers (posters on car walls)	93% (6,4 million people)	66% (4,5 million people)
Escalator boards (boards along escalators)	90% (6,2 million people)	58% (4,0 million people)
Posters on station walls (posters on the walls opposite the platforms)	89% (6,1 million people)	48% (3,3 million people)
Stickers of car doors (posters of car door windows)	85% (5,9 million people)	48% (3,3 million people)
Stickers on car panels (posters above the car windows and doors)	82% (5,6 million people)	45% (3,1 million people)
Light boards (illuminated boards in metro entrance halls)	69% (4,8 million people)	27% (1,9 million people)
Non-illuminated boards (boards without illumination in metro halls)	60% (4,1 million people)	23% (1,6 million people)
Pay attention to at least one of advertising vehicles specified above		90% (6,2 million people)
Pay attention to advertising vehicles during EACH trip		45% (3,1 million people)

03.31.2009
The “Olimp” company has installed rollers in the Moscow metro

Despite the difficult economic situation Olimp has launched the Moscow Metro Advertising Carriers Upgrade Program. According to the schedule 400 existing light boards will be replaced with up-to-date roller structures by this September.

Unlike the familiar light-boxes, light rollers are dynamic advertising vehicles allowing to demonstrate up to 6 posters. The overall weight of such structure amounts to 83 kilos, power consumption is 285 W. The first rollers from the pilot set have already been installed at metro stations.

When choosing new advertising carriers special attention was paid to their safety for passengers. Therefore, the rollers are equipped with a special safety device eliminating the possibility of electric shock. Besides, the new advertising vehicle is non-hazardous since it is made of special non-combustible material that in case of inflammation will not emit any harmful combustion products, and that is especially important in the environment of enclosed space in the subway. The rollers have been tested for moisture and dust resistance as well as for vibration resistance and fully comply with technical requirements imposed on advertising vehicles accommodated in the metro.

For advertisers this new product has a whole range of advantages the main of which is dynamics that attracts additional attention to the advertising vehicle. Moreover, rollers allow to launch a whole set of posters promoting some products or services. All new structures will be installed in place of existing light boards in busiest and most popular spots. Thus, “Olimp” will be able to offer its customers more advertising spaces at busiest metro stations without increasing the total area of advertising space. Moreover, the price of positioning on the new advertising vehicles will be lower than the price of one light-box.

"Installation of new up-to-date advertising vehicles is another step towards the transformation of the Moscow metro into a modern media equipped with best technical facilities. Upgrade is important not only for advertisers who are eager to efficiently promote their goods and services but also for the metro passengers who will see the new structures seamlessly fitting into the “underground city” interior”, - says Albert Teplitsky, Olimp deputy Chief Commercial Officer.

03.04.2009
Monobrand station

“Olimp” has for the first time ever performed monobranding of a Moscow Metro station that was turned for a month into a single advertising carrier for Í&M company from Sweden, the largest European clothes retailer.

Absolutely all visual advertising media located at Voykovskaya station of the Zamoskvoretskaya line of the Moscow metro (banners, boards, light-boxes, etc.) will be occupied by advertising inserts of one-and-only customer during March 2009. This is how the Í&M company from Sweden announced its entry to the Russian market. " Metro passengers have never seen anything like that before," - "Olimp" representatives say.

Metropolis Shopping Center where the store is located is close to the branded Metro station that is daily visited by potential commodities' buyers. Positioning of advertisement for the "H&M" company is performed by Mediaedge:cia agency.

As far as “Olimp” company is concerned, this is its first experience of monobranding a whole station. If the project turns out to be a success, the new method of trade marks promotion may become widely accepted and used. The operator has already received requests from advertisers to carry out similar placement programs at other stations of the Moscow Metro.

02.12.2009
“Olimp” represents the “Creative Work of the Year”

The “Olimp” company accommodating advertisement in the Moscow metro has summed up the results of the “Creative Work of the Year” advertising posters contest. The winner is a Snickers poster (chocolate bar) designed by BBDO Moscow agency.

The contest started this January. The best works accommodated on various carriers in the Moscow underground took part. The winner was elected by poll on the operator’s website.

28% of the website visitors voted for the Snickers advertising poster. The second prize (22% of votes) was taken by Fitstudio fitness studio designed by the company own designer. 10% of votes and the third prize was received by Comet poster (cleaning agent).

«It is a great pleasure for us that the contest announced by “Olimp” aroused so much interest in metro passengers and our colleagues since their opinion is very important for us. We will certainly go on with this initiative since it contributes to creation of a new, up-to-date and creative image of advertisement in the Moscow metro», says Albert Teplitsky, deputy Chief Commercial Officer of “Olimp”.

It should be noted that voting for the best poster design has been continuously going for several years on “Olimp” website in the “Creative Work of the Month” section. The poster receiving the most number of votes is placed on the website home page until the moment when the next monthly voting results are summed up. This year the idea was extended: 12 winners of the “Creative Work of the Month” nomination took part in the “Creative Work of the Year” contest.

01.20.2009
Advertisement in the “Underground City” Will Get More Creativity

The largest operator accommodating visual advertisement in the Moscow metro has announced a contest for the most ingenious poster. The best work accommodated on any carrier in the “underground city” will receive the “Creative Work of the Year” award.

The “Olimp” company has been collecting the most interesting and brightest specimen of advertising creativity that one may see in the Moscow metro. This collection has been growing for several years on the company website. Section “Creative Work of the Month” (http://www.olimp-m.ru/creativ/result/), that has been there from the moment the corporate site was published in the Internet is continuously open for voting on the best poster design. The poster receiving the most number of votes is placed on the website front page until the moment when the next monthly voting results are summed up.

The contest also includes works whose authors most successfully managed to use the metro stylistics to promote goods and services. And the number of such examples is growing together with the growth of the underground advertising site popularity. The creative contest contributes to a more up-to-date image of the Moscow metro and makes advertising materials more interesting, bright and creative. The interactive poll in which passengers take place as well allows making a forecast which advertising concepts have the best effect on target audience.

The idea continues to develop, and this year changes were made to the “Olimp” website structure allowing to carry out the next project stage, the “Creative Work of the Year” contest that will also be held on a regular basis. At the moment 12 winners of the “Creative Work of the Month” nomination are awaiting the opinion of the site visitors. The visitors will determine the most remarkable one among the works. They include a poster with advertisement of the Snickers chocolate bar, a poster of a recruiting campaign for Samsung, advertisement of a “Comprehensible loan” from Metrobank and other interesting and bright ideas implemented in Moscow metro advertising carriers.

You may watch the most creative advertisement specimen and take part in voting on the website: http://www.olimp-m.ru/creative-media/year/. It is a real chance to make a personal contribution in the formation of a new contemporary language that advertisement in the Moscow metro will “speak” to the passengers. Hurry! The voting results will be summed up very soon, in the beginning of February 2009.