Tutorial: The Influence of Corporate Mass Media in Russia

Are you interested in promoting your goods or services to a specific region or targeting specialized individuals? Do you wish to establish partnership relations with a particular company? Are you struggling to reach your target audience among thousands of employees in a specific organization? If so, partnering with Corporate Mass Media in Russia is the solution you’ve been searching for. Discover the market position of Corporate Mass Media and its advantages by reading the article published by the Quarter Billion Agency Group.

The history of Corporate Mass Media in Russia is deeply rooted. During the Soviet era, factory newspapers gained significant popularity and sometimes even replaced urban daily newspapers. However, the modern understanding of Corporate Mass Media emerged in the 1990s with the advent of capitalism and the entry of Western corporations into Russia. Today, Russian Corporate Mass Media holds a prominent position in the information landscape, striving to engage major companies. Many of these companies have multiple Corporate Mass Media outlets.

The definition of Corporate Mass Media has become somewhat blurred over time. Narrowly defined, it refers to mass media publications produced by commercial enterprises, companies, firms, factories, and similar entities. However, in a broader sense, Corporate Mass Media encompasses media produced by any organization whose primary activity is not mass communications. This includes publications from government and municipal authorities, educational and medical institutions, religious communities, and organizations.

Corporate Mass Media can be categorized based on the type of communication: B2C (business-to-consumer), B2B (business-to-business), and B2E (business-to-employee). However, B2C Corporate Mass Media has not gained much traction in Russia. For instance, board magazines published by airports, airlines, and railways can be considered B2C examples. Primarily, organizations produce publications targeting B2B partners, investors, industry leaders, and individuals interested in the company’s affairs. Additionally, B2E publications aim to foster communication with employees.

In 2016, the Russian Association of Communication Directors and Corporate Publishing (AKMR) conducted market research on Corporate Mass Media. The study involved managers from Communication and PR-services departments, as well as Corporate Mass Media departments, representing 72 Russian and international companies across 16 different industries. The combined employee count of these companies was approximately 2 million people. The research revealed a significant presence of Corporate Mass Media within the surveyed companies, with a wide scope of implementation, as 93% of the companies utilized it. On average, 73.6% of the companies in the sample had at least one printed corporate publication.

Among the surveyed companies:

• 47.2% made use of both printed and digital editions,
• 26.3% continued to produce only printed publications,
• However, one in five companies relied exclusively on digital platforms for their corporate communications.

The research findings indicate that printed corporate editions have a broad reach and traditionally attract a large audience. Among the surveyed companies, there were a total of 138 printed media outlets in 61 companies, with a combined one-time circulation exceeding 2.3 million copies. More than half of the companies had corporate magazines and newspapers with circulation numbers ranging from 1000 to 5000 copies.

• Out of every ten companies, four of them publish a single newspaper.
• Several major conglomerates own and operate 10 to 15 newspapers. In towns dominated by a single company, corporate publications serve as the primary source of local daily news.
• The ongoing advancement of modern technology continues to significantly impact corporate newspapers. Approximately 20% of companies now exclusively publish and distribute their newspapers and reports through digital channels.

How to Utilize Corporate Mass Media?

The utilization of corporate media differs from other forms of mass media due to its tendency to prioritize non-advertising content. Even when advertising is present, Corporate Mass Media exercises responsible selection by targeting a specialized audience, such as its employees, partners, or clients. Furthermore, Corporate Mass Media primarily serves an image-building function and emphasizes high-quality and captivating advertisements.

The advantages and disadvantages of promoting through Corporate Mass Media stem from its focused and limited audience. Therefore, it is justified to place promotional or partner materials in Corporate Mass Media under the following circumstances:

• Targeting specialized individuals within a particular field of interest.
• Focusing on specific regions for ad placement, such as areas, cities, or even districts.
• Offering goods and services that may be of interest to specific companies and their employees.

Nowadays, it has become customary for sizable companies, firms, factories, and other organizations to establish their own corporate media. These media outlets cater to a well-defined and segmented audience, with companies striving to create publications that appeal to a broad range of readers while maintaining high-quality content. Consequently, advertising in corporate media is a wise choice when your target audience aligns with the readership of a particular publication. The experts at Quarter Billion Agency Group can assist you in navigating the corporate mass media market in Russia and placing advertisements effectively.