The case study on the Russian Standard brand provides a valuable insight into the development of the brand and the reasons for its success. The domestic as well as foreign markets can be compared and the projections made in terms of introducing the mark into the US market.
The Russian Standard’s Philosophy
The Russian Standard brand has several significant differences if to compare with other products in the same category. This has allowed it to become more successful. The whole philosophy behind the brand is quite appealing to the Russian customers. An idea of having the brand that would include both new quality standards for the Russian products as well as a link to the rich heritage of the country is an unusual approach which has yielded wonderful results. A rich array of marketing materials together with the advantageous shelf placing in the stores were all contributing to the rapid success of brand. Furthermore, the Russian Standard vodka has become a product positioning itself slightly and differently from every other given brand.
The Russian Standard vodka was able to enjoy the strong brand equity on the Russian market. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, its unique philosophy has come into to the national pride of Russians. Secondly, the target population was predominantly males from the middle to high level of income. The emerging middle class was paying its attention to the quality and image of this product. That is why the targeting done by the brand has matched expectations of the buying force. The Russian Standard vodka has become the brand for the people with values which may be relied upon.
The Russian Standard works as an umbrella brand for several product categories. Apart from vodka, there is also a Russian Standard Bank. The product categories are drastically different from each other. One can wonder whether one brand can work successfully for both of them. Looking at the Russian Standard history in Russia one can notice that both the drink and the bank are being quite successful. However, there are serious doubts concerning the reasons. As the research has showed, very few people could identify the products as a part of one brand presenting one set of values. Therefore, the success they were enjoying has come largely from the individual efforts of the bank and of the alcoholic drink. Both products have clever strategies that allowed them to prosper. For example, the Russian Standard bank offered some loans to individuals that were small but appealing because of their accessibility. Moreover, the bank has been innovative in using the special booths in stores where people could easily access services. All these efforts have brought the desired result. So, the Russian Standard brand turned out to be successful in both areas. Now, there is more knowledge about two products belonging to the single brand with a positive image that may, in fact, increase. It is clear to the general public that the products both represent the high quality.
When going to the US market, though there are many issues to consider for the Russian Standard. The most effective strategy would be to retain some of the positioning and marketing mixes, while adjusting some aspects to the new market’s needs. The visual image of the bottle itself is appealing enough, hinting at the product belonging to a premium market segment. Moreover, it is meaningful to adopt the shape of big bell in Kremlin and the shape of onion domes of traditional Russian churches. However, the marketing strategy should reflect more than just new standards for Russia; this is showed by the brand. The standards should also be applicable globally if the brand wants to succeed in other markets. Moreover, an advertising campaign is something to focus on. While outsourcing to other European markets, the Russian Standard relied mostly on the word of mouth. The US market could hardly be won by such advertising. Comparing to the adverts of different premium class vodkas presented in the US market, the Russian Standard vodka is falling behind in terms of meaning, concept, and visual appearance of advert.
One can see that the Russian Standard brand, in particular, the Russian Standard vodka has had a significant and rapid success in the domestic market as well as in some foreign ones. The main reason for that has been a new vision of product being not provided by other existing brands. This proves once again how important it is to create the brand that represents something and that has a purpose behind it. For the similar success in the US market, the brand has to bring new aspects to its marketing mix and the brand identity to become more relevant for American customers.