SMS spam should be considered a medium-gravity crime, which implies punishment of up to five years in prison, suggested participants at a meeting last week which brought together Russian regulation and surveillance agencies as well as leading mobile operators. Telecom regulator Roskomnadzor also suggested changing the rules for providing telecommunication services and content.
The popularity of banks on social networks – especially official corporate pages on Facebook or Vkontakte, and Twitter accounts – has increased more than 50-fold over the past year, says a report from Artenom Consulting. “One third of the country’s 100 largest banks has either established an official presence on social networks or is using …
Russian banks attract half a million fans on social networks Read More
Online advertising spending surpassed print advertising for the first time in 2011, the Russian Association of Communication Agencies (AKAR) annnouced in its annual report, published this week. According to the report, the Russian online advertising market reached $1.4 billion, up 56% from 2010, demonstrating the fastest growth among the different segments of the market. In …
Online outran print on advertising revenues, up 56% in 2011 Read More
Last week, major Russian mobile phone retailer Svyaznoy announced the launch of an in-house TV network. ‘Svyaznoy TV’ offers news, reports, and reviews of the retailer’s products and services as well as entertainment, corporate information, and advertising from Svyaznoy’s partners. Svyaznoy TV is currently featured in more than 900 stores across Russia, with an expected …
Ozon.ru, a leading Russian online retailer, launched a new social commerce application on Facebook yesterday, making its entire catalog available through the social networking site, along with a number of integrative social and viral features. Users can let the app post status messages, notes, photos, and videos on their behalf or opt to keep their …
In a move illustrating growing demand on the Russian online advertising market, Yandex announced its rates for display advertising will increase next year by an average of 28%, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported yesterday based on exchanges with advertising agencies. Yandex confirmed the news as well as the fact it revises its display advertising rates …
Will savvy US consumers soon be navigating shopping malls with the help of a Russian mobile application? This vision of the future may well come to be in a year or two, according to Wizee CEO Anton Lebedev who exchanged views with East-West Digital News. Already available at the Apple App Store and on Android …
Wizee, the Russian mobile shopping guide with global ambitions Read More
Russian Venture Company, the state owned fund of funds dedicated to innovation, announced on Wednesday its indirect participation in the $150 million round of financing of WhaleShark Media Inc., a global leader in online coupon sales, through its UK affiliate Institutional Venture Partners XIII (IVP). JP Morgan Asset Management also took part in the round, …
Russian Venture Company takes part in $300 million WhaleShark Media deal Read More
Russian private equity fund iTech Capital announced last week its investment in The Battle of Brands, a popular website launched in March of this year in both Russian and English languages. The amount of the capital injection was not disclosed, but an iTech representative told East-West Digital News the fund had obtained a majority stake …
Play marketing site The Battle of Brands attracts investment from iTech Capital Read More
Leading Russian financial company Finam says it has been approached by Western funds considering the acquisition of Finam’s web property Marketgid, the leading traffic exchange and affiliation platform in Russia. Finam values Marketgid at $100 million at least, Dmitry Smirnov, the CEO of the Finam Private Equity Fund, told East-West Digital News. According to Smirnov, …
Russian traffic exchange platform Marketgid eyed by Western funds Read More
According to Vkontakte.ru’s co-founder and General Manager Pavel Durov, “Mail.ru Group’s ad sales teams give bribes to ad buyers openly and at a massive scale.” Durov posted the accusation in a discussion on Facebook yesterday, according to the online business publication Marker.ru and IT news and forum site Roem.ru.
WPP, a prominent global advertising and marketing group, has agreed to acquire – through its subsidiary Ogilvy & Mather – a majority stake in Promo Interactive, a leading Moscow-based advertising agency with a strong Internet, mobile and multimedia focus, the Russian press reported last week.
