RusEnergy

10-25-Kommersant - Russia’s oil blockbuster, LUKOIL, has picked out the company for media services. Optimum Media OMD will plan LUKOIL’s advertising campaigns and buy media for them till late 2007. LUKOIL that intends to spend roughly $35 million for promotion in the following 14 months will become one of the 30 top advertisers in Russia. Other oil majors will follow, the analysts forecast.
LUKOIL held its media tender Tuesday, where the bidders were Carat (Aegis Media/OKS), Media Ways, Made, OMD Media Direction (BBDO Russia Group) and Optimum Media OMD (DDB Russia Group). The latter was acknowledged the winner and will make a contract with LUKOIL for planning its advertising during two months of this year and over the whole 2007. In LUKOIL, they declined to specify the media budget but promised to become much more aggressive in advertising. Sources familiar with the tender provisions said LUKOIL would spend around $35 million till late 2007, including $25 million for TV advertising. The amount is the record for oil companies and will make LUKOIL one of the 30 top advertisers in Russia. “LUKOIL has a common brand for engine oil and filling stations, but taken just for promoting its services in these two categories, the announced budget exceeds similar costs of competitors by many times,” said Maxim Khabur, TNK-BP’s senior manager for brand and communications.