Anatoly Kostyrev’s column on the Russification of stamps

Russian consumers, who until recently were confused about the names of numerous alternatives to Coca-Cola, which officially left Russia, will probably have to get used to changes in the usual assortment on store shelves for some time. Recently, the Shot Telegram channel drew attention to the appearance in retail of Russified versions of household chemicals and hygiene products produced at former factories of the German concern Henkel, which sold its Russian business. And although the company announced the change of names from Latin to Cyrillic, photos of plastic bottles of Persil, Bref, Vernel and Shauma caused conflicting reviews. “Why am I ashamed to read this in Cyrillic?” one of the commenters on the Telegram post asks.

For Russians injured by abibas sneakers, such goods can really resemble fakes for brands known for many years. In addition, the Latin inscription in the eyes of local consumers has always added points to the image of the product, and Cyrillic names are considered to be well received only in a few categories, such as food and alcoholic beverages.

This is what Russian manufacturers are accustomed to be guided by, including in the market of household chemicals and hygiene products, choosing names in Latin. “A lot of Russian companies have created beautiful brands over the past 15-20 years … Most Russian consumers think that these are Western brands, but in fact they are Russian … which belong to Russian beneficiaries,” she said in August of this year on meeting with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the head of the Diarsi Group of Companies (ROCS brand) Svetlana Matelo.

The reduction in the activity of global corporations in terms of advertising and investment in discounts on the FMCG market in Russia since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine has already allowed local players to strengthen their positions. Now it turns out that local companies have received another unexpected advantage – the ability to use brands written in Latin, which is why, in the neighborhood, for example, with Vernel, relatively speaking, initially Russian Synergetic and BioMio can win. According to NielsenIQ, in the household and personal care categories, 25-29% of consumers retain brand loyalty, while the rest are willing to try other brands.

On the other hand, Henkel is unlikely to be the last foreign player whose assortment in the Russian Federation is subject to forced Russification for one reason or another. And with the growing share of such goods, the consumer will probably also get used to the Cyrillic spelling, which can break the long-term trend in the desire of Russian companies to give the product an “imported” touch.