Thought Leadership
International - Market Snapshot: CEE
Secrets to a Successful Campaign
When planning a PR strategy in the technology sector, the CEE/CIS region cannot be viewed as one coherent market. While there are obviously similarities in terms of cultural, historical and political background which make implementation of PR in those markets easier, each country retains its unique characteristics—from local market regulations to language and last, but not least, differing market sizes. When looking at the media environment, while many tactics can be applied across the region, a certain degree of local market customization is required. For example, while specific tactics, tones of voice or messages will work and be well accepted by media in the Czech Republic, they may not work at all with the Russian media. In other words, localization of information as well as communications channels is an essential success factor for Central and Eastern Europe. Increasingly, local media require local news and refuse to cover international or global technology topics unless they are related to major technology trends reflected in local markets throughout the region.
The media market in Central and Eastern Europe has matured in the last ten years. Standards of local reporters are not much different from those in more developed markets of Western Europe. Media in Eastern Europe expect to have the same technology news at the same time as their colleagues in Western Europe or in the U.S. More successful trade and business media titles are launching in local markets, but a number of titles also fail due to competition. Therefore, while the media environment changes quickly, as far as technology press is concerned, there are stable editions or publishing houses, and innovative publications rarely appear.
Russia/CIS specifics
Given the size and historical background of the Russian market, the media environment
differs from other countries in the region. Russia is extensive compared to
other markets, and this contributes to a highly competitive landscape. Major
trade press is concentrated in the central region of the Russian Federation,
whereas business or common interest press are primarily spread throughout the
country. In this respect, competition between technology publications is aggressive,
and they require and are interested in mostly local news and data as well as
rapid response to their inquiries (although this is no different from other
Eastern European markets). As for language, most media require information in
the native language, but at the same time are willing to translate high-profile
and interesting materials.
Key characteristics to consider
- Need for localization of news/messages
- Demand for locally generated news
- Differences in size/media landscape in individual countries of the region
- Expanded competitive media market
