In Soviet Georgia
Encyclopedia
In Soviet Georgia was the name of an advertising campaign
used by Dannon yogurt
in the United States
to make the argument that eating the product would make one healthier. The campaign was lucrative for Dannon, allowing it to make profits after years of losses. The campaign ran from 1973 to 1978 in U.S. television and print advertisements, and was unique in that it was the first American TV commercial to be produced from inside the Soviet Union.
In 1973, the first commercials aired on U.S. television, and the first print advertisements were run in TIME
and Newsweek
. Similar ad campaigns followed in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. The commercial entitled "Son of Russia" won a Clio Award in 1978. It was written by Steve Kasloff. The Creative Director was Peter Lubalin.
n farmer
s were interspersed with an off-camera announcer
intoning, "In Soviet Georgia, where they eat a lot of yogurt, a lot of people live past 100
." Each shot had a caption at the bottom, which would tell the audience the farmer's name and his or her age, which ranged from 95 to 105. One such commercial ended with a shot of an old man eating Dannon yogurt, with a woman who was purported to be his 114-year-old mother looking at him fondly. The announcer intoned, "89-year old Bagrat Topagua... ate two cups. That pleased his mother very much." The actual ages of the farmers shown were disputed after the fact and were never proven by the Dannon company.
, The Chief Executive, and The Wise Marketer cited the commercials as a good example of business strategy. In the case of Advertising Age, they ranked In Soviet Georgia in the Top 50 of the best TV commercials of all time and #89 on the list of the 100 Greatest Advertising Campaigns.
Marketing
analysts for The Wise Marketer noted that after the In Soviet Georgia ads, the Dannon company reversed a loss trend and started making profits in 1975, which would not end until the fiscal year 1990, when price hikes for yogurt across the board caused sales to decline.
, and its offshoot, TV Land Canada
.
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
used by Dannon yogurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to make the argument that eating the product would make one healthier. The campaign was lucrative for Dannon, allowing it to make profits after years of losses. The campaign ran from 1973 to 1978 in U.S. television and print advertisements, and was unique in that it was the first American TV commercial to be produced from inside the Soviet Union.
Creation
The campaign was penned by the Marsteller advertising agency at the urging of the CEO of Danone's U.S. division at the time, Juan Metzger; he wished to market Dannon yogurt in a more health-conscious direction.In 1973, the first commercials aired on U.S. television, and the first print advertisements were run in TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. Similar ad campaigns followed in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. The commercial entitled "Son of Russia" won a Clio Award in 1978. It was written by Steve Kasloff. The Creative Director was Peter Lubalin.
Television commercials
In the commercials, shots of elderly GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
n farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s were interspersed with an off-camera announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
intoning, "In Soviet Georgia, where they eat a lot of yogurt, a lot of people live past 100
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
." Each shot had a caption at the bottom, which would tell the audience the farmer's name and his or her age, which ranged from 95 to 105. One such commercial ended with a shot of an old man eating Dannon yogurt, with a woman who was purported to be his 114-year-old mother looking at him fondly. The announcer intoned, "89-year old Bagrat Topagua... ate two cups. That pleased his mother very much." The actual ages of the farmers shown were disputed after the fact and were never proven by the Dannon company.
Success of the campaign
Advertising periodicals such as Advertising AgeAdvertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
, The Chief Executive, and The Wise Marketer cited the commercials as a good example of business strategy. In the case of Advertising Age, they ranked In Soviet Georgia in the Top 50 of the best TV commercials of all time and #89 on the list of the 100 Greatest Advertising Campaigns.
Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
analysts for The Wise Marketer noted that after the In Soviet Georgia ads, the Dannon company reversed a loss trend and started making profits in 1975, which would not end until the fiscal year 1990, when price hikes for yogurt across the board caused sales to decline.
Reruns
Starting in 1996, the In Soviet Georgia ads were replayed on the classic television channel TV LandTV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
, and its offshoot, TV Land Canada
TV Land Canada
Comedy Gold is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel that focuses primarily on sitcoms from the 1970s to 1990s. It is wholly owned by Bell Media and is an offshoot of The Comedy Network.-History:...
.