How China Uses Image of Putin in Commercial Market

As the ice cream business is flourishing a logistics company capable of storing 2,000 tons of ice cream was recently opened in Suifenhe and this year Russian ice cream imports increased by 206 percent from last year in terms of quantity.

Earlier, it was reported by website People’s Daily that, “The popularity of Russian ice cream in China reflects Chinese consumers' trust in their neighbor and interest in Russian food.”

​The reason for this is the fact that Russian ice cream makers have not only preserved the traditional production technology but also a sense of honor and self-confidence.

Marketing of Ice Cream

The traditional manufacturing technology ensures a long lasting taste, whereas, “honesty and conservative” use of ingredients provides for the unadulterated quality of ice cream, according to People’s Daily.

Chinese ice cream retailers did not miss the opportunity to continue the marketing move that was initiated by Putin.

They have launched an unusual advertising campaign for Russian ice cream in China.

An image of Vladimir Putin, eating an ice cream cone, has appeared on mini-trucks in the Chinese regions of Po Heihe bordering Russia’s Blagoveshchensk region, reported Amurskaya Pravda.

​However, this is not the first time image of Putin that has been used for commercial purposes in China.

Images of Putin in Fashion

For example, the portrait of the Russian leader was placed on a huge banner in a chocolate store in Harbin. In the city of Changsha, Putin's image was used in a real estate ad, according to the website New News.

The Chinese are however, not the first ones to come up with the idea to use Putin's image for commercial purposes. Both Russia and the West both have long used it.

For example, during Paris Fashion Week German fashion house Talbot Runhof presented a collection of T-shirts with the image of the Russian president with the background of symbols of the four major cities of the fashion world: Paris, New York, London and Milan.

Similarly, Italian company Caviar released a limited edition gold case for an iPhone, decorated with the arms of Russia, Putin's image and quotations from the Russian national anthem.

In Russia, following the reunification of Crimea, there was a real commercial boom for images of Putin: there were souvenirs of Vladimir Putin on mugs, his autographs and quotes on various clothing items, watches, cutlery dishes and phone covers.

However, the President of the Russian Federation does not approve the use of his image for commercial purposes, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Business Across Border

Nevertheless, since the rapid increase of export of Russian ice cream to China, the production of ice cream in the Primorsky region of the Russian Federation increased significantly compared to 2015, with ice cream production volume doubling over the past year.

​Russian sanitary and quarantine control authorities have promised to keep quality in check, to increase efficiency and ensure the safe and unimpeded flow of Russian ice cream to the Chinese market.

Simultaneously, China's office of inspection and quarantine for the import and export of products legally obliged itself to ensure compliance with sanitary norms in warehouses and normal functioning of the refrigeration equipment in order to provide optimal conditions for storage of the Russian ice cream.

Soon delicious ice cream from the Russian republic of Bashkortostan may appear in Chinese markets, as was recently stated by the chairman of Goskomtorg of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Guzel Asylova.

Talking about these business ties between the two countries, orientalist Evgeniya Tikhonova said, “The Chinese have great respect for our leader. For them, what Putin does is a sign of quality. If Putin is eating ice cream, it's really good. Secondly, the Chinese believe that not only ice cream, but everything that was done in the Soviet Union, had a high quality mark,” news website Vzglad reported her as saying.

She further said that this is purely a Chinese trait — to develop their business, using references to well-known personalities. For them Vladimir Putin is a strong leader.

Therefore, they use his image in order to succeed in their own business.

Nonetheless, apart from the respect and love for Putin, the popularity of Russian ice cream in China is also rising because Russia provides high quality ice cream at a reasonable price.

According to the Chinese entrepreneurs who are engaged in the export of Russian ice cream to China, in comparison with European and American brands, Russian ice cream has gained an unambiguous price advantage since the fall of the Russian ruble.

Some experts have estimated that the volume of China's consumer market accounts for nearly 5 trillion dollars. In other words, it is almost 10 times the size of the Russian market and therefore, offers great opportunities for Russian exporters.