Ad agencies have found that it is important not to portray characters in advertisements as wealthy, and that testimonials to the quality of products are more readily believed than slick image-oriented campaigns. 6 Foreign companies have also begun to use Russian ad agencies to produce their local ads. One industry analyst notes that while the western agencies are more adept at strategic planning, Russian agencies often produce more creative, if risky, ads. Real strength in the market for Russian ad agencies is not likely for a long time, however, and the future of Russian advertising will most likely follow the development of the Western European market, where the three or four most successful national ad agencies and the multinationals together dominate the market. Smaller agencies will fit into niches, or be bought up by the multinationals if they become too successful.
Local stations produce much of their own advertising.
In addition to live-action ads, local stations produce pozdravlenie and obyavlenie . When local television was still in its infancy many stations broadcast hours of nothing but pozdravlenie and obyavlenie , both because it brought them an income and because of a dearth of programming. These forms of advertising have become less prominent. That large local stations still use these ads suggest that less developed stations would also be likely to do so. Congratulatory greetings and dedications on musical programs may not survive much longer, however, as most of the music clips used for these are pirated, and copyright laws are becoming more draconian.