What's changed for online advertisers
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 10:34 am
Agencies have recorded an increase in the cost of advertising in Telegram channels. Some blame the introduction of fines for the lack of mandatory labeling, but most associate the trend with increased demand and inflation
The cost of advertising in Telegram channels in September-October 2023 increased by an average of 35% compared to the same period last year. Such analytics were presented at the request of RBC by the Starlink agency (part of the Rodnaya Rech group, formerly Publicis), based on reports on its own blogger campaigns.
Evgeny Chuvashov, digita algeria whatsapp resource l director of the Igronik group, also notes a slightly smaller, but still an increase in advertising rates on Telegram in September 2023 compared to September 2022: the increase, according to him, amounted to 15 to 30%.
The cost of placement has increased not only in Telegram, but also in the entire segment of online advertising, although the overall growth was much less pronounced. Thus, in September-October 2023, prices rose year-on-year by 5-10%, according to the founder of the advertising agency Digital Church Mark Khludnev. The increase in prices is also noted by the director of digital technologies of NMi Group Anna Planina, although she does not specify specific figures.
According to Khludnev, the main reasons for the price increase include general inflation, as well as increased competition and an increase in the number of advertisers with the same inventory (available advertising space). "There is a seasonal factor in online advertising: in the fall, there are increasing coefficients, and rates at auctions for categories that are traditionally in high season in the fourth quarter are growing," explains Planina. "Demand, which is growing due to a shortage of inventory on television, radio and in print and the transfer of money not placed offline to digital, also affects prices."
Amendments to the Law on Advertising came into force on September 1, 2022, providing for the creation of a total accounting system for all online advertising in Russia. Now its customers, advertising agencies, and distributors must transfer information about all campaigns to Roskomnadzor. The list of information subject to accounting includes the cost of contracts, campaign timing, creatives themselves, etc. One of the parties to the transaction (the customer, agency, or distributor) must transfer this information through special advertising data operators (ORD). In total, there are seven ORDs operating on the market, belonging to Yandex, Ozon, a structure of the National Media Group AmberData (ORD-A), VimpelCom (First ORD), Sber (Development Laboratory), VK, and MTS (MediaScout). They provide their services on different terms, most of them for a fee (this is not regulated by law). The advertising itself must be marked.
The law on the registration of online advertising provided for a transition period, during which the regulatory authorities — the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and Roskomnadzor — did not punish companies for the lack of labeling. The amendments providing for fines for incorrect labeling or its absence came into force only on September 1, 2023. The amount of fines varies greatly depending on the specifics of both the violation and the advertising campaign. For example, for incorrect transmission of information, an individual can be fined 10-30 thousand rubles, a legal entity — 200-500 thousand rubles. Organized crime scene investigations can also be fined for incorrect work: the amount is 100-200 thousand rubles for officials and 300-700 thousand rubles for legal entities.
Since the law came into force, Roskomnadzor has not yet issued a single actual fine, RBC sources in four operational investigation departments assure. The RBC service itself reported that the agency is currently conducting "several administrative investigations into the identified facts of the absence of an advertising identifier." The decision on bringing to justice will be made based on the results of these inspections. The FAS press service did not respond to RBC's request.
The cost of advertising in Telegram channels in September-October 2023 increased by an average of 35% compared to the same period last year. Such analytics were presented at the request of RBC by the Starlink agency (part of the Rodnaya Rech group, formerly Publicis), based on reports on its own blogger campaigns.
Evgeny Chuvashov, digita algeria whatsapp resource l director of the Igronik group, also notes a slightly smaller, but still an increase in advertising rates on Telegram in September 2023 compared to September 2022: the increase, according to him, amounted to 15 to 30%.
The cost of placement has increased not only in Telegram, but also in the entire segment of online advertising, although the overall growth was much less pronounced. Thus, in September-October 2023, prices rose year-on-year by 5-10%, according to the founder of the advertising agency Digital Church Mark Khludnev. The increase in prices is also noted by the director of digital technologies of NMi Group Anna Planina, although she does not specify specific figures.
According to Khludnev, the main reasons for the price increase include general inflation, as well as increased competition and an increase in the number of advertisers with the same inventory (available advertising space). "There is a seasonal factor in online advertising: in the fall, there are increasing coefficients, and rates at auctions for categories that are traditionally in high season in the fourth quarter are growing," explains Planina. "Demand, which is growing due to a shortage of inventory on television, radio and in print and the transfer of money not placed offline to digital, also affects prices."
Amendments to the Law on Advertising came into force on September 1, 2022, providing for the creation of a total accounting system for all online advertising in Russia. Now its customers, advertising agencies, and distributors must transfer information about all campaigns to Roskomnadzor. The list of information subject to accounting includes the cost of contracts, campaign timing, creatives themselves, etc. One of the parties to the transaction (the customer, agency, or distributor) must transfer this information through special advertising data operators (ORD). In total, there are seven ORDs operating on the market, belonging to Yandex, Ozon, a structure of the National Media Group AmberData (ORD-A), VimpelCom (First ORD), Sber (Development Laboratory), VK, and MTS (MediaScout). They provide their services on different terms, most of them for a fee (this is not regulated by law). The advertising itself must be marked.
The law on the registration of online advertising provided for a transition period, during which the regulatory authorities — the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and Roskomnadzor — did not punish companies for the lack of labeling. The amendments providing for fines for incorrect labeling or its absence came into force only on September 1, 2023. The amount of fines varies greatly depending on the specifics of both the violation and the advertising campaign. For example, for incorrect transmission of information, an individual can be fined 10-30 thousand rubles, a legal entity — 200-500 thousand rubles. Organized crime scene investigations can also be fined for incorrect work: the amount is 100-200 thousand rubles for officials and 300-700 thousand rubles for legal entities.
Since the law came into force, Roskomnadzor has not yet issued a single actual fine, RBC sources in four operational investigation departments assure. The RBC service itself reported that the agency is currently conducting "several administrative investigations into the identified facts of the absence of an advertising identifier." The decision on bringing to justice will be made based on the results of these inspections. The FAS press service did not respond to RBC's request.