Newsjacking technology in advertising: the topic of sanctions and import substitution

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Newsjacking is a fairly new media technology, which allows you to draw more attention to the promoted product and to ensure standing out from the competitors. Situational marketing of this type presupposes a focus of attention towards the newsworthy events and a high reaction rate to them. In the classic form, a newsworthy event rarely lives longer than five days, but there are also options for a prolonged newsworthy event, the appeal to which can be quite lengthy. COVID-19 became such a relevant “news stream” in 2020, and the topic of sanctions and import substitution in the period 2014–2016, 2022–2023 which is the subject of this study. The purpose of this study is to consider import substitution as the dominant of media discourse, which has become an urgent news reason and the basis of newsjacking technology.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The material for the study was more than 80 polycode advertising texts, which are based on an appeal to the discursive dominant “import substitution”. To achieve this goal, the following set of methods was used: directional sampling method; descriptive and analytical method; content analysis; discourse analysis; method of systematization and classification.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Analysis of representing the discursive dominant of “import substitution” in advertising texts allowed us to identifies the following basic techniques: use of stereotypical images associated with Russia; use of the symbols of the USSR; turn to the sanctions theme; direct replacement of foreign counterparts with Russian goods; adaptation of foreign brands.CONCLUSION. The use of the topic of import substitution in advertising is a very significant trend that many advertisers have used for a certain time, and in 2022–2023 this trend was updated in an updated version.