| Chelyabinsk businessman believes that this brand is not promoted enough An attempt by an entrepreneur from Chelyabinsk, Viktor Furman, to make money from the president of the country ended in complete failure. The other day, Mr. Furman announced the liquidation of his business producing pins with the profile of Vladimir Putin. Having invested one and a half million rubles in this seemingly extremely promising business over the course of a year, the entrepreneur came to the conclusion that it was still unprofitable to produce souvenirs with Putin’s face in Russia - in his opinion, this brand was not really promoted.
Viktor Furman organized his business a year ago, when the Putin bar appeared in Chelyabinsk, Kasli metallurgists were busy casting busts of the head of state, and local television broadcast footage of a dog pronouncing the president’s name. When creating Furman Enterprise LLC, a retired lieutenant colonel, former deputy division commander for armaments, decided that in such a saturated market the only unoccupied segment was the production of medallions and badges with the profile of the head of state. A year ago, explaining his decision to go into business, Viktor Furman told reporters that “he was imbued with respect for Vladimir Vladimirovich when he took up the task of strengthening Russian statehood. This is the first sane leader in whom you can believe and who needs to be supported.”
Proving the patriotic rationale for creating a business, Furman admitted that he could start producing badges with the image of Zhirinovsky, who would probably reimburse all expenses, but still choose the head of state. According to last year’s business plan, the company’s products were supposed to appear in all souvenir shops in the country, but the businessman pinned his main hopes on Moscow. The company's assortment was designed for three categories of buyers. For the first group - diplomats, deputies, businessmen - gold badges were intended at a selling price of three thousand rubles per copy. The second group - mid-level officials and party functionaries of United Russia - had to buy silver badges for 200 rubles. Russians who were unable to pay the required sums for precious metals were given copper badges (costing from 80 to 150 rubles).
However, the businessman’s hopes were not justified - only one Chelyabinsk souvenir store took the badges for sale. As Victor Furman admits, the attempt to lobby the interests of the country’s top leadership did not help promote the business. So, with the help of intermediaries, the businessman handed over several gold badges to the Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and Air Defense, and the Minister of Defense Sergei Ivanov. According to the most conservative estimates, almost 200 copies were given away.
Having not received any help or support from the powers that be, the businessman decided to liquidate the production in which one and a half million rubles had been invested. The results of the work of the Furman enterprise are small - only a thousand badges were produced, most of which have not yet been sold. According to the director of the LLC, the problems in his business are related to incorrect marketing policies. “I thought that the brand was well promoted and there was no need to invest in advertising, but it turned out that even the icons needed to be promoted,” admits Victor Furman. The second reason for the failure of the idea is the unwillingness of the population to buy souvenirs with the president’s profile. “Everyone approves of Vladimir Putin’s activities, but in the stands, in front of the camera, but they are probably not mature enough to wholeheartedly popularize these views,” says the entrepreneur. Mikhail VIUGIN |
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