Why the Soviet Union Advertised Products Consumers Could Not Buy

In 1967–1991, over 6000 commercials were created to promote products that neither the Soviet government nor state-owned companies wanted to produce, according to the magazine Russia Beyond.

The advertising industry started to flourish in the late 60s when the USSR issued a mandate obliging state-owned companies to spend 1% of their advertising revenue.

Back then, the Soviet Union did not have a market economy and free competition. There was no free media or private businesses either. Goods production was controlled and dictated by the state.

Due to a limited supply, the decision to boost advertising seemed rather odd. Think for a moment, why would anyone spend money on advertising products that people could not buy?

The truth is, the commercials were not always supposed to promote specific products. They also served a political role. We have this data nowadays, but people did not know it back then.

The Soviet Memories of My 76 Old Grandma

My grandma was born in Soviet Ukraine. She recalls shocking things about the Soviet economy that are hard to imagine and accept as historical facts. She is an alive encyclopedia of that time.

I asked her to recall the weirdest facts about Soviet marketing. Her answer was mindblowing:

It seemed the Soviet ads used to promote products we did not even know where to buy. It would have been more useful if ads communicated where we could get those products, instead of showing what was available.

What my grandma, perhaps, did not know is that many advertised products were not even available.

In a consumer-oriented society, businesses strive to attract more customers by utilizing ads, but when there is no competition or an open market, why would anyone produce commercials?

Here is how Smith Journal, an Australian magazine, explains this fact:

In the simplest sense, the objective was to project a narrative of abundance onto a population that was accustomed to experiencing scarcity.

It is unbelievable but makes sense if you imagine how the Soviet society lived. If products were available on the shelves, they could have been easily sold because shortages were common. No sponsored ads were needed to promote goods that were sold naturally.

On the other hand, you could promote anything with the allocated budget, but it did not matter because there was nothing to sell.

The Soviet Ads Advocating Products’ Abundance

The Soviet ads’ primary purpose was not to market the products and encourage people to buy them but rather to create a romantic view of society and the country. The TV and print ads were supposed to inform consumers that the advertised products existed somewhere, even though the shelves were empty.

Here is a Soviet ad that urged people to buy seafood. When I showed this ad to my dad, he was confused. He explained that TV ads and posters often advertised caviar and seafood, which were always scarce.

The yellow poster states, Everyone should try how tasty and soft the crab’s meat is.

Look at how the Soviet cars were advertised in the late 60s. Zaporozhets was supposed to become one of the most famous Soviet cars by being affordable and easy to repair.

Despite being advertised, it was nearly impossible to buy a car. Only a few people knew that the car was available to those having a special purchase card.

I recall my grandfather telling me that he had to register and wait in the queue to buy a car. The line could have lasted for months, even years. Nobody knew how long they were supposed to wait.

The strange device below is the audio player called Spring. The Soviet youth dreamed of having one of them at home. Various methods have been used for advertising these products, from funny caricatures and bold posters to young and attractive women.

Notice a woman wearing a jacket in the ad? It was another dream product that was almost impossible to find in the USSR. Ad makers managed to show what young people wanted but did not have a chance to buy.

My father recalled begging the salesman to let him purchase the last audio player available. Negotiation was a vital part of the sales process since the supply was limited.

Vladimir Mayakovski, one of the greatest Soviet-Russian poets, who was also involved in the creation of the Soviet ads, once said:

No deal can be made without advertising. People used to think that the worst products need to be advertised, while the high-quality goods can be easily sold. This is a huge misconception. Advertising creates a name for a product. Advertising needs to remind everyone how much they want and need the product.

He made this statement in 1923, which contradicted the standard definition of advertising written down in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia in 1941. It was the biggest source of knowledge at that time, where advertising was defined as:

A means of swindling the people and of foisting upon them goods frequently useless or of dubious quality.

Despite Mayakovski’s statement, the Soviet ads looked very primitive and were far behind Western countries. After analyzing a bunch of Soviet ads, I found some interesting facts.

• It was common to advertise the product categories, like milk, corn, tobacco, instead of specific brands.
• The ad slogans did not differ much. They either educated consumers — wash apples before eating — or urged them to do specific actions — drink, smoke, eat, use, buy, etc.
• The ads often used the adjective, the best, while referring to certain products. However, there were no competitors to make a comparison.
• Advertisement was made for a broad audience instead of the targeted groups.
• Many ads served the government, but not the market.

There is no future without the past, regardless of how painful it was. As someone born after the USSR had collapsed, it is hard for me to imagine what it is like to live in the Soviet time.

My grandma is still positive and nostalgic about the USSR, however. The advertising and propaganda did an excellent job there. It still works. People still remember it after many years.