Know-How Exchange : Customer Behavior

Dear NiqueLite,

I am glad to share with you my experience while the launch of a popular Vodka brand in South Asia,

The gist of the findings were as follows;

Vodka is perceived as tough - no peer in its own class though does not rate very high on style it is not sneered upon by the classes

Has got to combine with Lime, Colas and other cordials due to which enjoys a wider appeal amongst teenagers, women and of course men

Is consumed at all times day and night no special preference because of which is a must for parties , cocktails , corporate and press events,


Smooth if well matured but high on alcohol content,

Vodka comes across as an enigma wrapped in a mystery(Russians) for the Asians and hence if you target the curiosity element in the minds of your target market it can make your prospects scurry to give your Vodka brand a good Bear Hug,

If you like my suggestions don't forget to send me a crate of Vodka!!

All the best in your endeavors,


Winston
India

Hello, NiqueLite

I am from Russia

Thank Cris for the info.

First of all, I have to give you a little history information. According to the trustful sources vodka appeared in Russia in the end of XIV century. It was brought to Russia from Genoa. It was called "bread wine" in Russia in the beginning. They have made her from rye, barley, or wheat. You may find the complete article on Wikipedia.org, however, article about vodka in Russian is different from the one in English, so if you need some historical facts, I will be glad to help with translation.

Therefore, Russian vodka consumption traditions are pretty old. They say that Russians are those who can drink vodka like water. That's not true.

First of all we have to remember that vodka is a very warming drink. It was of current interest in Russia where most of the territory is very cold. People there warmed up with vodka, as well as cured their hard lives with it. A problem with vodka consumption was very bad in 50-80 in Russia.

After WW2 country was very weak, poor, and living was hard. In 70-80 there was a huge problem of motivation among people because everyone was "even", and a lot of mediocre people who weren't strong enough in dedication themselves to work of to their families consumed vodka to forget themselves.

As we know, different alcoholic beverages have different influence on human body. Vodka takes your mind away fast and keeps you in this state for a long time. It blows away fears and personal problems, leaving human mind in a joyful non-caring brave condition. As a very strong drink, which basically is ethanol mixed with water, vodka creates a very strong painful hangover. The most interesting feature of it that it doesn't smell.

Long consumption of vodka (several days) calls hard drinking, and it's a real national problem for many Russians, since they are so ruined by the problems of their lives, so as soon as they feel the freedom of all emotional burdens, they don't want to get back to their miserable lives and just keep drinking to maintain this wonderful easy feeling, however killing themselves slowly. You may see a lot of advertising of Russian narcologists saying "hard drinking rescue". Mostly this problem occurs in provincial towns of Russia, but you may find a lot of its occurrence in big cities, especially in Moscow.

Vodka is perceived hard. Ethanol feels pretty bad, but vodka is the best drink to turn drunk fast.

Russians consume it as it is, mixes with juice (screw driver drink), sparkling beverages. Russians never use ice in any form consuming vodka. Normally they drink clear vodka with small (2-3 oz) glasses - in more intelligent company or sometimes with big (6-7 oz) glasses and our just about 3,4 oz of vodka per every swallow.

One of Russian "bad" mixes is vodka and beer, which is called "bottle-brush". It's a very heavy drink, which blows a drinker's mind very fast and has very bad consequences in a form of very fast poisoning, which weak stomach people feel pretty soon and which leads to vomiting or very bad toxication. However, for those who can drink a lot of vodka and got used to its effect this kind of mix gives a little bit more depth in a sensation of intoxication.

Vodka is a typical party drink in Russia. There is the whole culture around vodka - special terminology, linguistics which is used only for defining vodka and vodka consumption. For example, there are several ways to say "let's have some vodka": how about a small one, let's crush a quarter, would you have a some white?

Vodka was a currency in Russia for a while in a workers world. What you know as tips, in Russia would be "something for a drink". In classic Russian tip means "for a tea", but practically when they asked for a tip, they would ask "for a bottle". And a bottle was a bottle of vodka. You could pay workers with vodka if you had no money when it came to some maintenance works. A pluming technician who would do you a favor of fixing something could take payment in a form of vodka. You could also give vodka as a tip.

Well, I think I have given you a rough idea about Russian vodka consumption features. Send me an email if you want to know more. I hope I answered all your questions! :)

Natasha