Presidential hopeful Medvedev to become vodka icon?

Entrepreneurs are entering into the spirit of Russia's presidential election. Businesses hope to cash in on the name of the eventual winner to sell products such as vodka. Dmitry Medvedev is the leading candidate and experts believe his brand-name will be

“The only way this works is if the politician is charismatic and bright and if it carries over to the product,” Aleksandr Eromenko, Brand Lab director says.

But the trend is nothing new. Three years after Putin became president Putinka vodka hit the shelves. It was a good marketing move and now one of the biggest brands in Russia. The company has already applied to patent Volodya and Medvedi – Volodya, of course, in the spirit of Vladimir Putin, and Medvedi for Dmitry Medvedev.

Entrepreneurs predicted Medvedev would have a promising future when he became First Deputy Prime Minister in 2005 – Medvedevka vodka brand was registered at that time.

However, that was only the beginning. Now Tsar-Medved and Medvedka have also been claimed.

“It's hard to tell if this will work yet because we don't know what kind of leader Medvedev might be. I think it will clear soon and we will understand his image and how it will effect brands that are trying to market Medvedev,” Aleksandr Eromenko notes.

But Putin is expected to remain a strong political figure and any bottle with his name on it will always be a bestseller.

“The mood is really important. Putinka managed to use the President's name but also to capture his image in their design of the product, which has played a big part in its success,” Aleksandr Eromenko says.

So Medvedev might have to prove himself first before Medvedevka will push Putinka off the shelves.