Ornament Maker Depicts Barack Obama but Not Vladimir Putin
"Frustrated
customers accuse the company of jingoism and double standards, in effect
saying, 'you'll depict the U.S. president on your products, but are afraid to
show Russia's prime minister.'"
Nizhny Novgorod
Christmas ornament manufacturer Ariel has refused several requests from private
companies to manufacture Christmas ornaments with the image of Vladimir Putin.
Top managers of the company say that it's impossible to trace the post-sale fate
of products with portraits of the Russian prime minister, and so they're willing
to refuse a profitable order in the name of "preservation of reputation.”
At the same time, the factory quietly produced a few hundred Christmas ornaments
with the image of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Map showing the location of Nizhny
Novgorod Oblast in Russia.
Indeed, it
all began with Obama. An order for the likeness of the American president on Christmas
ornaments came from a certain American souvenir center after the annual
Christmas World Exhibition in Frankfurt. Prior to that, the factory was of the
opinion that in order to avoid potential problems, it was better not to imprint
the portraits of living people on breakable objects. But the Americans
persuaded the craftsmen of Nizhny Novgorod otherwise, even though they [the
Russian craftsman] supervised the entire process of making the gift set.
"We have reworked the balls with
the image of the American president several times,” deputy factory director
Elena Tersinskih told the Vremya News. “The original version, 'Obama
with a smile,' wasn't approved, so in the final version, the American president
isn't smiling. Another of the customer's requests was met as well; on the New
Year's ornament, the U.S. President is depicted in a stately pose with the Capitol
and American flag in the background. The cost of one ball with Obama was less
than a 1,000 rubles. [$33]. The Americans enjoyed working with Nizhny Novgorod
and the factory received an order to manufacture ornaments with a portrait of
Ronald Reagan. The company's management had already begun to think about a
whole series of balls with images of overseas leaders, but then domestic
consumers woke up, wanting to have Christmas tree ornaments with the image of
Vladimir Putin.
As it turned
out, depicting the Russian prime minister required clearance from
representatives of the government apparatus. So far, no one has been willing to
take responsibility for putting the image of Vladimir Putin on fragile
Christmas toys.
"We
don't know how private customers will use our product; perhaps these balls will
hang on a Christmas tree in a bathroom somewhere? Here, people often drink on
New Year's Eve and don't realize what they're doing," said Elena
Tersinskih, explaining her concerns.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
On the other
hand, if balls with the image of the Prime Minister were suddenly ordered
directly by representatives of Russia's government, the factory wouldn't
object. According to Elena Tersinskih, the total cost of the proposed order was
substantial for a small factory - a few million rubles. However, the factory
decided that reputation is more valuable than money. In turn, frustrated
customers accused the company of jingoism and double standards, in effect
saying, “you'll depict the U.S. president on your products, but are afraid to
show Russia's prime minister.” In response, consumers were told that when the
gift balls from the factory were ordered by representatives of Vladimir Putin,
who was then president and wanted to surprise his friend, German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder, it was no problem. But this was another matter.
Besides, the
money offered to the manufacturer for ornaments Vladimir Putin's image was obviously
no small matter for the craftsmen of Nizhny Novgorod. Suffice it to say that a
year ago the factory was on the verge of closure due to an inability to pay the
rent. The factory premises still don't receive gas, which greatly complicates
the work of the glass-blowing shop. The enterprise even lacks a sewage system.
Nevertheless, the factory is actively involved in social projects. For example,
Ariel hosts daily guided tours consisting of several hundred children, who not
only enthusiastically absorb every detail of the production process, but also
shape clay models of new toys, which are then used in production.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The most
persistent clients continue their siege of the factory's top management.
Obsessed with the idea of having Christmas tree ornaments with the image of Putin,
some fans of the Russian prime minister have turned to trickery. In the words
of Elena Tersinskih, the factory has even received phone calls allegedly from
the secretary of St. Petersburg Governor Valentin Matvienko, "trying to
expedite these orders immediately after introducing themselves, but this bald-faced
lie immediately repulsed us," confessed Ms. Tersinskih. As a result, to
the detriment of the businesses, the company's management stands behinds its
position on this question of principle "to the death.”
“We don't
sell vodka, but create holidays for people. Our hands and thoughts must be pure.
If we think only of money, we'll rot like other domestic ornament factories,
which used to number in the dozens. We're the only ones left in Russia, and we
continue to work and even go to international trade shows,” says Elena
Tersinskih.
In late
January, representatives of Ariel will again participate in the annual
Christmas World exhibition in Frankfurt, where they plan to meet purchasers of
Christmas tree ornaments with a portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama. The
residents of Nizhny Novgorod expect a new and profitable order from the
Americans.
