Organization of marketing in Russian media companies: structure, tools, and effectiveness measurement practices

Section: Media Economics

The article analyzes the organization of marketing activities in Russian media companies under conditions of digital transformation. The study aims to determine how the marketing function is structured in contemporary Russian media, which tools are used in practice, how marketing effectiveness is evaluated, and what problems media professionals identify. The empirical basis consists of 80 semi-structured expert interviews conducted in 2023–2024 with representatives of federal media holdings, medium-sized national media outlets, regional media companies, niche publications, and new digital-only media projects. The findings show that 55% of the companies studied have a dedicated marketing department, 30% rely on a single in-house marketing specialist, and in 15% of cases marketing functions are distributed among editorial teams, advertising departments, or top management. The most widespread tools are social media marketing, public relations, content marketing. The study demonstrates that formal marketing planning and KPI systems are typical primarily of large media companies and fast-growing digital projects, whereas many regional media outlets still rely on situational and intuitive decision-making. More than half of the companies regularly assess the results of marketing activities, but ROI calculations are used only in a very limited number of cases. The article concludes that Russian media companies are gradually moving from intuitive promotion practices toward a more systematic and data-driven marketing model, while substantial differences between large and small market players remain.

DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.2.2026.324

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To cite this article: Cherevko T. S. (2026) Organizatsiya marketinga v mediakompaniyakh Rossii: struktura, instrumenty i praktiki izmereniya effektivnosti [Organization of marketing in Russian media companies: structure, tools, and effectiveness measurement practices]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 2: 3–24. DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.2.2026.324