Chinese Advertisers Cut Offline Budgets in Russia by 25%

This high concentration makes the auto segment the main driver of the overall decline. The remaining categories together account for only about 300 million rubles of the 1.6 billion total budget. A moderate percentage reduction in the auto category is, in absolute terms, comparable to the combined turnover of several other segments.

Top 3 categories of Chinese advertisers

The three largest categories in the first half of 2026 were:

• automobiles — 1.3 billion rubles excluding VAT (Chery, Haval, Changan, etc.);
• online retail — 147.4 million rubles;
• electronics — 106.3 million rubles (a 4.4-fold decline year over year).

Together, the three categories account for the vast majority of the budget of the 50 largest Chinese offline advertisers.

What's behind the slump in electronics

The deepest relative decline among individual segments came in electronics — budgets shrank 4.4-fold over the year, to 106.3 million rubles. In absolute terms, the auto category leads with a 5.3% drop, but in relative terms, the decline in electronics is several times steeper than the dynamics of the other segments.

Where Chinese brands are expanding their presence

The reduction in offline spending is running in parallel with significant growth in digital placements. By the end of 2025, the number of Chinese advertisers using promotion on VK platforms had increased by 70% compared to 2024.

This growth points to a redistribution of Chinese companies' media mix in favor of online channels, where measurability of return on investment and access to data are higher.

Methodology

Group4Media analysts relied on data from Mediascope, Russia's primary advertising market measurement company. The monitoring covers TV broadcasts, radio, print press, and outdoor advertising, in line with Russian standards for measuring advertising investment. The sample included the 50 largest Chinese companies by advertising spending. The comparison was made between the first halves of 2025 and 2026. All figures are given excluding VAT.