Hot campaigns in Russia

This month we’ve turned our attention to Russia, where tensions over gay marriage are set to reach fever pitch in the run up to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Many athletes and political delegations are even suggesting that they might boycott the games in response to anti-gay legislation passed by the Duma, which the authorities intend to enforce during the celebrations.

The eyes of the world are now turning to the brands and sponsors associated with the event to see what stance they will adopt on this issue.

In response, a number of foreign brands have decided to express their support for the Russian LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community through brightly coloured marketing campaigns.

One notable example is the Swedish underwear brand Björn Borg, which used the launch of the Russian version of its website as an opportunity to say 'da' to the homosexual cause. The brand wasn’t timid about it either, taking out a full-page ad in the Moscow Times.

Coca-Cola’s 2014 campaign is also likely to ruffle a few feathers. In fact, pressure is mounting within Russia from support groups for the gay community as they wait with baited breath to see what the global giant, which professes to support Human Rights, will have to say. Watch this space...

Read more from Creative Culture.