Draft:Beeline

Credits

Compiled by
NotPurpleHoodieBoi

Editions by
KosMir

Video captures courtesy of
Aleksandr Zaitcev, Лесьяр 1999 and Teamfun

Background

Beeline (Cyrillic: Билайн) is a telecommunications brand by company PJSC VimpelCom, founded in Russia.

PJSC VimpelCom is Russia's third-largest wireless and second-largest telecommunications operator. Its headquarters is located in Moscow. Since 2009, PJSC VimpelCom has been a subsidiary of VimpelCom Ltd., which has become Veon in 2017, based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. VimpelCom's main competitors in Russia are Mobile TeleSystems, MegaFon and Tele2.

The commercial service was launched under the Beeline brand, a brand developed by Fabela in late 1993 to differentiate the company as a youthful and fun company, rather than a technical company. The name comes from the English term "beeline", meaning the most direct way between two points.

VimpelCom relaunched Beeline with the current characteristic black-and-yellow striped circle in 2005 with a campaign to associate the brand with the principles of brightness, friendliness, effectiveness, simplicity, and positive emotions; with a new slogan "Живи на яркой стороне" (Live on the bright side). The rebranding campaign was hugely successful and the principles associated with the brand "captured hearts and minds", in the words of the company.

1st Tag (1997)

Visuals: On an aquamarine environment, there is a white spotlight casting to the flooring with a Motorola MicroTAC Ultra Lite cellular phone standing over it. A CGI bee flies towards the top followed by dissolving trails, as it stands between the white letters "БИ ЛАЙН" in a handwritten font and turns into a yellow stylized bee. The address and phone number in navy text fade in underneath it.

Technique: Digital graphics, with CGI animation for a bee and fading effects for the navy text.

Audio: The last bit of the commercial's music with a buzzing synth sound and a Russian announcer.

2nd Tag (1997-1998)

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Visuals:

• Two white squares slide in to the left against a black background, with a thick navy streak drawing an arc which then turns to a rectangle and reveals the logo from the era with the words in a different typeface, and with "СОТОВАЯ СВЯЗЬ" applied below. The phone number in gray wipes in underneath.
• The completed tag is shown, but both the rectangle and number separate themselves to make room for "50%" to fade in the middle, and a navy streak draws in below.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: A somber 5-note piano/truimphant tune with a Russian announcer. Sometimes, there's no music.

3rd Tag (1998)

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Visuals: On a moving cloudy background, a 3D model of a flying bee orbits once whilst being followed by a white trail. Whilst this happens, the words "ЛИДЕР", "СОТОВОЙ", "СВЯЗИ" and "РОССИИ", all in white, zoom in with a trail effect. The cloudy background fades to a navy-sky blue gradient background with part of the planet Earth below. A transparent-white gradient rectangle passes by above, revealing the logo from the era without the rectangle fading in.

Variant: In one advert, the words "цены снижены" and "33%", both in white, zoom in and quickly replace "РОССИИ" before it has finished zooming in.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A brief triumphant ditty with a Russian announcer.

4th Tag (1999-2001)

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Visuals: The Beeline logo from the era (now with an added red bar below and the GSM logo next to it) is shown against a navy backdrop and in a waving flag effect. Once it decreases, it rotates into view as the stacked words "ЕСТЬ ТОЛЬКО ОДИН ЛИДЕР" fade in above, as well as the phone number and website on the lower-left and right corners. A ball of light passes by behind the logo.

Variants:

• In some occasions, the phone number and website are omitted.
• Starting in 2000, the logo is superimposed onto the ending of the commercial.
  • In the commercial "The Leader tariff. Nokia 7110", the logo appears on a blue moving aurora of the commercial via a several glowing curves.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A Russian announcer saying: "Beeline (GSM). There is only one leader.", followed by a ringing sound.

Audio Variants:

• Sometimes, music can be heard in the background.
• The commercial "The Leader tariff. Nokia 7110" has a female chorus singing "Beeline GSM!" in an extended tone over a majestic string tune.