They do things differently in Russia. Almost like it's another country or something. If their government isn't enthusiastically installing homophobic laws they've borrowed from some particularly intolerant 19th century fruitcakes, their president is performing diplomatic brinkmanship at a level to make your head spin. Particularly if you are Barack Obama.
But that's global, socio-military politics and, although perhaps it should, that won't detain us here. No, we're concerned with advertising. Russian advertising, to be precise. And just as American ads always appear to be satirical sketches, mocking the overly ebullient nature of American ads, so Russian ads have their own uniquely peculiar tropes and idiosyncrasies.
On the whole, Russian advertising is pretty adventurous. Of course, there was a time when the UK ran the world's most imaginative and creatively daring work - but then we decided bean-counters and corporate wonks were the best people to sign off on conceptual campaigns and now we have, well, we have the Dolmio family.
So, when somebody kindly drew my attention to a Russian TV spot for Tampax, accompanied with a single word 'Wow!', I was intrigued. With such a dearth of excitement on Brit telly, I tend to jump at the chance to see a brand or agency pushing the envelope. Then I watched it. Then I said 'Wow!'.
Before we go any further, you should watch it too. It's right here. (Depending on the nature of your job, and employer, it may be NSFW).
And there you have it. An advertisement for sanitary protection that may have made you laugh out loud, faint or scream - but one you're unlikely to forget anytime soon. It certainly has me asking a few questions.
Firstly, is it a hoax? Y'know, a sort of 'Chip Shop Awards' thing - shocking, but not actually designed to be broadcast. Possibly. I watch very little Russian television, so I cannot claim with confidence this clip pops up regularly in the middle of Coronation Streetski. However, the production values are high. There's some top-class CGI at play here, as well as multiple camera angles and a crisp soundtrack. So if this is a spoof, it's an expensive one.
Then there's the matter of taste. Is it really appropriate to show the sudden death of a woman, brought about by her menstrual cycle? Could there even be a suggestion that the use of inefficient tampons risks or deserves capital punishment? I hate to be a dreadful fence-sitter, but that's really in the eye of the beholder.
As I assume is clear, I am not a woman - so I wouldn't presume to pronounce on the potential offence caused by the clip. It's certainly alarming, no doubt about that. But there are alarming scenes in a Bond movie, that doesn't necessarily mean it is unforgivably outrageous. Would the ad get clearance for UK broadcast? Probably not. Although neither would some Japanese spots for lavatory paper, and most of them just reflect our cultural differences rather than exposing the viewer to the sight of a character being eaten by a huge fish.
Finally, is it a good ad? Yes. By objective measures, it ticks all the boxes admirably. Unique selling point? Yep. The 'no-leak' benefit couldn't be more obvious. Audience targeted? Pretty much. A woman seeking discreetness while wearing swimwear would definitely identify with the models in the ad. Clear branding? Sure. Big old logo right at the end. And impact? I should say so. One of the cast is eaten by a flipping gigantic shark.
So, by those criteria, it really is a very effective advertisement.
But whether it's simultaneously playing fast and loose with the boundaries of decency is something you'll have to decide for yourself. You and millions of Russian women.
Magnus Shaw is a writer, blogger and broadcaster
