1.2 Security as a key factor in the successful image of the country

Why does aggression/peacefulness (security) become the key factors in the perception of this or that state? To answer this question, you need to turn to the pyramid of needs, compiled at the time by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. A person consciously or unconsciously projects his needs onto others (and to a greater extent, this is why such template pyramids can be constructed). This circumstance allows us to transfer A. Maslow's scheme to the image plane.

The image is a reflection of the degree of realization of the interests and needs of a person in a particular state. And, apparently, it is formed in the mind in the same stepwise and sequential manner, like a pyramid, i.e. down up. And if, for example, the basic needs in a particular state are not satisfied, then it is hardly possible to talk about its spirituality and healthy image. For example, African countries lead the list of the poorest countries in the world (such as Zambia, Chad, Liberia, etc.). The footage of starving African children shocks all of humanity. What is the image of the same Zambia for the layman? Or the image of Chad? It is probably even somehow blasphemous to talk about the image when it comes to mass starvation, poverty and deadly diseases. Such countries are never included in the image rankings. If a country cannot satisfy the simplest physiological needs of its citizens, then the image of this state becomes not only negative, but even turns out to be somewhere beyond the bounds of the evaluation system. Thus, the first level of A. Maslow's pyramid of needs is absent in our conditional pyramid, being located on the zero "floor". The next step in the pyramid of needs, as you know, is security - one of the basic basic conditions for human existence, the so-called existential human need. And here we see that in the image security becomes the first condition for the formation of a favorable image of the country. In peacetime, the media in a particular state broadcast, as a rule, more messages concerning the foreign policy of other countries in their connection with bilateral / multilateral relations. The prevalence of news about the situation inside the country is usually the result of emergency, extraordinary and special situations (revolutions, natural disasters, political elections, etc.). Thus, it is the nature of the messages in the media that largely determines the aggression/peacefulness of the country and, thus, forms the first level of our perception of this object. The second conditional level in the pyramid of the country's image is the socio-economic policy of the state. Here again, both internal and external aspects are important. Those. people evaluate many factors in this “block”: ensuring the civil rights of the population, the economic situation in the country (the level of GDP, inflation, the stability of the national currency), the investment climate, as well as economic relations with other countries and the fulfillment / non-fulfillment of their obligations in the international arena. At the top of the pyramid is the cultural aspect of the image. It takes into account how civilized the country is, what is the cultural life of citizens, how minority nations and nationalities are treated within the state, their culture, how the country interacts with the outside world and whether it participates in cultural exchange, as well as many other factors. The created pyramid is conditional. It is important to understand that a lot of nuances are superimposed on the perception of one object by another, and, above all, the unique characteristics of each side. Thus, the probability of changing the position of the second and third steps in the pyramid is high, depending, for example, on the profession of a person. If the last two levels of the pyramid are variable, then the first is most likely not.

Thus, the image is a psychological image. The concept of "image" is applied to any object that becomes the subject of social cognition. The image of a country is its image, which is formed both in the minds of the citizens of this country (internal image) and in the minds of citizens of other states (external) and is formed as a result of the interaction of a large number of factors. One of the most important factors is safety. Security is an existential need for both an individual and the country as a whole, and in its absence, the value of other needs is reduced to zero.

Based on the concept of the country's image and the factors influencing its formation, it is possible to single out methods for promoting the image.

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Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the Russians? Why does Russia need an open public policy? Alexander Perendzhiev, Candidate of Political Sciences, expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists, reflects on why a positive image of the state is necessary in the mass public consciousness.

8:33 / 27.11.12

A positive image of Russia as a means of strengthening national security

Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the Russians? Why does Russia need an open public policy? Candidate of political sciences, expert of the Association of Military Political Scientists Alexander Perendzhiev reflects on how the formed image of Russia among representatives of other states determines the policy towards our country and why a positive image of the state is necessary in the mass public consciousness.

On the need to form a positive image of Russia

Issues of image in general and the image of Russia have already been thoroughly studied by domestic scientists 1 , and in March 2003 the Imageology Academy was established in our country, which unites about a hundred academicians and corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2

The domestic scientific and expert community, we believe, has already figured out the essence of the concept of "image". Therefore, in this article, we plan to analyze the content of the relationship between the image of Russia and domestic national security policy.

To date, there are sufficiently precise criteria by which it is possible to determine the concept of "image of the country".

This is a set of beliefs and feelings of people that arise about the political, historical, ethnographic, socio-economic, moral, psychological and other features of the state.

Obviously, a subjective idea of ​​a country can be formed as a result of direct personal experience (for example, as a result of living on its territory) or indirectly (according to eyewitnesses, from media materials, etc.).

According to ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, the transformation of the Russian defense sector has been completed. What are the results?

Let us note that the image of a country is a very diverse, sometimes artificially created image of it, which is formed in the minds of people. But since the people themselves are completely different, their perception is also specific; in addition, each person has different information about the country, people's experience of living in it is different.

As a result, the image of the same country in the minds of different people is formed differently. Often the image of a country is formed in the absence of sufficient information and people's own experience.

In this case, the image is based on mass stereotypes (and sometimes delusions and myths), facts gleaned from the media, literary, cinematic and other sources (even from jokes).

Therefore, it is very important for each state in the formation of its positive image to constantly and very actively influence the information space (both national and international).

It is obvious to us that a positive image of the state in the mass public consciousness is necessary, first of all, for the successful formation and implementation of fundamental national interests. National interests, in turn, are motivated and concretized basic goals of the foreign and domestic policy of the state.

Image and politics as related categories

An analysis of world political practice convinces us that neither the domestic authorities nor the Russian society has yet managed to achieve serious image success.

We have to admit that in world public opinion, the current image of Russia remains rather negative, and does not contribute to the successful implementation of the interests of our country in the international arena.

An analysis of the ratio of positive and negative information about Russia suggests that the information space is a kind of resonator, since in it society reacts sensitively, and sometimes even exaltedly, to what is happening in the world, and the opinions of world leaders are actively broadcast.

In recent years, Russia has been spoken and written about in international information flows mostly negatively, and this is a deliberately constructed atmosphere, a kind of informational aura into which it has been immersed against the backdrop of imitative modernization.

At the same time, expert knowledge is not yet aimed at proposing an integrating (national and international public opinion) project for the image of the new Russia.

We mean a project that would predetermine the clear boundaries of the image of Russia, offer the basic values, symbols, meanings that make up the picture of the world of modern Russia and the core of its image.

For the time being, however, the proposed projects for shaping Russia's image are more focused on bringing the real state of our country in line with the schemes and models of political technologists 5 (but not vice versa).

Model of a positive image of Russia

One of Russia's national interests is a reliable system of its national security, 6 dependent on the image of the state.

Our author's hypothesis is the following assumption : the formed image of our country among the rest of the population of the planet (non-Russians) to a large extent determines the policy towards Russia, and can also determine the specific actions of the political leadership of other states in relation to our country.

And, of course, a change in the attitude of the population of a particular country towards Russia can radically change the policy of this state towards our country and then the state of domestic national security.

When building arguments to substantiate the model of a positive image of Russia, one should turn to three main concepts that underlie it:

• self-image
• perceived image
• simulated image

All of them are in an indefinite and unfinished form. Thus, the image of a superpower that accompanied the Soviet state after the Great Patriotic War was replaced by a negative perception of Russia in the eyes of both the world and domestic public 7 .

In our opinion, it is obvious that if Russia is perceived by foreign citizens as a criminal or weak state in military and political terms, then perhaps such a circumstance may determine aggressive and / or provocative actions on the part of individual states and international communities.

It is no coincidence that Professor V.V. Serebryannikov writes: “The art of forming a favorable image of states, political and military figures, economic and socio-political structures, armies, etc. known from ancient times. But a real revolution took place in the 20th century, when the matter of shaping the image of various subjects of the state and society became one of the most important components of the political, ideological and informational struggle. 8

Therefore, the image is dialectically interconnected with issues of national security and foreign policy of the state.

The inertia of civil society institutions damages the security of the state

Reflecting on the content of this relationship, it is worth emphasizing that the inertia and passivity of the political leadership, state authorities, and civil society institutions cause truly irreparable damage to the security of the state, society and citizens.

For example, the use of Russian armed forces in South Ossetia in August 2008 clearly showed serious miscalculations in the actions of the Russian authorities and military command and control in the international information space.

Only this passivity can explain the situation when, at the initial stage of the Georgian aggression (that is, even before the entry of Russian troops), public opinion in a number of European countries and the United States was ready to recognize Russia as an aggressor.

Not receiving objective and ever-increasing new information from the leadership of Russia and the Russian Ministry of Defense, the top political leaders of a number of foreign countries actually provided all kinds of support to Georgia, primarily informational.

After the introduction of an additional contingent of Russian troops into the conflict zone, Internet sites and numerous "blogs" literally "exploded" with indignant messages condemning "the aggression of imperial totalitarian Russia against small freedom-loving Georgia." nine

And Georgia itself at that moment was positioned in the information space as a nation that not only restores its territorial integrity, but allegedly also protects the southern borders of the Russian Federation from "terrorists and bandits."

In our opinion, in this particular case, the situation was saved by the fact that for Russia the armed phase of the conflict was fleeting and, on the whole, relatively successful. "Otherwise, - notes a specialist from the Military University O.N. Zabuzov, - the information machine launched by M. Saakashvili, with the clear support of the leading world powers, could seriously worsen the image of Russia in the eyes of the world community and individual foreign citizens.” 10

Even then, political scientists paid attention to the not very high efficiency of the Russian state power in forming a positive public opinion about our country.

So, for example, G. Pavlovsky noted that “Russian accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide were immediately copied by the belligerent Georgia, which recognized the potential for political action in this, and immediately - already from the Georgian side - sent to the European courts in the form of correctly delivered papers. ... And our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice repeat all the same formulas, but no one bothered to draw up the simplest papers. 11

However, despite the fact that more than a year has passed since the beginning of the events in South Ossetia, the Russian leadership has not been able to convince the world community of the complete correctness of their actions.

On September 29, 2009, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on the “Russian-Georgian conflict”, in which it expressed dissatisfaction with the allegedly inadequate actions of our government and the military 12 (although Georgia’s aggression was still officially recognized).

From this we conclude that as long as the Russian state does not work ahead of the curve in preventing information threats, it actually cannot form the world public opinion that Russia needs.

In addition, political fraud, political provocations, betrayals, inaction, uncertainty and instability can pose a threat to national security, among others.

It is known that political provocation is a phenomenon that can influence (primarily due to its shocking effect) the consciousness of society, including certain social and professional groups, parties and socio-political movements, representatives of science, culture, health and etc.

Political provocation is used in many countries as a means of economic, political, ideological and psychological struggle, compromising competitors. It is used as a means of destroying political values, guidelines of the individual, society and the state, and, ultimately, forms a negative image.

A vivid example of a political and informational provocation against Russia, which negatively affected its image, is the case with the Arctic Sea ship in the summer of 2009. The incoming negative (in relation to Russia) information was not only not refuted by the Russian authorities, but even for a long time was not commented on by the domestic media and PR structures.

It seems that in our country they mistakenly considered that there is nothing dangerous in the hijacking of a ship for Russia and its image. However, the real actions of the media, information and PR agencies of a number of states have refuted Russian confidence.

Thus, taking advantage of the lack of information from our country, numerous reports appeared in foreign media and on Internet sites about nuclear weapons allegedly illegally transported on the Arctic Sea, about the alleged dismantling of “Russian mafia clans” and even about a possible old-fashioned knocking out of insurance from by the owners of the ship.

The number of unrealistic, and sometimes even fantastic versions of what was happening (on the ship and in connection with the ship) was estimated in the information space by several dozen. In the absence of an objective and balanced Russian position on the temporary disappearance of the vessel, one expert even suggested that the mysterious disappearance of the vessel was a theatrical performance, the ultimate goal of which is to give the Russian president expanded military powers. thirteen

We believe that there is no point in commenting on any versions. In our opinion, the seizure of the ship by pirates, conflicting information about its location, as well as attempts by foreign news agencies to discredit the Russian crew of the ship, suggest another provocation against Russia and its citizens.

Yes, and the nationality of the pirates also gives many countries the basis for such a proposal, since they all turned out to be ethnic Russians, although citizens of different states - Estonia, Latvia and Russia.

Reasons for the weakness of the position of leadership in the international information space

It should be recognized that the insufficiently active position of the Russian leadership in the international information space contributed to the birth of various rumors, fantasies and conjectures. It is these images, specially (not by us) constructed in the information space (according to the apt expression of the French philosopher Jean Baudriard - simulacra 14) that continue to influence the image of Russia.

The unwillingness to actively comment on the incoming often tendentious and non-objective information about Russia and its citizens by power and specialized structures gave grounds to world public opinion to consider all these rumors and conjectures groundless. And as a result, once again the informational provocation had a negative impact on the image of our country and its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the top political and state leadership in the international information space? Why do domestic power and specialized structures yield to similar foreign and international institutions in shaping a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

First of all We believe that political decisions in Russia are still of a closed nature and are made by a narrow circle of people. In the last decade in our country “The process of making the most important state decisions acquired an openly clan and even “family” character, the role of its shadow component increased dramatically and became obvious to the whole society.” 15

According to researcher V. Vorotnikov, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, publicity and civil will. 16 This reason is periodically recognized by the President of Russia V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev. 17

Secondly , many scientists and politicians note that at present there is no real political opposition in Russia, which should promote the dissemination of political information, ensure real, and not just formal freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the weak development of information technology, the control of the media only by large media magnates and / or the state.

In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government, D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of the formation of an information society in our country, which is still being solved slowly.

Thirdly , in Russia the gradual “bureaucratization” of politics continues (the number of officials is growing, it is not possible to curb corruption, new institutions of state regulation are not being created). YES. Medvedev, in his article "Russia, Forward!" I was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy hinders the innovative development of the country. eighteen

Fourth , in our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. Such a conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of public authorities with various functions (according to the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after the administrative reform, is obliged to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions).

In addition, it should be recognized that in our country a system of specialized institutions has not been formed, designed to conduct state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, information agencies and PR structures).

Fifth , our country has much less (compared to European countries and the United States) experience in working in the information space using public relations methods (and not state propaganda).

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and the social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some power structures are more busy satisfying their needs than reforms in the interests of society and citizens. 19

It turns out that in conditions when the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen. Meanwhile, the image of Russia (as well as any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various ways.

For example, Switzerland does not have powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas of public life (political, economic, social, etc.).

Hence the attraction for businesses and individuals around the world to deposit money in Swiss banks. In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic success of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the context of the global financial and economic crisis).

Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is being strengthened. Almost a direct connection is observed between the image of the Armed Forces of the state and the state of its national security.

What is the reason for the weakness of the position of the top political and state leadership in the international information space? Why do domestic power and specialized structures yield to similar foreign and international institutions in shaping a positive image of our country? Let us formulate several reasons for this situation.

First, we believe that political decisions in Russia are still closed and taken by a narrow circle of people.

According to researcher V. Vorotnikov, the majority of the population is actually excluded from the political process, the degree of its political participation is low, which objectively reflects the measure of social representation, public control, publicity and civil will. This reason is periodically recognized by the President of Russia V.V. Putin and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev.

Secondly, many scientists and politicians note that at present there is no real political opposition in Russia, which should promote the dissemination of political information, ensure real, and not just formal freedom of the media. This, in turn, contributes to the weak development of information technology, the control of the media only by large media magnates and / or the state. In this regard, we believe that the head of the Russian government, D.A. Medvedev correctly formulates the problem of the formation of an information society in our country, which is still being solved slowly.

Thirdly, the gradual “bureaucratization” of politics continues in Russia (the number of officials is growing, corruption is not being curbed, new institutions of state regulation are not being created). YES. Medvedev, in his article "Russia, Forward!" I was forced to admit that the all-powerful Russian bureaucracy hinders the innovative development of the country.

Fourth, in our opinion, the task of forming a positive image of Russia in the international information space has not become important and relevant for the entire Russian state policy. Such a conclusion follows, among other things, from the excessive overload of state authorities with various functions (according to the Government of the Russian Federation, the state administration in our country, even after the administrative reform, is obliged to perform more than 3.5 thousand various functions). In addition, it should be recognized that in our country a system of specialized institutions has not been formed, designed to conduct state policy only in the information space (we mean the system of media, information agencies and PR structures).

Fifthly, our country has much less (compared to European countries and the US) experience in working in the information space using public relations methods (rather than state propaganda).

The reasons we have listed allow us to formulate two fundamental contradictions in contemporary Russian politics.

The first of them is the contradiction between the need for a radical transformation of the economy and the social sphere and ensuring the continuity of presidential power. In our opinion, the main political players and public authorities prefer to be more engaged in the search for a "successor" to the head of state than in the development of the national economy.

The second contradiction lies in the content and direction of socio-economic transformations, since some power structures are more busy satisfying their needs than reforms in the interests of society and citizens. It turns out that in conditions when the interests of the authorities, the public and the majority of citizens are not synchronized with each other, the contradictions and conflict between them will continue to deepen.

Meanwhile, the image of Russia (as well as any state) and the state of its national security are interconnected in various ways.

For example, Switzerland does not have powerful armed forces, but the image of the success of this historically neutral state and the success of the Swiss create for the entire world community the image of a safe country in all areas of public life (political, economic, social, etc.). Hence the attraction for businesses and individuals around the world to deposit money in Swiss banks.

In turn, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese and the economic success of the Celestial Empire on the world stage create the image of the PRC as a country that is currently capable of solving any problems for itself (even in the context of the global financial and economic crisis). Therefore, along with economic growth in the PRC, the image of this country as a strong military-political state is being strengthened.

Almost a direct connection is observed between the image of the Armed Forces of the state and the state of its national security. The image of the army of the USA, Israel, Germany, China is high, therefore, national security is also at a high level in these countries.

Many states that are at the stage of their formation, in order to increase the level of their national security, are working to form a positive image of their Armed Forces as militarily strong. Examples of such states are Venezuela, Kazakhstan, North Korea and Iran.

Can the transformations to bring the Russian Armed Forces to a new look be considered as actions to create a different image of the Russian army? In our opinion, definitely yes. However, at the same time, the reduction in the number of personnel, the replacement of a large number of military posts with civilian ones, and the positions of officers and ensigns with sergeants, causes concern and an ambiguous assessment in Russian society. For example, at the regular regional stage of the all-Russian forum "Strategy 2020" held in Blagoveshchensk on October 2, 2009, Yu. Kuznetsov, the head of the Amur Legislative Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs, spoke harshly on the issue of modern transformations in the military sphere.

“At one time, there were 7 divisions on the territory of the Amur Region, and now we have, excuse the non-parliamentary expression, a castrated army,” he said. “Veterans, old people are turning to me, what will happen to the army, where are we going, who will defend the border?” . Thus, in Russian society, there is still an opinion that the formation of a new image of the Russian Armed Forces does not yet contribute to strengthening the national security of the country.

It should be noted that the transformations themselves in the Russian army began without wide public coverage in the media and other information channels of the military reform plan. In this regard, we believe, objectively there is some public discontent.

“The immediate reason for the strengthening of opposition sentiments in the army was the hasty and large-scale transformations not accepted in military circles,” writes D.L. Tsybakov, “Deaf murmuring turned into open indignation when information about a radical change in the functioning of the military organization of the state began to leak into the press.”

Only after the already begun structural changes and official measures in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation caused unrest in Russian society, did high-ranking representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense begin to comment in the press. At the same time, there are still few comments from the first persons of the state.

“Misunderstanding and direct dissatisfaction with the course and results of the radical military reform being carried out by the Ministry of Defense is growing in Russian society and in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The truth of life is that practically no one in the country can clearly explain the intent, essence and purpose of the ongoing reforms, the stages of the reform and the methods of its implementation, ”the Address of veterans of the Armed Forces to the President of the Russian Federation says.

All these facts, unfortunately, cause distrust in the ongoing reforms in the military sphere and do not find broad public support. And this, in turn, can damage the national security of Russia.

Based on this, we believe that the less information the authorities hide from the public, the more citizens will trust their government. And the sooner the broad masses of the population will support the authorities in any matters, including in ensuring national security. As the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, chairman of the committee on constitutional legislation and state building V. Pligin noted: “Our security will lie in how healthy, healthy society we can build, and how much it will cooperate with the state.”

However, for the time being, Russian political reality lacks both a wide awareness of the population about the ongoing transformations in the military sphere, and, accordingly, support for these transformations on the part of the population and, above all, military personnel, military service veterans and members of their families.

“The fact that many of the modern undertakings, apparently justified by time, is not taken into account by the military community,” writes D.L. Tsybakov, - The reason for the dissatisfaction of everyone who is in any way connected with the army lies in the unceremonious and very radical nature of the transformations carried out without taking into account the opinions of well-known military specialists and experts. The methodology of the ongoing reforms, the style of communication of the new management team of the Ministry of Defense cause in many respects fair criticism from many honored professionals of the military craft.

Why do modern transformations in the military sphere not yet find proper support among the population of the country? In our opinion, the answer must be sought in the peculiarities of the socio-political structure of Russia. A political scientist needs to answer the question: is modern Russian society open or closed?

“An open society,” writes A.S. Akhiezer, - perhaps in a civil society, where culture and the entire system of relations are oriented towards stimulating the development of the individual as a subject of creative innovation. In civil society, a state is being formed that is capable of protecting the rights of everyone to form cultural innovations ... to fight for free participation in political dialogue at all levels of society.”

Why does Russia need an open public policy? Many domestic experts note that today in Russia the state, represented by the state apparatus, is often guided by outdated rules of administrative management and interaction with society that have long lost their effectiveness. The citizens of the country expect from their political and state leaders not only normative acts or pointing recommendations, but also seeking advice from the society itself, as well as concrete deeds to meet the urgent needs of the people. After all, power receives the right to exist and lead the country from society, and, not noticing its fundamental interests, it seems to be deprived of its original foundation. And this, in turn, is fraught with the main danger for the existence of power structures in their current form.

In our opinion, an open public policy will enable the public and socio-political institutions to control the actions of the authorities. In fact, such a policy will prevent the inefficient and inappropriate use of national resources, including those allocated for the needs of the national security and defense of the country. Openness and publicity will contribute not only to the formation of the image of the country as a militarily strong state and fair in the use of military force.

Modern Russia needs, first of all, the image of an effective state capable of protecting its interests and the interests of its own citizens in any conditions. At the same time, it is necessary that the Russian top leadership form its own image of a government concerned with the realization of the interests of Russians and the protection of the citizens of their country.

So, the above features of the political regime in Russia have a direct impact on the formation of the image of our state, which, as we found out, in turn affects the state of national security. Often, it is the closeness and narrowness of the political decisions made, and the presence of a numerous and not always effective bureaucratic apparatus in Russia that do not allow us to form a positive image of our state.

What measures need to be taken to create conditions that will allow forming a positive image of Russia?

First, we consider it necessary to fundamentally change the system of influence on society by the authorities. Namely, it is necessary to move from the system of public administration, which implies an administrative style of management and the presence of a large bureaucratic apparatus, to a system of state regulation, which is based on the principle of political influence on society by the political elite and reliance on the processes of self-regulation and self-organization of society and citizens.

Secondly, it is necessary to create strong domestic information structures (like SNN or BBC) that could successfully compete with similar world information structures.

Thirdly, it is long overdue to train a large number of professional "PR specialists", image makers in the field of creating a positive image of Russia, promptly responding to constantly emerging challenges and threats in the international information space.

Of course, all these specialists should be arranged according to their specialty. In general, our country needs a program to create a positive image of Russia. In this program, there should be a place not only for state authorities, but also for business, civil society, political parties and citizens. Only in this case, this program will be successfully implemented.

Used Books:

1. See for example: Vasishcheva A.V., Nenasheva A.V. Image: definition of the central concept of imageology // Social and humanitarian knowledge. - 2005. - No. 4. - S. 311-317;

Berezkina O.P. Political image in modern political culture: Abstract dis. … doc. polit. Sciences. - St. Petersburg, 1999, etc.

3. Cm. scientific works of O.P. Berezkina, M. Bocharova, E.A. Galumova, L.G. Lapteva, E.A. Petrova, L.I. Pirogova, S.M. Tuchkova, E.V. Frolova, A. Chumikova and others .

4. Cm., for example: Chumakova A.A. Information and image policy of the country in cultural coverage (on the material of the Russian and foreign press) : Abstract. dis. … cand. kulturol. - M., 2007. - 25 p.

5. Cm.:

6. See: National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020

7. Cm.: Features of the transformation of the image of Russia

8. Cm.: Serebryannikov V.V. The image of the army // The image of the army - the image of Russia / Ed. E.A. Petrova, V.P. Delia . - M.: RITS AIM, 2006. - S. 15.

9. Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences. - M.: Krasnaya Zvezda, 2009. - S. 87.

10. Zabuzov O.N. Russia's actions in the information space in connection with the armed conflict in South Ossetia // Armed conflict in South Ossetia and its consequences . - M.: Krasnaya Zvezda, 2009. - S. 91.

11. Cit. on: Samarina A. Girl and showman // Independent newspaper. - 2008, August 18.

13. Cm.: "Flying Dutchman": the strange disappearance of the Arctic Sea

14. A simulacrum is an image without an original, a representation of something that doesn't really exist. For example, J. Baudrillard called the 1991 war in the Persian Gulf a simulacrum, in the sense that those watching this war on CNN had no way of knowing if there was something really there, or if it was just a dance of pictures and excited propaganda reports on their TV screens. Cm .:

15 . See, for more details: Voslensky M. Nomenclature. - M.: Zakharov, 2005. - S. 372-375.

16. Cm.: Vorotnikov V. Political decisions: theory and Russian shadow practice // Browser. - 2004. - No. 1. - S. 83.

17. See for example: Medvedev D.A. Go Russia!

18 .Cm. there.

19. T Arantsov V. The image of a political leader and national security of the country

20. Cm.:

21. See details:

22. See, for more details: Appeal of veterans of the Armed Forces to the President of the Russian Federation: The military leadership will have to answer to the nation for the quality of decisions made and the results of actions

23. Cm.: "Strategy 2020" was projected on the Amur region

24. See details: Tsybakov D.L. Is the increase in the activity of opposition veteran organizations the result of the “Serdyukov reform”?

25. Cm.: Akhiezer A.S. How to “open” a closed society . - M.: Master, 1997. - S. 16-17.

26. Cm.: Bayakhcheva S.L., Illarionov S.I. The ideology of civil society. - M.: RIN ProfEko LLC, 2006. - S. 19.

27. See details: State regulation in the modern political process in Russia. Scientific monograph / VK. Belozerov, S.V. Demchenko, I.M. Karelina and others - M.-Orel: ORAGS, 2009. - S. 17-18.

The product and its quality, the level of service, pricing - these parameters are important in the activities of any company. But how it is perceived by customers and competitors largely depends on its image. It is formed regardless of whether the company specifically works on it or not. Marina Melia, a psychologist with many years of experience, in her book "Business is Psychology", gives practical advice on how to determine the true image of your company and how to improve it. With the permission of Alpina Publisher, which published this book, we publish its key ideas.

How to make the image of the company work for us

The image of the company is formed regardless of whether someone is doing it purposefully or not. And it is very important to create an image consciously. Today, the leaders of many companies understand this: it is no coincidence that seminars and image-building consultations are very popular.

However, the image of the organization is not only a recognizable brand, the manner of communication of sales managers and advertising on the radio. This is a complex holistic system in which there are no insignificant trifles.

My many years of experience allow me to highlight the basic principles based on which you can create an effective image. It is based on the same triad as in building an individual image: "goal", "people", "I" (here - the individual characteristics of the company). And the “image zone” is the intersection of these three conditional circles.

Target

First of all, you need to answer the questions: what are the mission of the organization, the goal, strategic guidelines, which areas are priority, what products and services need to be promoted, etc. If there is a clear understanding of this, then it becomes obvious which elements of the image will work for you , and which ones are against, what is clearly not enough, and what is superfluous.

People

Who exactly is the image aimed at, who is the target audience of the organization? In most companies, it's the customers first. Often the professional community also becomes an important audience.

There are also various agents of influence, for example, authoritative people, experts, government officials, etc. We must not forget about the opinions and expectations of internal consumers of the image - those who work in the company. Which of these groups will come to the fore depends on the activities of the company and its goals. By designating the target segment, you can, for example, clearly define the range of publications where the publication of articles about the company and its advertising will be most effective; identify events and promotions in which it is worth taking part; plan the location of stores and exhibitions; choose the style of souvenirs, etc., etc.

I (individual features of the company)

What are the individual characteristics of the company, competitive advantages, what distinguishes it from others and distinguishes it from the general background? Strengths need to be able to correctly emphasize, and they will work for you both in business and in your image. The “skate” of one company can be many years of experience, another is cooperation with Western specialists and the introduction of the latest technologies, the third is an extensive network of stores in the regions, etc.

An important question in determining the individual characteristics of the company is how the figure of the leader will be presented. Each company decides for itself, depending on its goals and the personality of the leader. Often the head of the company is a clear leader and positions his organization as an author's organization, where his role is very significant. But sometimes it is more important to show the organization, first of all, as a system - in this case, it is more profitable for the leader to remain in the shadows. It is important to make a certain choice, and then many issues will be resolved almost automatically: for example, whether to put a photo of the head in booklets and reports, what to put on the site, who gives interviews, etc.

Speaking about an effective image, one should not forget about the zone of "proximal development" of all areas of the triad: goals, audience, individual characteristics of the company. You have not yet achieved these goals, you are not yet working with these people, you do not yet have any competitive advantages, but this is already in your plans, you are convinced that you will definitely implement all this. In this case, plans can be written in booklets in advance, sounded in interviews, advertisements, etc. - after all, our words and thoughts are material!

Self image audit

So, if we clearly answer all the questions that arise when analyzing the triad, it will become clear what image the company should ideally have. At the same time, it is very important to maintain a dynamic balance of all components of an effective image, as they are in constant motion: a change in the company's goals can lead to a change in the target audience and, accordingly, the translated competitive advantages, etc.

And in my opinion, not a single strongest PR agency or experienced image makers will be able to clearly monitor these changes, which means that it will not be possible to correct the image in a timely manner - first of all, this is the task of the leader himself. And for this you need to clearly understand what the image should be.

Think about it, how effective is the image that the company has now? How do others see your company - customers, partners, job seekers? To answer these questions, a fairly thorough analysis is needed. However, a preliminary “audit”, which does not require any special preparation, can be carried out on your own - this will allow you to give clear instructions to specialists who will develop specific elements of the image. Such an "inventory", as a rule, takes one day. Let's break this process into three steps.

Step one: what's inside?

I suggested to several leaders of large companies operating in different market segments that they conduct a simple experiment: imagine that each of them is a client who came to their company for the first time. They had the task go all the way the visitor takes, and it was important to look at everything he saw, as the psychologist Eric Berne said, with the eyes of a “naive Martian” - not evaluating anything, not expressing his emotional attitude to what they saw, not rejecting anything right away. Just collect data, mark everything that they notice.

At first, some of them were skeptical about such an experiment: they say, what can you see in your own office, which you see every day anyway. However, the results were amazing: each of them made many discoveries along the way, which made it possible to change a lot in their companies, including a significant adjustment of the image.

The first discovery was waiting for one of the leaders right in the courtyard of his own office: it turned out that visitors could not drive up to the building by car at all - all driveways were blocked by barriers, where only management was allowed through, and there were no parking spaces for customers at all.

Another manager, the owner of a large trading and manufacturing company, went on a tour of his own factory, where an exhibition and sale was recently opened. And he was unpleasantly surprised when he discovered that the enterprise itself can be found with great difficulty: the production was located in the suburbs, but not a single sign or identification mark was posted. Moreover, at the plant itself there was not a single plate indicating the company, and even the employees themselves found it difficult to explain to whom it belonged. An unpleasant surprise awaited him in the shops: it turned out that all signs were made in different styles, up to colors and logos. This happened because a year ago the company changed its corporate identity, but all the signs have not yet been replaced. As a result, customers who visited the salons did not even realize that this was the same company.

And here are the impressions of the president of a large bank: “We conducted an active advertising campaign for private clients, in which a lot of money was invested. But when I observed how the security and front office staff treated the numerous visitors who responded to this advertisement, I realized that they might have gotten the impression that the bank did not need customers at all. Passes were issued for a long time: you had to stand in line and wait for the guards to get through to the employee to whom the visitor came. And those who did not previously agree with the manager about a meeting could not always quickly find their bearings and understand who could help him: I noticed that many were “transferred” from one phone to another for a long time. Before my eyes, the two turned around and left. And I understand them perfectly!

The CEO of an IT company made a useful discovery when he sat down in the visitor's chair in the client room: the furniture was so uncomfortable that it made him want to end the meeting as soon as possible. In addition, he drew attention to the fact that managers working with clients have to print out information materials and necessary documents from a computer every time.

And the head of the company engaged in the production of windows, discovered that a defective - non-working - window was displayed in the showroom: as it turned out, the head of the shop at the plant, a corporate and devoted person, wanted to save money on the exhibition copy.

Another executive, whose office was located on the second, tenth and thirteenth floors of the business center, never thought that this not only "blurs" the image of the company, but also creates many difficulties for clients and employees themselves. So, for example, having tried to follow the traditional path of the client, he discovered that he could only leave the floor with the help of an employee's magnetic card. And this meant that each visitor at the entrance and exit must be accompanied by someone. The situation was even worse with elevators: in order to get from the tenth floor to the thirteenth, it was necessary to first go down to the first, cross the entire hall and take another elevator going up.

During the travelling" It's important to keep an eye on employees.- how they greet each other, talk, how they communicate with visitors: their behavior says a lot about the organization as a whole, about how it interacts with the outside world, how it treats the people working in it. It is worth paying attention to what employees are wearing: inadequate outfits can most often be seen in the summer, especially in the heat. Such things can tell about the corporate culture of the company more than all the "correct" statements in leaflets and booklets.

It is very important not to make any decisions right off the bat and not evaluate anything: just observe. Once you have completed your journey, listen to yourself and your associations. What is your image of the company as a “naive Martian”? Try to describe the company you saw, for example by making a list of seven adjectives. Do you want people to get that idea of ​​your organization?

Step two: what's outside?

At the second stage, we are faced with the task collect all the information about the organization that a person can get without coming to the office- after all, most people first get acquainted with companies in absentia.

Today, one of the main sources of information is the Internet. Do you remember the last time you visited your company's website - maybe two years ago, when a new design was made? Notice if your web page is easy to find at all.

For example, an unpleasant surprise awaited the head of a manufacturing company: he positioned his company as a leader in the industry, but found his own website only on the tenth page of a search engine. At the same time, the first link of the search opened an angry letter from a certain buyer - it is not surprising that people trying to get information about the company immediately stumbled upon these negative statements and lost all interest in the company.

The head of another company, studying the site, noted that the last changes on the news page were made six months ago. The “History” section also became a revelation: what seemed correct and obvious some time ago, when the materials were written, now looked ridiculous and illogical.

Try to search the Internet for publications about your company from the last year. It happens that such materials simply do not exist. The question arises why: either the company is not so well known, or the PR campaign is built incorrectly. If there are publications, mark in which publications articles appear most often, whether they are positive or negative, who and what says about your company. If you do not regularly monitor media publications, look at what they write about your company, study ratings, scroll through reviews in magazines - and you will learn a lot of new things.

Such a selection of publications was a revelation for the head of a trading company: his employees commented on a variety of issues, including the work of competitors. The result was such a “vinaigrette” that it was generally impossible to figure out what exactly the company was doing and what its position was.

Most people get the information they need by phone. Is it easy to get through to your company? Some managers experienced a lot of disappointment during such an experiment: in one case, the message on the answering machine, where they asked to wait for the operator’s answer, was recorded in such a tone that there was a desire to hang up the phone as soon as possible, in another it turned out that the wrong phone numbers and the caller were indicated in the advertisement. instead of a sales center, it ended up in the head office.

Read flyers, brochures, presentations. Is everything in the same style, well-composed, are there any obvious typos and inconsistencies? Try to imagine what feelings a person may have when he picks up such a leaflet for the first time, sees an advertising stand on the street, hears a video on the radio.

Look with the eyes of an outsider at the gifts and souvenirs that you give to partners and clients. How relevant are they?

After collecting information, again ask yourself what kind of company and try to answer it honestly. Describe the resulting image with seven adjectives and compare with the list compiled after the first stage - "looking from the inside." And then with what you would like to see your company. Is there anything in common? How significant are the differences?

For example, two of the leaders who took part in the experiment were surprised to find that these lists are completely different. But the larger the “scissors”, the more imperfect the image of the company: this suggests that all our “shots” aimed at shaping the image fall into the “milk”.

Step Three: Analysis

And now it is necessary analyze everything that you have learned, seen, heard, decomposing all the information into "baskets" of the triad of an effective image. To what extent does all this correspond to the mission and goals of the company, its strategic guidelines, target audience, individual characteristics? And then you will be able to answer many important questions: why some organizations do not want to do business with you, why strange people contact you, why suppliers cannot work with you for a long time, expensive advertising campaigns fail and do not give the expected results, and therefore profits , etc.

If the image is built correctly, then others understand what the goals of the organization are, along which road it is going. However, it often happens that the goals and mission are not broadcast in any way and only a narrow circle of people knows about them. Or, on the contrary, the company declares its goals and strategy wherever possible, but this is completely untrue.

It is important that information about the company is clearly aimed at the target audience: for example, the company advertised mainly in glamor magazines, as the PR agency convinced the manager that this increases the prestige of the company. However, such advertising was completely ineffective and clearly did not contribute to improving the image, since the target audience of the company were older people with average incomes, who did not read such magazines at all.

Also it is important to understand whether the company has a personality at all whether it shows its competitive advantages. For example, during the analysis, it turned out that the logo of a construction company is similar to the logo of one of the competitors, which hindered promotion in the market. The investment company did not mention at all that it had been on the market for 10 years, although this was a clear advantage. The commercial bank was presented in all promotional materials as "universal, providing a wide range of services to businesses and the public," but for clients it was no different from hundreds of others who claimed the same thing. Seeing that the most important advantages of the bank were not presented in any way in informational and promotional materials, its manager realized that the advertising money had been spent in vain. The adjustments made were not slow to affect the results.

It is important to realize that the target image should be based on the real state of affairs. If an organization positions itself as elitist, then this should be manifested in every little thing, down to the rug in front of the front door, the clothes of employees and the quality of coffee that is offered to customers.

When creating an effective image, each element must meet a specific task, otherwise the whole system will crumble and not have a directed effect. At the same time, it is very important that all efforts go in a common purposeful flow. This "accuracy of shots" allows you to automatically cut off all unnecessary and quickly achieve success. In addition, a well-developed image is also a real economic benefit.

Section I. The Image of the Armed Forces in the System of Factors Ensuring the Security of the Russian Federation.

Section II. Image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: dynamics, current state and role in ensuring the country's security.

Section III. Main Directions for Improving the Image of the Armed Forces

Forces in the interests of ensuring the security of the Russian Federation.

Recommended list of dissertations

• Political technologies as a factor in shaping the image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation 2004, candidate of political sciences Prudnikov, Lev Alekseevich

• Information and communication support for the transition of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to the contract method of manning 2006, candidate of political sciences Buslovsky, Viktor Nikolaevich

• Transformation of representation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the mass information space 2007, candidate of sociological sciences Sapunova, Margarita Germanovna

• Socio-psychological features of the image of the Russian Armed Forces among the youth 2005, candidate of psychological sciences Davydov, Denis Gennadievich

• The image of an officer in charge of the modern Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: a sociological analysis 2011, candidate of sociological sciences Krutilin, Dmitry Sergeevich

Similar theses in the specialty "Political institutions, ethno-political conflictology, national and political processes and technologies", 23.00.02 VAK code

• 2006, candidate of political sciences Chaban, Oleg Yakovlevich

• The system "Public relations" (public relations) in the Armed Forces: Essence, functioning problems, ways of formation 1998, candidate of sociological sciences Uzhanov, Alexander Evgenievich

• Political technologies as a factor in the formation of the socio-professional status of a serviceman in modern Russian society 2009, candidate of sociological sciences Sudakov, Anton Yurievich

• The Professionalization of the Army: A Socio-Philosophical Analysis 1998, candidate of philosophical sciences Bukharova, Anna Sergeevna

• Information support for the development of military-civilian relations 2009, candidate of political sciences Knyazev, Andrey Viktorovich

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