The article analyzes the publicity of a research institution and an expert in Russian public business media before and after conducting a PR campaign for promoting a subject in the digital media.The technology of advancement is defined as planning and implementing the media activity of a PR subject through media relations in order to optimize communication with key external stakeholders: research funds, research organizations and institutions, sponsor-organizations, scientists and experts.The empirical base of the article consists of publications created in the course of a PR campaign for promoting scientists, published in printed and online versions of the social business media (newsmaking, op-ed, expert interviews) and processed with the help of the 'Medialogia' (https://www.mlg.ru/).The article demonstrates the influence of a scientist's media activity in business media on the increasing the reputation capital of a scientific institute and a leading expert, raising interest in the scientific projects as well as increasing the citation index in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The article shows that including the scientist's expert commentary into the current media agenda and the emergence of the full nomination of a scientist in the leads of business media have a profound effect in the digital environment.