The Armenian Ministry of Economy supports an information campaign launched since the beginning of this year. The head of the project Gayane Antonyan will help us to explain the campaign details and aims.
Text : Shushanik Papazyan Photo : Ministry of Economy of RA
What is the aim of the project?
We are all too busy to care to identify the country of origin of an item we buy and even if we do, we mostly prefer to avoid buying specifically Armenian products. And how can we expect the Armenian manufactured goods to improve their quality if we do not support their production by buying them. This is why the project “Made in Armenia” came into being. It improves the overall image of Armenian manufactured goods, increases the public awareness of it and familiarizing creative ideas of Armenian producers to local consumers inspiring local producers to continue their efforts.
What is the rationale of the project?
The 44-days war has made many of us change our attitude towards Armenia in many regards. This includes also the attitude towards the local economy and a best way to support it is to pay more attention to it in the market. In this respect it is important to identify what is offered by Armenian producers so that the local consumer could be better informed on the local products available in the market. “From its very start the project has been making the Armenian produce recognizable and is encouraging people to buy local products in order to support the economic development of this country,” says Gayane Antonyan.
How does the project work?
Information campaign “Made in Armenia” spreads the word about Armenian goods and services by telling their stories. This includes communicating manufacturing stages of a certain item before they reaching the shelves, or, for instance, the identity of the author of the perfume Fragrance of Yerevan, explains why socks with colorful pictures became fashionable and how a robot assembled in Armenia won a Time Magazine award, production of which kinds of sweets had been launched by repatriate Armenian business people and so on and so forth. Topics and their relevant protagonists are numerous while their stories are inspiring and valuable. There is a captivating story behind each and every brand in Armenia, and those are typically full of fundamental challenges, instances of overcoming numerous obstacles and expressions of resiliency and determination. The project does its best to reveal those human stories.
So on one hand the project promotes an Armenian alternative in the market with competitive quality and reasonable price, while on the other hand the its offers the Armenian producer a platform providing opportunity for growing and finding its own place in the local market.
Where can you see those stories?
The campaign is unfolding on social media platforms, bringing together Armenia’s potential for production and consumption for the purpose of stepping up local production and developing this country’s economy. The online information platform Madeinarmenia.online created within the scope of the project serves as a bridge between Armenian consumers and producers making it possible to get useful information both about the production and consumption from a single source.
The constantly updated newsfeed includes various reports and articles on such topics as technological advancements, Armenian economy and industry. It is planned to add some more news topics which might be of interest.
What ideas have been brought into life so far?
You probably happened to have bumped into an ad in the street reading as follows: “Armenian is smart” or “Armenian is trendy” and alike. This is one of the ideas implemented within the scope of the project, with visuals featuring some recognizable balconies in Yerevan. The information campaign Made in Armenia made every possible effort to reach out to the local consumer. For that purpose yet another idea was implemented called Magic Box.
What is the Magic Box?
The main idea was to show the quality and variety of Armenian goods at a single spot. Imagine a fancy box full of care items, herbal teas, scarfs and so on, all of which are produced in Armenia. In order to make this as visible as possible Armenian influencers took up the job. They received those boxes as presents, turning their delight into urge to their followers to buy Armenian products.
As the letter attached to the box (and written “on behalf of it”) says: “It is the task of me and you to tell everyone about this present produced in Armenia and help out the local producers and support their businesses. Tell them about this present; there is a great story behind it, lots of work invested in it and a dream come true.”
What is the reaction of the producers?
The items collected in the Magic Box are provided directly by the brands producing them. This proves once again that they are open for interesting and efficient cooperation. Project head Gayane Antonyan notes that many Armenian producers take the initiative of joining the project before even asking for. “Many Armenian producers agree to share with us their products and stories believing that this is the way to inspire others to produce locally,” she says.
What outcomes are expected?
The project does not have a long history, however it has to be liked by Armenian consumers and gather a significant audience, which follows and supports the ideas proposed by the initiative. Made in Armenia information campaign is projected to continue as long as it is necessary for raising the awareness of local production in the Armenian populace.
The team members engaged in the implementation of the project say: “More than ever Armenian producers need to be supported and consuming local products we develop our economy and industry”. It is difficult to disagree with this statement.
