Publishing Department

The Armenian Marketing Association is quite active in publishing. The Association has prepared and published a number of printed and electronic catalogs, brochures, newsletters and documentaries. Among the significant projects are the following:

Armenia Export Catalog

Preparation and publication of the Armenia Export Catalog (www. aec.am) and

Export Catalog of the Caucasus (www.scecatalog.org).

Armenia Export Catalog is one of the most important projects of the Armenian Marketing Association. The concept of the project was developed by Aram Navasadryan, the founder and president of the Armenian Marketing Association.

The catalog’s preparation and publishing began in 2002. The number of printed copies within the pilot project framework reached 1400 copies (instead of the planned 100). The pilot project was technically financially supported by the CYSCA (Cambridge Yerevan Sister City Association) and financially supported by the US Department. In 2003-2004, taking into account the demand for export information and the high demand for the pilot catalog, the second project «Armenia Export Catalog 2003-2004» was created with the Eurasia Foundation’s assistance with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Within the project framework, instead of the planned 2000 printed catalogs and 1000 CD-versions, 3000 printed full-color A4 catalogs and 4000 CD-versions (2000 in English and 2000 in Russian) were published. An online version of the Catalog was also created. Further, in 2005-2006, the «Armenia Export Catalog 2005-2006» was created.

Regional Experience

The Armenian Marketing Association initiated and implemented the regional project «Export Catalog of the Caucasus» with the support of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) in 2007. In addition to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan participated in this project (more details about the project on www.scecatalog.org). The circulation of the editions amounted to 6000 copies (2000 for each country) — printed versions, 6000 — CD versions (2000 for each country). Also, a regional website www.scecatalog.org was prepared, which hosts the online version of the catalog of all three countries.

The design of the catalogs was prepared by:

• Designer David Nersesyan — Armenia Export Catalog 2002
• PrintInfo Company — Armenia Export Catalog 2003/2004, 2005/2006, 2007/2008
• Designer Alexander Glazunov — Armenia Export Catalog 2015/2016, 2017/2018

Documentary Film «On the Bank of the Araks»

The documentary «On the Bank of the Araks» is one of the most interesting projects of the Armenian Marketing Association. The project was implemented jointly with the Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council. This long-term project was implemented with the support of the US Embassies in Armenia and Ankara. The work on the film lasted almost a year and a half — from February 2008 to August 2009. The creators define the genre of the picture as an experimental documentary with elements of fiction. The director of the film is Gevorg Nazaryan.

The Araks River — the largest river in the Armenian Highlands — begins outside the former Soviet Armenia in the Byurakan mountains. The borders of Armenia with Turkey pass along a considerable length of the river. The Araks has its own history, as do the inhabitants on both sides of it. Therefore, the purpose of the film was to highlight the life of people living in border areas, their common problems and joys. The filmmakers set out to trace the development of communication between nations, to try to understand what the Araks River means to them.

The premiere of the film «On the Bank of the Araks» took place on November 10, 2009 in Yerevan. In Turkey, the official premiere took place on December 10-12. The film, according to director Gevorg Nazaryan, tells about the life of people living on different banks of the Araks River: «I got great pleasure from the traces of Armenian culture, khachkars, churches I saw on the banks of the Araks. And I am glad that I can share what I saw with you. » The plot of the film is as follows: Turkish engineers are going to build a reservoir on the banks of the Araks and turn to the Armenian side with inquiries. A warm relationship is established between the Turkish engineer Aras and the Armenian engineer Tamar, thanks to which each of them tries to get to know better the country located on the opposite bank of the Aras.

The film’s shooting consisted of several stages, and the episodes were filmed both in Turkey and Armenia. During the first two trips, the Armenian film crew visited the villages of Kharkov and Yervandashat. In total, about ten such trips were planned during August-September 2008. Filming locations include the legendary Khor Virap and the Margara Bridge, which directly connects Armenia with Turkey. Later, similar filming began in Turkey. The footage told the audience about the life of the border territories located along the river on the Turkish side. Later, the footage of the Armenian and Turkish colleagues was combined into a film, translated into three languages: Armenian, Turkish, and English. The documentary was one of the first attempts to start cultural interaction between the Armenian and Turkish sides.

The main objective of the film, according to the President of the Armenian Marketing Association Aram Navasardian, was to show today’s Armenia to today’s Turkey, and vice versa. The film raises a number of issues related to both ecology and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. Ordinary residents of cities and border villages of both states share their opinions with the audience.

Serdar Dinler, co-chairman of the Armenian-Turkish Relations Development Council, attended the screening of the film. He shared his positive opinion with people gathered in the hall, and at the same time, his concern about the upcoming organization of the premiere of the film in Turkey. After watching the film, opposite opinions were heard in the hall. Some of those present expressed their gratitude to the filmmakers for their good work and the creation of conditions to establish favorable relations between the two countries, while others criticized the film.

In any case, the film as a joint activity is a step towards establishing business and cultural connection between the Armenian and Turkish society.

Look, See, Think

This Project was initiated and implemented by the Armenian Marketing Association, a partner from Turkey. The Center for Corporate Social Responsibility of Turkey (CSR TURKEY — https://csrturkey.org), was also involved within the project partner.

The goal of the project was to show the atmosphere of Yerevan and Istanbul through black-and-white photos. Within the framework of the project, a photographer from Armenia, Gor Kroyan, visited Istanbul. Within three days, he photographed people’s everyday life, visited markets, restaurants, cafes, courtyards, and universities. Similarly, a photographer from Istanbul, Emirjan Kurkut, visited Yerevan and tried to see and capture Yerevan and people’s aura and charisma in the same analogy.

The idea of the project was to prepare and publish a mix of the taken photos so that people can see how similar different we are. The project turned out to be quite exciting, and many noted that they often confuse the pictures and cannot understand whether they were taken in Istanbul or Yerevan.

Two exhibitions were held in Yerevan and Istanbul within the framework of the project. The visitors of the exhibitions noted the interesting concept of the project and its informativeness.

There have also been published 500 brochures representing the result of the project.

It should be noted that the project was funded by the Black Sea Trust, a project of the German Marshall Fund