[vc_informationbox title=”Armenia on the International Scene”]Since its independence, Armenia has made strides to be present at international events – from Olympic games and sports competitions (chess, FIFA, basketball) to membership in multinational institutions, such as Francophonie, Eurimage, and various other creative platforms. One colorful example is the Eurovision Song Contest for both adults and children. [/vc_informationbox]
[vc_informationbox title=”People Have Spoken: Eurovision”]Eurovision is considered by many a highly politicized contest, because the public, in most cases, votes for their favorite country and not always for the best talent or creativity. We have often seen those “12 points go to … (like-minded country)” scenarios.Having this in mind, we have also seen some incredibly talented artists taking the stage and rewarding the public with fascinating performances. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised by the winning songs, other times gravely disappointed. Regardless, it is an annual show that millions of people look forward to. It goes without saying that the contest is a platform to use as a country branding tool and show off what you have gotten, especially for small countries like Armenia.[/vc_informationbox]
[vc_informationbox title=”Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest”]Armenia was presented in a variety of styles over the years, with Dorians, Eva Rivas, and Armenian pop music idol Hayko.Deem Communications has long-term mixed relations with Eurovision. Our first encounter happened when we were providing Marketing Communications support to Orange Telecom, who then newly arrived in the Armenian market. Orange Telecom, as the main sponsor for the Armenian organizers, tasked us with promoting the local team using a creative approach. Flash mobs were the thing at the time, and, in 2010, the Eurovision contest had come up with an inclusive initiative to engage the entire public in a collective flash mob. DEEM, being the go-to agency in events management took on the challenge, recruited about 200 dancers in Armenia, and proceeded to manage that event. The result was jaw-dropping – a wide-scale dance near the stage on Swan Lake in Yerevan.In 2010, we produced a parody video clip – a non-official version of the song “Apricot Stone” by Eva Rivas. To keep up with the trends, it was based on the lip dub craze, then widely popular. The production took place in the regions of Armenia to engage a wider public and showcase an alternative to the polished urban images. It was a riot (with so many controversial reactions)! The following year, a series of public events were held to support the 2011 entry. The culmination took place in the city of Gyumri, with thousands attending the show. While DJ Vaccina was turning the records, dancers and performers were electrifying even the most conservative audience. [/vc_informationbox]
Our last interaction with this contest was in 2013, when Gor Sujian’s band, the Dorians, performed their song “Lonely Planet.” Over 4500 people attended this send-off celebration for the band. DEEM also supported the Dorians at a promotional concert in Hamalir, where they took the stage with Eurovision Diva, Sirusho. The combination was original and sparked interest as a concept.
Armenia participated in the Junior Eurovision as well. In 2010, Vladimir Arzumanyan brought the first victory with the song “Mama”, and Malena won the 2021 contest with the song “Qami qami”, which means that Armenia gets to host the event this year. A fairly good country promotion deal, don’t you think?
[vc_informationbox title=”SNAP Your Fingers towards the Eurovision 2022 stage!”]Speaking of concepts, how many of you have had the chance to catch the music video of this year’s Eurovision entry from Armenia? The song is performed by charming Rosa Linn, who mesmerizes us with her velvety voice. The folk-pop song contains no Armenian elements in it – no duduk or dhol instrumentations. Moreover, the lyrics of this love song are not intertwined with identity or nationality. A fresh sound, feel, and approach.[/vc_informationbox]
What caught our attention was the video production by our good friend Aramayis Hayrapetyan. The director of this music video demonstrates world-class creativity through his approach and a professional production value. He delivers a short film worthy of awards at film fests. Besides the creative angle, the feel, and the look, Aramayis captures the magic of the song and offers it to us in his fantasy-like visualization. The flying house, which was built from scratch for the film, reminds us of the classic Wizard of Oz movie, where Dorothy is transported from Kansas to the Land of Oz.
Recently, our Creative Director, Raffi Niziblian, had the occasion to speak with Aramayis and discuss his inspiration for production and the challenges it presented. Catch the discussion in this . DEEM and Aramayis have collaborated in the past on multimedia production. One great example is the 3D reincarnation of some of Armenia’s and Europe’s noble people during the Europe Day 2021 events. For five days straight, the live projections brought back to life the likes of Marie Curie, Komitas, Zabel Yesayan, and Beethoven.
This year’s entry is quite a marketable product. In the wake of the pandemic and all the wars going on, it is crafted to cater to an audience that is desperate for honesty, purity in music, and inspiration that leads to hope. As strategic communication and creative agency, we believe that this song has great potential to win the hearts of the public and become a favorite. Young Rosa Linn is exceptionally talented and has shown true promise for a bright career in show business. With the right public relations and communications team’s help, the song has all the potential of winning – unless the politically-driven voting prevents it, of course.
In conclusion, we think that Armenia demonstrated its creative potential with this year’s entry. Many of our team believe this song to be a winner, and the video is absolutely creative and successful – no matter what the contest viewers will choose to vote for.
