Author: Kanayan Tamar

INTERNET TO SYPHON OFF MAINSTREAM MEDIA’S ADVERTISEMENT BUDGETS IN ONE OR TWO YEARS

ARKA
08/08/2011 12:01

Internet resources and Internet advertisement market started
developing in Armenia recently. In this connection we interviewed
Armen Martirosyan, director of All Media Company.

ARKA – Your company recently launched AdNet.am, a new Internet
advertisement. What project is this and what impact it will have on
development of Internet advertisement market in Armenia?

Martirosyan – Our company has presented a new project, AdNet.am
advertising network. There were no similar networks in Armenia before
that. Its main aim is to unite only high-quality Armenian Internet
resources into one advertising network using the most effective
Internet advertisement formats. We have already run our first
advertising campaign using rich-media format.

Remarkable is that advertisers have already expressed their interest
in the project. This network is beneficial to all participants –
advertisers, since they no longer have to deal with many sites, and to
owners of sites, since it rids them of the necessity to think about
monetization of their sites. This advertising network will care of
selling ad spaces.

The network’s technical ground provides advertising companies with
all the necessary planning and effectiveness-gauging instruments.

This project is unique in Armenia. We hope AdNet.am advertising
network will spur development of Internet advertisement in the country.

In 2010, our company launched its first project, MediaGid.am news
aggregator. This project is unique for Armenia as well, since only
Russia and Ukraine among CIS member countries have such aggregators.

The main aim of MediaGid.am is to provide up-to-date, timely,
trustworthy and unbiased information.

ARKA – What do you think about Armenia’s Internet advertisement market?

Martirosyan – Armenian Internet advertisement market is developing
quite fast mainly thanks to enlargement of the number of Internet
users and appearance of new projects, particularly development of
the news sector and appearance of “social” sector.

Besides, Internet as space for boosting goods and services to targeted
users, is gradually winning confidence among advertisers.

ARKA – How big is the share of Internet advertisement in our country?

Will Internet ads be able to oust traditional types of advertisement
in the future? On what factors it will depend?

Martirosyan – No data on distribution of advertising budget exist.

Therefore, it is impossible to indicate particular share. However,
it can be said for sure that Internet will siphon off a part of
advertisement budgets from other media outlets, particularly from
television, in one or two years. This will give a big impetus to
development of ad spaces (sites), appearance of new types of ads and
transition from mainstream advertising model to CRM (cost-per-mille)
model.

ARKA – Which Internet ads are popular in Armenia and which of them
are demanded abroad?

Martirosyan – Media (banner) ad is most popular kind of advertisement.

The second most popular advertisement is context ad, which has capacity
to grow thanks to appearance of small and medium companies in Internet.

Things in countries with developed Internet market are polar opposite –
the share of context ad is far higher than that of media advertisement.

ARKA – Is there data on audience of Internet advertisement in Armenia?

Are there situations when demand for advertisement exceeds supply?

Martirosyan – There are no particular data on Armenian Internet users,
since no studies are conducted on this matter.

An approximate idea about the number and types of Armenian Internet
users can be formed from Russian rating systems.

According to the statistical service Liveinternet.ru about 630,000
people visit Internet from Armenia every day. However, it should
be taken into account that this figure doesn’t show the number of
people, since one user can visit Internet from several computers,
mobile phones and other devices. Nevertheless, this figure gives us
an approximate idea of Internet audience.

Average daily audience of Armenian Internet grew five times this year,
compared with 2010, and one user’s views three times. It means people
in Armenia started visiting Internet more often and spending more
time here.

To your second question I can say that demand exceeds supply mainly
in December due to placement of ads for a certain period of time –
one week or one month, and many advertisers are left with no space
for advertising. In such a situation CRM (cost-per-mille) model would
put things right.

ARKA – Representatives of which areas place their ads in Internet
more often than others?

Martirosyan – The most active advertisers in Internet are financial
companies, telecommunication operators and car importers. The thing is
that these companies can afford to advertise in various media channels,
including Internet.

ARKA – How many players (Internet advertisement agencies) are on the
Armenian market?

Martirosyan – Internet advertisement market is dynamically developing.

Many companies acknowledge Internet’s power, and this attracts them.

More than 20 companies in Armenia offer their services, particularly
on placing ads and boosting sites.

ARKA – Which sites are more attractive for advertisers?

Martirosyan – The most attractive places to advertisers in Armenian
Internet are news sites as well as specialized pages spotlighting
finance and car business, which embrace certain audience.

Russian portals and social networks attract more Armenian Internet
than other outside Internet sources.

What about selection of pages for advertising, I’d like to say that
as a rule, advertisers are guided by quantity, not quality parameters
in their choice.

Very few advertisers or advertising agencies engaging in planning and
placing clients’ ads ground their choice on quality parameters, such as
composition and geographic distribution, or other important parameters.

Therefore, advertisers don’t see the expected result, and advertisement
budgets are used ineffectively, while a right planning of a campaign
would produce different effect and attract more advertisers.

ARKA – How much Internet ad costs in Armenia?

Martirosyan – No factors impact price-making process in Armenian
Internet, excluding prices for context ads. Neither thematic focuses
nor the number of views impact prices. That is why it would be wrong
to speak about justified price for Internet advertisement.

ARKA – Is there any assessment of effectiveness of marketing in
the network?

Martirosyan – Certain instruments for studies are needed for gauging
effectiveness of marketing, particularly Internet ads. There are
no such instruments in Armenia, since advertisers pay no attention
to the necessity to gauge effectiveness, or their employees have no
sufficient knowledge to analyze results of advertising campaigns. This
lessens effectiveness of usage of the advertising budget.

KHACHATUROV MERELY REPEATED – 2

Lragir.am

13:34:11 – 08/08/2011

Armenian mass media reported that Yuri Khachaturov, chief of the
general staff of the Armed Forces, stated in the meeting hall of the
Defense Ministry, that the liberated territories must be handed over
because the army of Azerbaijan is stronger, and Azerbaijan will grant
Karabakh wider sovereignty.

These statements were reported to be made by Khachaturov on July 11.

They were preceded by Serzh Sargsyan’s scandalous statements at the
PACE, when he said Azerbaijan would have advantage in a possible war
over Nagorno Karabakh.

What did the chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces have to do,
who actually is the Head of the Armed Forces? He had to obey and repeat
the words of his supreme commander. Khachaturov probably knows best
of all the current situation of the Armenian army. Supplies, arms and
military preparedness of the army are under his supervision. He knows
better than anyone else that the army today is a personal “garden” of
generals, where the soldier does not receive necessary calories and
military skills, where instead of statutory relationship, “thieves’
laws” reign, where “suicides” are committed for which no one is held
responsible, instead the leadership of the army keeps getting richer
and richer at the expenses of the “army” and other businesses.

Khachaturov has another way – resignation. Resignation for the current
situation that brought about the idea to hand over the homeland. Can
you imagine such a dignified step by a dignified officer? But the
dignified way does not suit the leadership of the army and the country.

INTELLECTUAL ON TRAGIC DESTINY OF TURKISH ARMENIANS

Tert.am
14:54 08.08.11

The Armenian art critics and other intellectuals that attended
the Nature and Worship festival, held by the Armenia-based Maratuk
company in Dersim province, Turkey, July 27 to 31, video recorded the
stories of numerous Armenians forcibly converted to Islam, Haykagun
Alvrtsyan, Head of the Western Armenia and Armenians Study Center,
told journalists on Aug 8.

“In one of the villages we were told [a] man’s eventful story –
a story of consistent struggle for existence and incognito life,”
Alvrtsyan said.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS TO GET NAGORNO-KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS RESTARTED

Tert.am
11:39 ~U 08.08.11

The next trilateral meeting would not be held until Moscow got
guarantees of all the conflicting parties’ willingness to put their
signatures to the Kazan document.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev plans to hold a meeting with his
Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Sochi, on Aug. 9. The meeting will
focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, reports Moskovskiye
Novosti.

“If the talks prove a success, the next step is likely to be Dmitry
Medvedev’s meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, with a
trilateral summit to follow,” the source reports.

The Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders held their latest
meeting in Kazan. The summit failed. The reason was that Russian and
Armenian diplomats overestimated the possible political concessions
official Baku was ready for. “Medvedev had to promptly correct his
subordinates’ mistakes. He addressed a letter to Sargsyan and Aliyev,
wherein he presented his view on the settlement process,” the source
writes. The Russian president also considered some of Azerbaijan’s
arguments reasonable.

“No wonder, therefore, that Azerbaijan was the first to respond. Azeri
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov paid a visit to Moscow in mid-July
and handed Aliyev’s reply letter over to his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov.” The Armenian side responded later, the source reported,
quoting the political analyst Alexey Vlasov.

“According to some information, Azerbaijan agreed to the arguments
contained in Dmitry Medvedev’s letter. As to Sargsyan’s response to
his message, it remains unknown,” the expert told Moskovskiye Novosti.

That is the reason why the Russian leader first held a meeting with his
Azeri counterpart. It had been stated that the next trilateral meeting
would not be held until Moscow got guarantees of all the conflicting
parties’ willingness to put their signatures to the Kazan document,
the expert said.

AFFAIRE YEZEGUELIAN : LA RéDACTION DE NAM TOUJOURS DANS LE NOIR
[email protected]

Armenews.com
lundi 8 août 2011
MEDIA

La fatwa lancée par Raymond Yézéguélian contre NAM est entrée
dans une nouvelle étape. Ce personnage condamné le 18 juillet par la
justice pour avoir coupé ‘électricité dans les locaux de Nouvelles
d’Armén Magazine n’a toujours pas procédé a son rétablissement
normal. Depuis le premier juillet, la rédaction du journal se trouve
dans une situation de chômage technique et la fabrication de son
numéro de rentrée est perturbée.

Se jouant de la décision de justice, ce personnage avait
fait cependant semblant de s’y soumettre le 28 juillet dernier
en faisant rétablir le courant devant un huissier q’il avait
dÔment mandaté. Mais une fois que celui-ci a tourné les talons,
l’électricité a été de nouveau cou

La manoeuvre étant peut-être un peu grosse,’électricien de
R. Yézéguélian est venu au 95 bd Gouvion Saint-Cyr le lendemain
pour soi-disant remettre le courant. Mais il procédait en réalité
a un abaissement tel de ‘ampérage’il en rendait impossible
l’usage. Conséquen: les bureaux de NAM sont toujours plongés dans
le noir.

Ces agissements qui obéissenta une volonté de contourner l’ordonnance
du 18 juillet interdisent non seulement la jouissance paisible des
locaux de NAM voulue par le tribunal, mais ils visent égalementa
empêcher la parution du journal. A ce titre ils constituent une
atteinte a la liberté de la presse, garantie par la constitution.

L’equipe de NAM entend faire respecter sa liberté d’expression et
elle informe ses lecteurs q’elle mettra tout en oeuvre pour permettre
aux Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine de reparaître en septembre, comme
tous les ans depuis 1993.

DECOUVERTE D’UNE MINE D’URANIUM DANS LE LAC DE VAN
Krikor Amirzayan, [email protected]

Armenews.com
lundi 8 aout 2011,
VAN

Le journal turc ” Sabah ” revele que des scientifiques Turcs ont
decouvert lors travaux d’analyse des eaux du lac de Van que ce
dernier recelait une mine d’uranium dont les reserves sont evaluees
a 7,5 milliards de dollars. L’equipe du professeur Mehmet Yaman de
l’Universite ” Ferat ” aurait mene durant trois ans des etudes sur
cette mine d’uranium du lac de Van. Le mois dernier, il a publie les
travaux de ses recherches dans le mensuel Clean-Journal qui affirme
la presence de l’uranium dans les eaux du lac de Van. ” Sahah ”
ecrit que la presence de cet uranium est une veritable opportunite
pour la Turquie qui s’apprete a se doter de centres thermonucleraires.

LA COALITION ARMENIENNE ESPERE CONVAINCRE L’OPPOSITION
[email protected]

lundi 8 aout 2011,
ARMENIE

La coalition au pouvoir du president Serge Sarkissian espere convaincre
le Congres national armenien (HAK) de renoncer a la tenue des premieres
elections nationales, a annonce un de ses representants vendredi. Gagik
Minasian, un membre de la coalition qui negocie avec les representants
du HAK, a exprime sa confiance envers les Armeniens qui comprendront
ses arguments lors du dialogue entre les deux camps rivaux politiques.

” Nous sommes convaincus que la situation armenienne n’est pas une
crise “, a declare Minasian lors d’une conference. ” Nous avons
de nombreux problèmes et nous prenons de nombreuses mesures pour y
remedier “.

” Nous sommes prets a les presenter pour convaincre les membres de
l’opposition de notre perception de la situation. Avoir recours a
des elections anticipees n’est pas la solution “.

” Je ne suis pas sur que nous parviendrons a les convaincre. Mais je
suis certain d’une chose : un observateur objectif et impartial de
nos discussions arrivera a la bonne conclusion. D’apres moi, nous
n’avons pas besoin d’elections anticipees “.

Le dirigeant du HAK, Levon Ter-Petrosian et d’autres representants
de l’opposition affirment que seules des elections peuvent mettre
fin aux fraudes electorales chroniques et ainsi eliminer l’origine
principale des tensions politiques en Armenie. Ils ont menace de se
retirer du dialogue et d’organiser des manifestions massives si le
president Sarkissian refuse de mettre en place des elections.

Alors que les demandes de l’opposition ont ete rejetees, l’equipe
de la coalition au pouvoir dirigee par Davit Harutiunian, un autre
depute affilie au Parti republicain de Sarkissian (HHK), a accepte de
discuter de la question le mois dernier avec les representants du HAK.

Malgre les conflits avec l’opposition, Minasian semble optimiste
concernant l’issue du dialogue.

” Le cours des discussions me donne de l’espoir. Je crois que nous
avons tous deux des buts supremes et que nous parviendrons a surmonter
ces problemes pour atteindre nos objectifs “.

Les representants de la delegation des deux partis ont deja organise
trois reunions et se rencontreront de nouveau en debut de semaine
prochaine.

LE PRESIDENT RUSSE ET LES DIRIGEANTS AZERIS SE RENCONTRENT POUR DISCUTER DU PROCESSUS DE PAIX AU KARABAGH
[email protected]

Armennews.com
lundi 8 2011
HAUT-KARABAGH

Le President russe Dimitri Medvedev rencontrera son homologue
azerbaidjanais Ilham Aliyev mardi prochain pour discuter du processus
de paix de la region du Haut-Karabagh.

Une courte declaration du Kremlin a annonce que la rencontre aurait
lieu dans la ville balneaire au bord de la Mer Noire, Sotchi. ”
La visite se tiendra apres l’invitation du President de la Russie “.

Les representants officiels d’Aliyev n’ont pas immediatement confirme
l’information.

Les pourparlers de Sotchi se tiendront moins de deux mois apres l’echec
de Medvedev a negocier un accord-cadre pour mettre fin au conflit
dans la region de Karabagh lors du recent sommet armeno-azerbaidjanais
qui s’est tenu dans une autre ville russe, a Kazan.

Contrairement aux attentes internationales, Aliyev et le President
armenien Serge Sarkissian ne sont pas parvenus a trouver un accord
sur les principes de base du reglement des evenements du Karabagh
propose par la Russie et deux autres puissances mediatrices, les
Etats-Unis et la France.

Medvedev a presente a Aliyev et a Sarkissian un ensemble de
propositions non publiees destinees a sauver le processus de paix. Le
contenu de leurs reponses envoyees au president russe le mois dernier
demeure inconnu.

Il est encore incertain que Sarkissian se rende a Sotchi dans les
prochains jours.

Le leader armenien est actuellement en vacances. Selon des sources
non confirmees, il serait a Chypre ces jours-ci.

Medvedev a commente le conflit dans la region du Karabagh dans une
interview diffusee en Russie et en Georgie qui etait consacree au
troisieme anniversaire de la guerre russo-georgienne, en Ossetie
du Sud.

Selon Medvedev, la guerre de 5 jours a donne ” une bonne lecon ”
a l’Armenie et a Azerbaïdjan. Il a affirme que Sarkissian ainsi
qu’Aliyev lui avaient rappele en 2008 qu’il ” est preferable de
negocier interminablement sur le sort du Nagorno-Karabagh et de
discuter sur la maniere de mettre en place un accord de paix, plutôt
que de passer par cinq jours de guerre “.

Certains experts azerbaïdjanais ont critique les remarques faites
vendredi, considerant qu’elles etaient un avertissement adresse a Baku.

” Au lieu d’appeler l’Armenie a liberer les territoires occupes
d’Azerbaidjan, Medvedev menace le pays en enoncant les evenements
d’août 2008 “, a declare Vafa Guluzade, un ancien collaborateur du
père d’Aliyev et predecesseur de Heydar.

Zardusht Alizade, un analyste eminent d’Azerbaidjan, a egalement estime
que Medvedev a lance un avertissement a Bakou qui pourrait faire face
” a de nouveaux evenements georgiens “.

POPULAR FAIRY TALES ARMENIANIZED IN SERIES OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
August 6, 2011 – 10:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Popular fairy tales are Armenianized in five-book
series of children’s books – containing “Hagop and the Hairy Giant”
(Jack and the Beanstalk), “The Gurabia Man” (The Gingerbread Man), and
“Little Red Hood and Kesh Kayl” (Little Red Riding Hood) – available
for purchase on Amazon.com or ArmenianKidBooks.com, or from Armenian
book retailers across the United States and Canada.

The books are written in Arm-English (English with some Armenian
words) and offer a fun way to teach children about Armenian language
and culture, in a familiar story setting. A glossary of Armenian
words and pronunciation guide is included to help readers learn the
meanings of the Armenian words and to pronounce them correctly.

The two last books in the series will be available in fall 2011
and include “The Three Little Karnoogs” (The Three Little Pigs) and
“Voski and the Archoogians” (Goldilocks and the Three Bears). All
five books are also being published in Western Armenian and will be
available for purchase by the holiday season 2011.

The author, Talene Dadian White, is an Armenian American currently
living in New York with her husband and two children. Talene’s writing
of Armenian children’s books is inspired by her love of her Armenian
heritage and her desire to keep it alive in her children and Armenian
children everywhere, The Armenian Weekly reported.

SARKOZY’S VISIT TO BE A POSITIVE INCENTIVE FOR KARABAKH – OPINION

Tert.am
16:02 06.08.11

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to the region will be a
positive incentive for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Azerbaijani MP Asim Molazade has said.

“I assess Sarkozy’s visit positively and expect that some steps will
be taken for the settlement within that visit,” Molozade was quoted
by the Azerbaijani news website Salam News as saying.

“France as an OSCE Minsk Group country is interested in the resolution
of the conflict,” he added.

Nicola Sarkozy is expected to pay a visit to Armenia, Georgia and
Azerbaijan this year.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sparked in the early 1990s when Karabakhi
Armenians voiced their intention to live independently from.

Later, tensions spiralled into pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait,
Baku and Nagorno Karabakh that turned into a bloody war, leaving
around 30,000 killed and more than a million displaced.

Currently the peace talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are
spearheaded by the co-chair states of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France and the United States.