'Hope-based communication contrasts social media's fear-based messaging'

In a keynote session, Raffi Niziblian, Creative Director, Deem Communication, a seasoned communication strategist based in Armenia, shed light on the transformative journey of public relations (PR) in a nation undergoing significant economic and social shifts. 

Addressing the audience at e4m The India PR and Corporate Communication Conference - (IPRCCC) 2023, Niziblian articulated how Armenia, historically a post-Soviet state, is navigating newfound synergies with global partners, notably India, and embracing diversity as a catalyst for economic innovation.

He said, “There's a lot happening between Armenia and India, and we see a lot of synergy, business conversations and potential collaborations. Most recently, we have had a huge amount of population arriving from India to Armenia. So the workforce itself is shifting, also creating a group of minorities in Armenia that is perhaps pushing the market to think differently and create new needs and new demands from the market. So this is an exciting time for us.” 

Speaking about the journey, Niziblian shared that his journey started from Montreal, Canada, where he honed his communication skills, to Armenia in 2003, marking a pivotal moment. He witnessed Armenia's evolution from a Soviet legacy into a burgeoning hub for technology and pharmaceuticals, underscoring the nation's embrace of a green economy amidst its climatic advantages. His narrative painted a vivid picture of Armenia's transition from a traditional, homogenous society to a dynamic, multicultural environment catalyzed by globalization. 

He said, “Advertising existed throughout the Soviet times. Propaganda PR was something that was there. All the socialist kind of slogans we can see still resonating even in the more independent Armenia in the 2000s. So I have seen several different Armenias from the post-Soviet early ages of the young Republic of Armenia to the vibrant, more dynamic one that is happening as we speak with a huge ecosystem in the tech sector, a huge pharma industry that is increasingly taking an advance.” 

Central to the Niziblian address was his pivotal role in pioneering modern PR practices in Armenia. He recounted founding his agency in 2006, amidst a landscape where traditional advertising and propaganda still lingered. His agency spearheaded a paradigm shift, introducing concepts like branding, marketing, and social media engagement to a society grappling with the onset of digitalization. His efforts extended beyond business; they became instrumental in shaping public discourse and policy through initiatives like the PR Summit, a groundbreaking platform that redefined PR strategies nationwide. 

The impact of his agency’s initiatives reverberated across sectors, notably in finance, where they collaborated closely with international entities like HSBC and Byblos Bank. Beyond conventional PR, his agency devised innovative campaigns integrating CSR, community engagement, and educational scholarships, thereby enriching Armenia's financial landscape. 

Reflecting on the present, he outlined his agency's strategic pivot towards "hope-based communications," a forward-looking approach that contrasts with fear-based messaging prevalent in traditional media. 

He said, “In terms of strategic communications, we have focused on something called hope-based communications. Given the times that we are living in the world today, we see that fear-based and sensationalism is not always working in terms of messaging and campaign delivery. So this hope-based communications was established by a practitioner, Thomas Coombs, in the UK. Over the past four-five years, we have adopted this concept and have been creating our communications methods, specifically for strategic communications, utilizing hope as the mechanism that drives the campaign forward. So instead of showing what is now, the hope-based communication underlines the key visualization and messaging process on how you see the future? and that's basically, in a nutshell, how we frame our own messaging and our own campaign and delivery.”  

In closing, he extended an invitation to the global PR community to explore Armenia's burgeoning opportunities. With initiatives like Generation N, aimed at digital-first audiences, he positioned Armenia as a nexus of innovation and creativity in the region- an invitation to participate in shaping the future of strategic communications.