Over 31 Million Dram Funded for Mask-Wearing Advertising Campaign

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Armenia, the government has allocated over 31 million dram for the printing, installation, and other expenses related to the advertising campaign under the slogan “Wear it, so we can wear it.” This information comes from an examination of the purchases made by the Prime Minister's Office from a single source.

During these months, the Prime Minister's Office has made purchases totaling 12.6 million dram for the advertising campaign titled “Wear a Mask, Save Lives” from the advertising agency “Outdoor Effect.” For instance, according to a state procurement contract signed on September 15, the company is obligated to display the advertisements bearing the slogan “Wear it, so we can wear it” on 40 advertising billboards installed in various administrative districts of Yerevan for at least one month at a cost of 3,678,000 dram. It should be noted that this company also manages the bus shelters and stop signs installed at public transport stops in Yerevan.

The government has allocated an additional 5.9 million dram to the advertising agency “IMIG M.G.” for the installation of billboards in the regions concerning mask-wearing. Another 3.3 million dram was allocated to three other companies engaged in advertising services: “Euro Studio,” “Nushikian Association,” and “EGA.”

As part of the advertising campaign aimed at preventing COVID-19, the Prime Minister's Office allocated 3.2 million dram to “BITEEL SERVICES” for the design and printing of posters, and 2.7 million dram to A/XYZ Nonna Isajanyan for photographic services related to the organization of the advertising campaign.

All of the mentioned purchases were made without competition, that is, from a single source, although such procurement procedures should only be conducted in exceptional cases.

It should be reminded that the “Wear a Mask, Save Lives” advertising campaign has seen the emergence of posters throughout the country with the slogan “Wear it, so we can wear it” since June, which have attracted numerous criticisms on social media. Complaints were raised concerning the choice of the slogan “Wear it, so we can wear it.” Some noted that this is another crude and tasteless social campaign by the authorities. Linguists, for example, pointed out that this wording is a clear example of illiteracy and distortion of the Armenian language; they argue it should say “Wear it so we can win, not wear it so we can wear it.” And regarding carrying coronavirus, many believe that wearing masks does not require others to wear masks as well. Currently, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the misleading slogans on the posters and, in general, this advertising campaign, as cases of coronavirus infections and deaths continue.