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The emergence of AIM (Arab Insight Media) was inevitable; there were far too many converging factors demanding its creation for it to be otherwise. Certainly, the notion of a media services company is nothing new, a fact underscored by the plethora of offers on every conceivable platform and medium. AIM, however, introduces something truly unprecedented in communications, not least of which is bringing the skills of its vast network of veteran media professionals out of the confines of newsrooms and offering them to a far broader market.
The AIM project has been in development for quite some time, since even before the numerous crises that have gripped Lebanon following the events of October 17, 2019, and the wider world following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. During countless discussions held over the course of months and years, the company’s founders arrived at an undeniable realization: The only way forward was to think outside the box.
The central pillars of this conclusion were twofold: the first was to adapt to this new era and embrace every available digital tool in order to have even a chance at success. It has long been accepted that print media is no longer viable, and that digital is the only way forward. However, simply changing mediums does not solve the greater challenges from which all news outlets suffer: untenable overheads.
The second pillar was to ensure that AIM avoids the pitfalls that have spelt the demise of many a media and communications outlet in the region, namely the mistaken belief that they were in the business of news. Instead, AIM acknowledges that, like every other venture around the globe, it in the business of selling, and that acknowledgement brings to the surface the various advantages the company wields as well as the challenges it is likely to face as it moves forward.
However, while these realizations became the cornerstones of AIM’s business strategy, they were not the reasons behind the founders’ determination to create AIM. The one decisive factor that has been a guiding principle above all else is the importance, especially in communications, of mastery of every aspect of the business in order to guarantee the quality of services rendered and assess the qualifications of potential hires.
Hanna Anbar, Ave Tavoukjian and Elias Saqr, the creators of AIM, have all been deeply embedded in journalism for decades, and have all played pivotal roles at several of the region’s leading news outlets and publications, in particular Anbar, the former executive editor of the now-defunct The Daily Star newspaper.
Anbar, who made his bones in journalism as a senior staff member at Reuters’ Beirut bureau in the late ’60s, pointed out that one of the most often-overlooked advantages of the digital communications industry was its ability to transcend borders.
“We live in an era where our work no longer needs to be tethered to our physical location,” Anbar said. “Technology has afforded us ample tools enabling us to cater to the needs of clients wherever they may be, and we would be remiss if we fail to utilize every advantage at our disposal.”
Anbar, whose extensive track record also includes spells in the ’70s as editor of two separate house journals, namely ADMA News of the Abu Dhabi Marine Areas (ADMA), and ONSHORE ECHO of the Abu Dhabi Onshore Oil Company (ADCO), has also headed the English language service of Abu Dhabi Television.
“Today we have been presented with a unique opportunity to take the quality that has become synonymous with our work out of the newsroom and deliver it to clients truly seeking our brand of excellence,” he added.
This conviction prompted the decision to create an entity whose services are overseen by select professionals with the expertise to guarantee quality in numerous fields. These include, among others, content creation in various mediums and formats, editing, translation, copy writing, public relations, messaging, design, social media strategy, web design and development, event management solutions, and communications consultancy.
“We live in an era where our work no longer needs to be tethered to our physical location. Technology has afforded us ample tools enabling us to cater to the needs of clients wherever they may be, and we would be remiss if we fail to utilize every advantage at our disposal.”--Hanna Anbar
While virtually anyone can offer to perform such services, very few have truly gone through the trials by fire that are a key element needed to deliver the excellence that is promised. As journalists, the members of AIM’s network have spent decades creating content that has been consumed – and criticized – by countless millions. They have edited and refined copy to the highest standards, and devised headlines that have caught the attention of countless readers pertaining to every notable event, whether local, regional or global, going back to the 1960s. They have created newspapers, magazines, supplements and brochures, and have been the organizers behind some of the world’s most prestigious events, summits and conferences.
It is that deep insight that AIM brings to the table, and it is that understanding of how media works, how messages become impactful, and how the highest standards are exacted that sets this venture apart. More importantly, AIM’s founders, as professionals who recognize the importance and value of longtime experience, cherish and celebrate the talent and skillsets wielded by their colleagues, without whom the entire undertaking would remain nothing more than a pipe dream.
Tavoukjian, the former chief sub-editor at The Daily Star up to its closure who has produced, managed and written for various publications over the years, pointed out that it was invariably the talent and skills of journalists and communications professionals that gave leading media outlets and agencies their stature.
Tavoukjian, who has edited several books and regularly consults with corporate clients to revamp their media and communications strategies, stressed that “the market today will no longer suffer mediocre performance or quality. Clients in need of communications services are highly educated and informed, and more than capable of differentiating between a quality product and pedestrian work.
“This is precisely why we believe that the skillsets wielded by our seasoned colleagues are invaluable and, if effectively showcased, can afford them opportunities to thrive despite all the hardships plaguing Lebanon, the region and the rest of the world in recent years.”
“These are professionals who have honed their skills over decades, and they deserve to flourish based on their merits,” said Tavoukjian, himself a proven writer whose works cover a span of nearly 25 years. “That conviction prompted us to create something truly unique that would enable us to capitalize on our abilities by catering to a wider market instead of relying on local media outlets whose successes or failures are directly contingent on the political prospects of the benefactors of the season,” he added.
"We believe that the skillsets wielded by our seasoned colleagues are invaluable and, if effectively showcased, can afford them opportunities to thrive despite all the hardships plaguing Lebanon, the region and the rest of the world in recent years.”--Ave Tavoukjian
With all that in mind, AIM intends to flip the traditional approach to communications on its head. Traditional media outlets typically invest fortunes in premises, equipment and utilities; assume overwhelming payrolls; and in the case of print incur costs in the form of paper, printing and distribution. After all that, they still have no guarantees that they will be able to generate revenues, especially with a derelict advertising market. As a result, in order to survive many are forced to sacrifice their independence and resort to kowtowing, or attempt to capture elusive subscriptions in exchange for content that is readily available elsewhere for free.
Rather than expend their time and skills, at untenable cost, to produce a product that they would still have to try to sell to the uninterested masses, AIM instead offers those same skills and talent as a service directly to those truly in need of such expertise, whether they be corporate entities, government agencies or SMEs. They have also done away with unnecessary infrastructure and payrolls, as members of AIM’s network of professionals conduct their work from wherever they choose and are compensated by assignment.
In addition, AIM’s soon-to-be-launched website, which will showcase their vast array of services, will also present to audiences exclusive yet complimentary content that offers insight into the impact of unfolding events, as well as a greater understanding of the world in which we live. And instead attempting to use the size of its audience to attract advertising, AIM intends to showcase its own services to that demographic, which is most likely to require such offerings.
Saqr, former head of An-Nahar English Edition, with stints at The National and The Daily Star, noted that despite common misconceptions, the media and communications industry had never before enjoyed the opportunities available today.
"There is nothing stopping us from attempting to cater to the needs of any business, government or individual anywhere in the world, as long as we make the effort to make our services known to them."--Elias Saqr
“Most people believe that digital was the death knell of media; that could not be further from the truth. When you look at the bigger picture, you realize that while news outlets and communications agencies may have lost a sizeable portion of their traditional audiences that consisted of segments of local markets, today with digital we have the potential to reach an audience of 8 billion people,” Saqr said.
“In the same vein, there is nothing stopping us from attempting to cater to the needs of any business, government or individual anywhere in the world, as long as we make the effort to make our services known to them. Digital is not just a different medium, it is also an opportunity to broaden our horizons and use a more creative approach to providing communications services,” he added.
The past three years have forced the world to reimagine how business is conducted in order to navigate the emerging challenges. AIM has chosen to seize the lessons of that experience as guiding principles to chart the way forward in communications. Perhaps their insight and unconventional strategy can become a model for others seeking solutions to overcome the challenges faced by the industry.
