What’s it like to operate out of a country with harsh economic sanctions but bright minds that wish to make an impact globally? Mehrnoosh Shafiei, Vice President - Central & West Asia (CWA) of the International Advertising Association (IAA), gives us a glimpse into her efforts to create a ‘free zone of knowledge’ between CWA and the rest of the world.
Shafiei lives in Tehran, Iran, where she has operated a ‘creative boutique’ since 2005. Her agency’s role is to study the behaviour of the target group and offer creative solutions to businesses on how best to attract and market to them. Within Iran, the advertising industry is a pool full of local competitors and Shafiei believes they need more proficiency.
“It has been 50 years since the IAA has come to Iran and I think it was one of the best developments for Iran’s advertising industry.” Through the IAA, Iranians are able to connect with the global network of professionals. This helps them stay active, inspired and educated in new techniques, sciences and methods that develop in the community.
While the advertising industry is growing rapidly in Iran, there is one point of difference between them and other countries. “Because of the sanctions, we cannot have a normal banking relationship with the world.” Due to these restrictions, making or receiving payments is challenging, which discourages many global brands from advertising in Iran. However, the other side is an opportunity for local brands where they can hold themselves to a higher standard of performance.
Shafiei wants Iran to usher in a new era where creativity thrives. The country has over 20,000 advertising agencies of which the top 150 are focussed on television. And on the other side, digital is growing. “Brands need to come in and put their time and effort into strategising their campaigns before they lay out their media budget.” For advertising to work on the target group, having a good strategy takes precedence.
So what does this target group or youth of Iran look like? “The young generation of Iran is well-educated with access to the digital world. They're thirsty for knowledge and many of them are influenced by the lifestyle of the West.” Shafiei draws parallels between the youth of Iran and the youth of India who want to be independent and immigrate to other countries in search of that dream. Often returning home after being disappointed.
According to her, a prominent reason for this aspiration has been social media. The portrayal of a perfect life, the creation of the ‘fear of missing out’ and the spread of misinformation. “The word ‘brain rot’ was named the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2024. And it is very real.” Brain rot is an expression used to describe the negative effects of consuming low-quality online content.
Shafiei also talks about the challenges she’s faced since assuming the role of VP in CWA since 2016. Normally, young professionals from CWA come to the IAA to connect with a network of advertising professionals. However, factors like the political unrest in the region and its effects on communication channels are obstacles to building the community. “The youth, too, are affected by sanctions and limited by their countries' regulations.” Growing tensions also disconnect them from a channel of communication. “For example, today Syria is gone—I can no longer find young people from Syria who had been talking to me through email. With Iraq, it has happened thrice that we take one step into building an IAA Chapter and then, something happens—the country is inaccessible for months and we lose everything. And in Afghanistan, since the Taliban, the education available to girls is limited.”
But Shafiei still has hope that they have many potential connections within the region that will be built over time. “Young professionals in marcom can build a new future for communication between the countries.” Shafiei is actively working on building a new platform for fruitful collaboration. Her vision is for the IAA to act as a port of knowledge for all those willing to learn.
Now, IAA CWA has activists from 14 different countries. Their community is for agencies, the media, professionals and the youth who want to see opportunity and build a future in advertising.
