Ten Manifestations for Bangladesh's advertising, marketing and media industry

Here's what Rabeth Khan, founder and chief executive officer, MACOMM (official affiliate of Dentsu in Bangladesh), has manifested.

Bangladesh is a country of more than 174 million people. Despite the havoc of Covid and the last one and a half years of extreme economic challenges, Bangladesh has been marked to be one of the top 20 strongest economies of the world by 2040. With such a density of population, it has become a haven for consumerism. Around 28% of the population is between the age of 15-29 which also plays a role as a catalyst for the fast acceleration of brands and products crowding the online and offline marketplaces. All of these are propelling the expansion of marketing communication and advertising talents and services in the country.

Yet so much more is needed to improve and standards are to be better in the advertising landscape of Bangladesh. The below captures some of the key areas of change, I aspire to see happening rapidly in the local advertising landscape of Bangladesh.

It has been more than 52 years but apart from a lone Cannes sparkle a few years back, Bangladesh is far behind the regional and global advertising standards. Mediocrity must be shunned and local advertising leaders and talents need to push the bar higher.
Proper institutions are needed, where there will be properly outlined short-term and long-term certificate courses and leading universities need to offer graduate and post-graduate programs in marketing communication, advertising, and brand management.

Not everyone will be God-gifted talents, learning is needed to hone talents and sharpen them.

Clients around the world and in Bangladesh need to stop squeezing agencies on the rates and fees. 1% or 2% agency fees will never get the best talents and minds to agencies and brands will suffer. Agencies with meagre and barely surviving financials cannot continue to invest in adtech, martech, and R&D.

Banks and financial institutions need to support agencies and connected organisations more with loans, work order financing, expansion aiding financial products, and crisis period financial aids.

Democratisation in the local agency scene is a critical need to give way for new talents to join the industry and new agencies to be born and sustained. Autocracy and power play of big players should be reduced to create a fair field for everyone.

Data is the new currency in every sector. TV, OOH/DOOH, print, and radio all are starving of any data of performance and efficiency. Blinded and perception-based planning needs to cease. More technology infusion will be a welcome addition for everyone.

The government of Bangladesh harnessing the smart Bangladesh ambitions for the new modern Bangladesh, needs to facilitate more incentives to digitally enabled and practicing local advertising and marketing communication agencies.

This article first appeared in the April print issue of Manifest, part of a broader 'Rest of South Asia' feature.