Why global brands lose Iraq to local ones
Updated: 24 minutes ago
Curated by Sarah Alkubaisi, Senior Creative
Throwback to shopping for the company trip!
But a question why do global brands still treat Iraq like an afterthought?
Every time I talk to regional marketing teams, I hear the same things. "It's complicated." "It's risky." "Let's wait and see."
And I get it.
Iraq has had a complicated story. The headlines haven't been kind. And from a regional office, it's easier to roll out the Gulf campaign and move on.
But does that mean brands should keep treating Iraq as a line item?
Absolutely not!
Because Iraqis aren't waiting.
46 million people. Most of them under 25. Buying snacks, drinks, shampoo and chocolate every single day.
I see it every week working with brands here.
And here's what surprises most people: global brands aren't losing Iraq to other global brands. They're losing it to local ones.
Smaller budgets. Simpler packaging. Less "brand equity."
Still winning the shelf.
Why?
→ Because they speak the dialect, not a translation of it.
→ Because they know the joke everyone's laughing at this week.
→ Because their ads look like Iraqi homes, not Dubai sets.
→ Because people feel the brand is theirs.
Some will say it's price or distribution. Partly. But plenty of global brands match the price and sit on the exact same shelf.
And most importantly, the purchasing power is already there. The demand is already there. The only thing missing is the effort to understand who's buying.
You can't win a market you've never really listened to.
Is Iraq in your plan, or just in your distribution?
People underestimate the Iraqi market. We used to nod along. Now we push back.
Iraq isn’t an “emerging” market for creativity. It’s an awakening one.
The purchasing power is here.
The hunger is here.
And the audience? Hardheaded, opinionated… but loyal when you earn it.
What’s missing isn’t potential. It’s people willing to invest in work that actually respects this market, not recycle what worked in the GCC, Levant, or Cairo.
We’re not a smaller version of anywhere else. And with a market this big, in a country where even war doesn’t pause life…
This is a market to be reckoned with.
Curious to hear how others are seeing Iraq’s creative landscape right now.
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