Social Marketing for Consumption of Modernized Iranian Traditional Clothing with a Look at Asian Experiences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Prof. of Anthropology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D in Research of Art, Department of Research of Art, Faculty of Arts, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Like in some other Asian countries, the Iranians’ tendency to wear traditional clothing has decreased significantly. This paper aims to achieve an appropriate social marketing intervention mix to solve this problem, considering the successful Asian countries’ solutions. Therefore, this study has used documentary and library methods to investigate the main causes of the abovementioned problem in Iran and the countries’ solutions for the same problem. Then, the thematic analysis approach is used to analyze the countries’ actions, considering the mix of strategic social marketing interventions. Results show that the best solutions for updating traditional clothing in Asian countries are media-related solutions. Finally, we achieved a “communicative-interactive social marketing intervention mix.” This refers to a set of complementary marketing interventions that include the use of media tools, as well as non-media social relationships. The study’s main contributions were using strategic social marketing to analyze the consumption of updated traditional clothing and suggest a new model that can also be used to improve the strategies applied in Asia and other countries after cultural adaptation.

Keywords


Aalami, Z. , Hosseinzadeh yazdi, M. & Zaeri, Q. (2025). The Evolution of the veiling discourse from the constitutional revolution to the end of Pahlavi I Era (1906 - 1941). Journal of Social Theories of Muslim Thinkers, 15(1), 42-63. doi: 10.22059/jstmt.2025.382237.1734. (in Persian)
Afrough, E., & Mehrabanifar, H. (2018). Prioritizing the media policy on clothing fashion based on the problems of its cycle in Iranian society. Religion and Communication, 24(2), 9-44. (in Persian)
Arab Khorasani, S., Deghan, M. & Keshavri, A. (2024). The contradiction of simplification and complexity; Evaluation of hijab policies in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. Iranian Journal of Public Policy, 10(3), 112-124. doi: 10.22059/jppolicy.2024.98678. (in Persian)
Ashna, H.,  & Roohani, M. (2010). Iranian’s cultural identity: from theoretical perspective to principles. Journal of Iranian Cultural Research, 3(12), 157-185. (in Persian)
Ashraf, A. & Banuazizi, A. (2001). Iran’s tortuous path toward “Islamic Liberalism.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 15(2), 237-256.
Atik, D., & Ozdamar Ertekin, Z. (2023). The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: the pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry. Journal of Social Marketing, 13(1), 1-19.
Azar, A., Zabihi Jamkhaneh, M. & Khanahmadloo, R. (2019). Ranking of Iranian industries in terms of their importance in nation branding and their roles in promoting it. Brand Management,  5(4), 7-40. (in Persian)
Bahar, M. & Zare, M. (2009). Categorization of fashion in Tehran: an emphasize on women’s clothing. Women in Development and Politics (Women’s Research), 7(3), 27-48. (in Persian)
Bayat, A. (2007). Making Islam democratic: social movements and the past-Islamic turn. Stanford University Press.
Beal, Y. H. (2013). Exploring the Chinese costume and its influence on the contemporary fashion market. The International Journal of Design in Society,  7(1), 19-28.
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society- towards a new modernity. SAGE.
---------- (2009). World at risk. (ed. U. Beck, Trans. C. Cronin,), Polity Press.
Bicharanlou, A. & Aref, S. (2022). Youth's exposure to policy making toward clothing in Iran. Quarterly of Social Studies and Research in Iran, 11(3), 655-681. doi: 10.22059/jisr.2022.330806.1241. (in Persian)
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Browning, C. S. (2015). Nation branding, national self-esteem, and the constitution of subjectivity in late modernity. Foreign Policy Analysis,  11(2), 195-214.
Cheon, S. (2020). Hanbok enjoys global popularity thanks to Korean Wave. The Dong-A Ilbo. Retrieved from https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20200711/2117077/1/Hanbok-enjoys-global-popularity-thanks-to-Korean-Wave.
Chew, M. (2007). Contemporary re-emergence of the qipao: political nationalism, cultural production, and popular consumption of a traditional Chinese dress. The China Quarterly, 189, 144-161.
Clark, M. (2013). The politics of heritage: Indonesia-Malaysia cultural contestation. Indonesia and the Malay World,  41(121), 396-417.
Dinnie, K. (2008). Nation branding: concepts, issues, practice. Elsevier.
Eagle, L., Dahl, S., Hill, S., Bird, S., Spotswood, F. & Tapp, A. (2013). Social marketing. Pearson Education.
Fahmi, F. Z. (2019). Business networks, social capital and the economic performance of creative and cultural industries: the case of Indonesia. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 60(3), 370-385.
Faludi, J. (2025). Sustainable Fashion, Circularity and Consumer Behavior–Systematic Review and a Social Marketing Research and Policy Agenda. Social Marketing Quarterly, 31(1), 35-59.
Farzaneh, A. & Amirianzadeh. M. (2017). Pathology of the veil from the perspective of male and female students of Fars Islamic University. Scientific Journal Management System, 6(21), 601-624. (in Persian)
Festival De Cannes. (2016). In competition – feature films FORUSHANDE (THE SALESMAN). Retrieved from https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/forushande.
French, J. & Gordon, R. (2019) Strategic social marketing: for behavior and social change. SAGE. 
Games for Changes GF. (2011). The Cat and the Coup. Retrieved from https://www.gamesforchange.org/game/the-cat-and-the-coup/.
Ghanavati, N. (2014). Hijab specialized meeting report; pathology of past policies, looking to the future, report no.2. Center for Presidential Strategic Studies. (in Persian)
Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: self and society in the late modern age. Stanford University Press.
Global Soft Power Index 2021: Japan is top-performing Asian ranking 2nd Overall (2021). Brand Finance. Retrieved from https://brandfinance.com/press-releases/global-soft-power-index-2021-japan-is-top-performing-asian-nation-ranking-2nd-overall.
Gordon, R. (2012). Re-thinking and re-tooling the social marketing mix. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), 20(2), 122-126.
--------- (2013). Unblocking the potential of upstream social marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 47(9), 1527-1547.
Gordon, R., Dibb, S., Magee, C., Cooper, P. & Waitt, G. (2018). Empirically testing the concept of value-in-behavior and its relevance for social marketing. Journal of Business Research, 82(5), 56-67.
Heim, H. (2022). Change of mind: Marketing social justice to the fashion consumer. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 11(2), 102-115.
Hirscher, A., Niinimäki, K. & Jonyer Armstrong, C. M. (2018). Social manufacturing in the fashion sector: new value creation through alternative design strategies? Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4544-4554.
Holliday, S. (2010). Khatami’s Islamist-Iranian discourse of national identity: a discourse of resistance. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies,  37(1), 1-13.
IPRCI (The Islamic Parliament Research Center of Iran). (2005). The strategies for spreading the culture of modesty. Retrieved from https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/101228. (in Persian)
--------- (2007). Law on the organization of fashion and clothing. Retrieved from https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/97869. (in Persian)
Jafari Haftkhani, N. & Mohseni, H. (2020). Factors influencing consumers’ behavior change about national product with social marketing approach (Case: Iran’s men clothing industry). New Marketing Research Journal, 10(1), 39-62. doi: 10.22108/nmrj.2020.118404.1825. (in Persian)
Jahangiri, J. & Moeini, M. (2011). Studying the relationship between social capital and national identity; case of study: Shiraz university students. The Social Sciences Journal, 7(2),  37-64. (in Persian)
Jang, S., & Lee, Y. (2011). Study on wearing fusion hanbok at child’s first birthday party. International Journal of Costume and Fashion, 11(2), 13-24.
Jin, W. (2020). Chaoxianzu’s traditions of dress: an exploration of identity within contemporary fashion contexts (Master of Design thesis, Auckland University of Technology). Tuwhera Open Access . Retrieved from https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10292/13127/JinW2.pdf?sequence=8.
Kalantar, A. A. & Hatami Dehlaghi,, S. (2023). An analytical study on the impact of Safavid and Qajar governments’ cultural policies on the development of women’s clothing. Tourism of Culture, 3(11), 40-53. doi: 10.22034/toc.2023.374694.1103 (in Persian)
Kamarudin, L. M. & Nizam, H. (2013). Islamic tourism: the impacts to Malaysia’s tourism industry. Proceedings of International Conference on Tourism Development (eds. B. Mohamad & A. Bahauddin), Sustainable Tourism Research Cluster, 397-405.
Kennedy, A. (2016). Macro-social marketing. Journal of Macro marketing, 36(3), 354-365.
Kennedy, A., Kemper, J. & Parsons, A. (2018). Upstream social marketing strategy. Journal of Social Marketing, 8(3), 258-279.
Khorshidian, R., Sookhakian, H. Choopankareh, V. Ajdari, A. & Emami, J. (2015). Fashion trends in society: a case study. Media and Culture,  4(2), 73-89. (in Persian)
Kunkunrat, K. (2024). Korean Cultural Diplomacy: Uniting Society Through Soft Power. Best Journal of Administration and Management, 2(3), 157-162.
Lash S.â, & Urry, J. (1994). Economies of signs and space (Vol. 26). SAGE.
Lee J., Ahn, J., Kim, J. & Kho, J. (2018). Co-design education based on the changing designer’s role and changing creativity. International Journal of Art & Design Education,  38(2), 430-444.
Lee, N. R., & Kotler, P. (2011). Social marketing: influencing behaviors for good. SAGE.
Lee, S. S. (2015) Hanbok: timeless fashion tradition. Seul Selection.
Lee, Y. (2017). Fashioning tradition in contemporary Korean fashion. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 4(2), 241-261.
Luca, N. R., Hibbert, S. & McDonald, R. (2019). Understanding behavior change in context: examining the role of midstream social marketing programs. Sociology of Health & Illness, 41(7), 1373-1395.
Medina, I. G., & Vázquez, M. S. (2025). Online shopping for a cause: social marketing in second-hand fashion stores. IROCAMM-International Review Of Communication And Marketing Mix, 8(1), 23-42.
Mohammadipour, M. & Seyed Ahmadi Zavieh, S. S. (2018). The image of modern man: a study on Iranian men’s dress developments in Qajar period. Social History Studies, 8(1), 155- 181. (in Persian)
Movie costume designer: wrong costume design can question the content and concept of the film/lack of attention to detail leads to audience loss (2021). Bornanews. Retrieved from https://www.borna.news/fa/tiny/news-1212781. (in Persian)
Ng, S. (2015).Gendered by design: Qipao and society, 1911-1949. Costume, 49(1), 55-74.
Oscars. (2019). 32 Animated Features Submitted for 2019 OSCAR race. Retrieved from https://www.oscars.org/news/32-animated-features-submitted-2019-oscar-race.
Ostadagha, M. (2007). Cheheltekedouzi in the culture of Iranian people (a case study of the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and Semirom city. The Culture of the Iranian People, 9, 83-100. (in Persian)
Pimenta, G. (2021). Brazilian reminisces about 2nd-place finish in hanbok design contest. Korea.net. Retrieved from https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=200038.
Rafatjah, M. & Fallah Cefidkooh, A. (2019). A comparative study of clothing culture of young girls and boys in two districts of Tehran. Journal of Iranian Social Studies, 13(1), 60-84. (in Persian)
Rahmawati, P. N., & Patrianti, T. (2023). Iwan Tirta’s batik campaign for Indonesian millennials. 1st International Conference on Research in Communication and Media (ICORCOM 2021), (eds. Y. Zhang et al.), Atlantis, 208-211.
Robertson, R. (1995). Globalization: time-space and homogeneity-heterogeneity. Global Modernities, (eds. M., Lash, S. & R. Robertson), SAGE, 25-44.
Roustakhiz, B. , Kazemi, S. & Azarshab, A. (2022). Usage of consumer-centric cultural marketing in the cycle of reproduction of Iranian costumes; Using the East Asian countries’ experiments. Consumer Behavior Studies Journal, 9(1), 1–31. doi: 10.34785/J018.2022.584. (in Persian).
Russsell-Bennett, R., Previte, J. & Zainuddin, N. (2009). Conceptualising value creation for social change management. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ),  17(4), 211–218.
Salehi Amiri, S. R., & Azimi Dolatabadi A. (2008). Fundamentals of cultural policy and planning. The Expediency Discernment Council of the System, Center for Strategic Research. (in Persian)
Salimi, N. (2025). Analyzing the reasons for the failure of hijab policies using the grounded theory method. Strategic Studies of Culture, 5(2), 37-83. doi: 10.22083/scsj.2025.472728.1200. (in Persian)
Salimi, N. & Aalami, Z. (2024). Identifying strategies to improve hijab policies in accordance with the causes of inefficiency of hijab policy in Iran. Gender and Family Studies, 12(1), 113-150. (in Persian)
Sharei, Z., Ebrahimi, S. A. Damghanian, H. & Zare, A. (2020). Providing a branding model for elite and top-talented people with the grounded theory approach. Management Researches,  12(46), 171–198. (in Persian)
Saricam, C. & Okur, N. (2025). The role of social marketing on promoting sustainable fashion consumption. Changing Textile and Apparel Consumption in Transformative Era of Sustainability and Digitalization Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 113-162.
Shi, X. (2024). “Madame Wellington Koo”: a diplomatic wife and a Peranakan representing and socializing for Republican China. International Journal of Asian Studies, 21(1), 109-127.
Song, M. S. (2023). Celebrity fashion and fan consumption: BTS “Jungkook Hanbok”. Introducing Korean Popular Culture. (ed. Y. Kim), Routledge, 53-61.
So-Yeon, Y. (2021). Hanbok rides the Hallyu Wave with modern reinterpretations. Korea Joong Ang Daily. Retrieved from https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/04/20/culture/lifeStyle/hanbok-Kpop-DDP/20210420160800345.html.
Stead, M., Arnott, L. & Dempsey, E. (2013). Healthy heroes, magic meals, and a visiting alien: community-led assets-based social marketing. Social Marketing Quarterly, 19(1),  26-39.
Students wearing local clothes at school (2019). IRIB News Agency. Retrieved from https://www.iribnews.ir/009yaN. (in Persian)
Su, W. (2019). Study on the inheritance and cultural creation of Manchu Qipao culture. Proceeding of the 3rd International Conference on Art Studies: Science Experience, Education (ICASSEE 2019), (eds. Y., Zhang et al.), Atlantis Press, 208-211.
Talebi Dalir, M. & Razavi Tusi, S. M. (2013). Belief in hijab and the attitudes related to it. The Women and Families Cultural-Educational Journal, 7(23), 71-105. (in Persian)
Talebi, B., & Karimi, F. (2020). Explain student girls’ perception of how to wear veils in schools where the tents are mandatory. Journal of Woman & Society,  11(1), 111-128. (in Persian)
Tapp, A. & Spotswood, F. (2013). From the 4Ps to COM-SM: reconfiguring the social marketing mix. Journal of Social Marketing, 3(3), 206-222.
Tomlinson, J. (2006). Globalization and cultural analysis. Globalization Theory: Approaches and Controversies, (eds. D. Held & A. McGrew), Polity Press, 148-168.
UNESCO. (2009). Decisions of the intergovernmental committee: 4. com 13:44. Retrieved from https://ich.unesco.org/en/decisions/4.COM/13.44.
Valk, J. (2017). From duty to fashion: the changing role of the kimono in the twenty-first century. Fashion Theory,  22(3), 309-340.
--------- (2018). Survival or success? The kimono retail industry in contemporary Japan  (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Oxford). Oxford University Research Archive. Retrieved from https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:80d0a41f-fdf0-41a8-a7cd-16c3b1f07845.
---------- (2020a). The alienating inalienable: rethinking Annette Weiner’s concept of inalienable wealth through Japan’s ‘sleeping kimono.’ HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, 10(1), 147-165.
--------- (2020b). The smell of Shōwa: time, materiality and regimes of value in Japan’s second-hand kimono industry. Journal of Material Culture,  25(2), 240-256.
Verma, S. (2021). 6 Popular fashion trends influenced by Hallyu. Korea. net. Retrieved from https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=200061.
Whan-woo, Y. (2020). Indonesian embassy runs sales campaign for batik items. The Korea Times. Retrieved from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/12/176_300301.html.
Wong, K. (Director). (2000). In the Mood for Love [Film]. Jet Tone Production & Paradis Films.
Wood, M. (2016). Midstream social marketing and the co-creation of public services. Journal of Social Marketing, 6(3), 277- 293.
Yousefifar, S. & Jangjou Gholenji, S. (2020). Change in the traditional pattern of Tehran women outerwear since the constitutional period to Reza Shah period. The International Journal of Humanities, 27(2), 1–12. (in Persian)
Zaheri Birgani, A. (2024). Please do not hurt the feelings of millions of Bakhtiari people! Shushan. Retrieved from https://shooshan.ir/0004Di. (in Persian)
Zare, M. & Shadghazvini, P. (2020). Study of Iranian identity in designing women’s clothing in Iran (studied the works of Fajr International Fashion and Clothing Festivals from 2011 to 1395). Journal of Cultural Studies Communication, 15(57), 221-250. (in Persian)
Zeinolabedin, S. (2019). Minister of Culture: the field of fashion and clothing needs a supportive view, especially in the Private Sector. IRNA. Retrieved from www.irna.ir/news/83406316/83406316. (in Persian)
Zeng, Y. (2011). Chinese influence on Western women’s dress in American Vogue magazine, 1960-2009 (Doctoral dissertation, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College). LSU Scholarly Repository. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=4734&context=gradschool_dissertations .
 
Volume 6, Issue 2
October 2025
  • Receive Date: 04 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 24 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 06 October 2025
  • First Publish Date: 06 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 01 October 2025