29-Jul-2010
The advertising industry gets its largest share of business from religious organizations. This thriving relationship has just got a boost with the government authorities declaring June 22 as ‘Religious advertising day’.
The significance of June 22 is that the Islamic Propagation Organization, a religious institution in Iran, was established under the instruction of the late Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution. Following the decree by Imam Khomeini, the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) described the status of the organization as a public non-governmental establishment. The Islamic Propagation Organization has set up branch offices in all provinces and towns for cultural and religious propagation.
Among the biggest spenders in advertising are Howzeh- ye Elmiyeh Qom, Iran’s largest religious university; and Astan Qods Razavi, a printing facility in the city of Meshed equipped to print 5 million copies of the Quran, annually. Based on figures released by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, religious books take away the biggest chunk of publishing budget compared to the books with non-religious content.