27 Oct 2026
Marketing and advertising in Uzbekistan cannot yet be called systematic: the industry is at the stage of systematisation and deep transformation, and the private and public sectors are developing at different speeds.
Barnogul Sanaqulova is a Doctor of Economics and a Professor. On why marketing and advertising in Uzbekistan have not yet become a system, but are already at the stage of systematisation and deep transformation.
It is difficult to give a definitive final assessment of the current state of marketing and advertising in Uzbekistan’s market. The industry is going through a stage of continuous transformation. For the assessment to be objective, in my view, the level of development, effectiveness and goals of the private and public sectors should be considered separately, since they differ sharply.
In the private sector, fierce competition means marketing is developing many times faster and more successfully than in the public sector. “Survival mode” makes itself felt, and the level of systematisation varies sharply depending on company size and industry. In the segment of large multinational companies — FMCG, retail, telecom, banking and fintech — marketing is fully systematised: these companies work on the basis of market segmentation, consumer behaviour research, product value creation, calculation of lost and retained benefits, ROI and ROMI indicators, as well as digital marketing and neuromarketing.
In small business, marketing develops through random tactics, schemes, algorithms or scripts picked up at training sessions. Most people understand marketing only as targeted advertising and posting on Instagram and Telegram. At the same time, there is no strategic thinking, and the stages of product manufacturing, forming its cost and added value, distribution and organising the sales funnel are not integrated with one another as a single whole. The absence of a working, clear KPI system leads these companies to view marketing not as an investment but as a “forced expense, an overhead”. As a result, the industry has many players who have entered it only temporarily.
In my view, because ROI and ROMI metrics are unclear, the private sector still sees marketing not as a revenue-generating capital investment but simply as a mandatory expense item.
In the public sector and at enterprises with state participation (monopolies, state banks and large industrial giants), the situation is somewhat different. In practice, marketing is confused with the press office: it is conflated with PR and public relations services. All resources are directed not at studying consumer needs and improving the quality of the product or service, but at informing the public or creating a positive image.
Since natural and artificial monopolies persist in a number of industries, the motivation to promote a product or service on the market through marketing and to compete for the customer disappears. When the customer has no alternative, systematic marketing stops developing. At the same time, thanks to proper privatisation in recent years, an institutional approach to marketing has begun to take shape at state banks and a number of large enterprises, especially in the banking sector.
In my view, the problems of development have fundamental economic and institutional causes.
The “rules of the game” in the industry cannot be called fully transparent, but it must be acknowledged that the recent streamlining of the regulatory and legal framework has begun to have a noticeable positive effect.
The new Law “On Advertising” differs from the version adopted in 2022: the amendments have resolved many uncertainties for market participants. Clearer restrictions have been introduced on digital advertising (blogging, social media), hidden advertising, and the advertising of natural and medical products. The Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights, as a state body, has tightened control over unfair competition, false advertising and promotions that mislead consumers.
However, the fact remains: influencer marketing (bloggers) and a significant part of the freelance market operate in the shadow economy and still settle payments in cash or via P2P transfers. This creates an uneven playing field for official agencies. As a result, an agency that is a conscientious taxpayer (paying VAT and profit tax) still loses out to cheaper shadow providers.
In addition, the rules of the game regarding information openness and ratings are unclear and opaque, which prevents the formation of a fully independent, unified standard of media measurement (TV rating, Radio rating, Digital measurement). The situation is further complicated by the fact that the pricing algorithms of large media sellers and monopoly platforms on the market are not always transparent.
Another serious problem is public procurement tenders and the conflicts associated with them. Terms of reference in marketing and PR tenders announced by state enterprises and the large quasi-state sector are written for a specific “in-house” contractor, or the criteria for selecting the winner are set within vague requirements understood only by the clients themselves. Here it is important that the rules of the game be built on clear principles and be equally understandable to any market player.
It is also worth reflecting on the fact that the dialogue between the state and participants in the marketing business is “passive and reactive” in nature. Today the state steps in only after a problem or violation has occurred. It needs to think seriously about developing the industry in advance, proactively and together with business. After all, no one knows better than the owners and players of the industry itself where trends are heading.
Marketing technologies are developing very rapidly: AI, algorithms, targeting and the number of bloggers are all growing. If, at such a time, the state’s regulatory mechanism acts slowly, and restrictions and legislative changes are introduced without in-depth discussion with business participants, this may later create difficulties in practice. And this creates the conditions for business to move into the shadows: the state itself, willingly or unwillingly, pushes it towards illegal activity.
That is why in developed countries the rules of the game and codes of ethics are drafted, put up for discussion and adopted not by government bodies but by marketing and advertising associations. Yes, in Uzbekistan structures such as the marketing association may well be active, but their leverage over legislation and government decisions (lobbying power) is seriously limited, and such influence tends to be exercised at the level of personal connections.
In recent years, corporate social responsibility has become more visible, but its depth and nature vary across industries.
In the banking and financial sector, at large corporations, leading commercial banks and major manufacturers, systematic programmes have been launched to support education, the environment, digital literacy and sport. These include, for example, financial literacy projects or green initiatives.
In medium-sized and small businesses, social responsibility remains at the level of one-off campaigns (for example, charity events during Navruz or Ramadan) or a marketing show. A strategic approach has not yet sufficiently taken shape here. Companies often use social responsibility not as a deep value but as a quick tool for boosting sales. This breeds scepticism in society. Generation Z and active young people quickly recognise companies’ true intentions.
From the standpoint of modern marketing, genuine social responsibility is not slogans or statements on posters, but a value built into the business model itself. Modern business must be accountable not only for one indicator — profit — but also for two more pillars: the well-being of employees, customers and the local community, and the reduction of negative environmental impact and the rational use of resources.
In the transition from “Greenwashing” to genuine “Impact”, responsibility means not simply sticking on an “eco-friendly” label, but ensuring that the product does no harm to nature or society throughout its entire Lifecycle. Then social responsibility works not as an expense but as a tool for managing risk and increasing brand value: resource savings reduce production costs, and consumers take the product’s positive social impact into account when choosing it.
Some advanced IT companies and manufacturers are opening free training centres, grants and internship programmes for their employees and local young people. This not only eases the problem of unemployment in society but also builds a pool of highly qualified personnel for the company itself.
Socially responsible marketing is not charity, but a strategy for long-term economic survival.
If a business chases short-term high margins and turns a blind eye to social and environmental problems, tomorrow it will lose consumer trust and face tough sanctions from regulators. That is why entrepreneurs and marketers should treat social responsibility not as an “expense” on the last line of the budget, but as the core of the company’s fundamental business strategy and its competitive advantage.
Rather than blindly copying the standards of developed countries (the USA, Europe, China), Uzbekistan can offer the global market unique concepts and strategies — for example, a new model of halal and ethno-marketing. Such a model can combine Islamic finance, halal standards and national values with modern digital marketing. Drawing on its rich history and cultural heritage, it would allow Uzbekistan to offer the multi-billion-dollar market of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which is increasingly halal-oriented, a model of authenticity and ethno-branding. In any case, there are few players in this market.
Uzbekistan’s strength lies not in blindly copying ready-made international standards, but in its ability to combine its own cultural code, agro-industrial potential, a base of fast-adapting young talent, and ethnic and halal values with modern technology. At the current stage, what prevails is not full “autonomy” (independence) but the localisation (adaptation) of global experience.
To sum up, I cannot say that marketing and advertising in Uzbekistan “work systematically”, but I can say that the field is “at the stage of systematisation and deep transformation”.
We will be able to say that a system exists on the day when, as competition intensifies, marketing in the private sector turns from a sales tool into a driver of business strategy. In the public sector, a system will emerge when marketing rises above the level of operational PR and information dissemination and begins to take citizens’ needs and behaviour into account.
In today’s era of technological possibilities, any topic can be discussed on a platform of any level — there are no limits.