Bangladesh’s creative economy can only flourish if the advertising industry embraces a stronger digital-first approach, understands evolving audience perspectives and channels the zeal of young people into brand-building, the country’s advertising pioneer Asif Akbar Khan said at a mentoring session in Dhaka.
“Our digital medium-based work needs to be far more dedicated and extensive. If we want the advertising industry’s creative economy to thrive, we must understand our audiences’ perspectives, reinterpret beauty, and recognise the rebellion and zeal of young people, and translate those insights into our advertising,” said Asif Akbar Khan, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Anonymea.
The remarks came during the 14th edition of Copyshop’s signature mentoring series, Copykolorob, where Khan delivered a keynote session titled Brand Generative Ideas.
Drawing on nearly 25 years of experience in Bangladesh’s advertising industry, Asif Akbar Khan shared his “Brand Generative Idea” theory, arguing that enduring brands are built through idea-led thinking rather than conventional campaign execution. The three-hour session combined practical insights, humour and discussions on the future of creativity in branding.
The event brought together founders, creative directors, brand managers, clients, young advertising professionals, journalists, educators and communication experts, creating a platform for discussions on contemporary creative communication.
The programme began with an interactive brain-training session conducted by Farhad Haque, founder of Brain Forward Bangladesh (BFB), introducing participants to techniques aimed at enhancing creative thinking and cognitive performance.
Among the distinguished guests were Tanvir Hossain, CEO of Sun Communications; Taufiq Mahmud, Executive Creative Director of Mediacom; Indraneel Chattopadhyay, Chief Marketing Officer of BRAC Bank; and Sania Mahmood, faculty member at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka.
Reflecting on the initiative, Mushfiqur Rahman Pavel, curator of Copyshop and founder of Dhaka Advertising School (DAdS), stressed the importance of continuous learning in developing Bangladesh’s creative economy.
“Creative skills must be sharpened consistently to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. Through Copykolorob’s mentoring sessions and the industry-led training programmes at Dhaka Advertising School, we are building a stronger, future-ready creative workforce for Bangladesh,” he said.
Copykolorob is Copyshop’s ongoing mentoring initiative that connects experienced industry leaders with emerging creative talent through knowledge-sharing sessions on advertising, branding, storytelling and creative communication. Together with Dhaka Advertising School, the initiative aims to strengthen Bangladesh’s creative ecosystem through practical learning, mentorship and industry collaboration.
