What ISMA | انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران does

ISMA (Iranian Scientific Marketing Association / انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران) is a Tehran-based, non-profit scientific association founded in 2011/2012 (Persian year 1390) and officially recognized by Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. Operating as a member-governed professional body rather than a technology company, ISMA delivers the only nationally authorized marketing qualification exam in Iran, runs an annual cycle of online and in-person marketing training courses, hosts the International Industrial B2B Marketing Conference (now in its third edition, indexed in ISC), and maintains a quarterly newsletter plus a podcast and webinar series. Its service portfolio spans individual and corporate membership, exam certification, fee-based training, conference registration, and academic publishing partnerships. ISMA reports approximately 10 employees, with governance exercised by an academic board chaired by Dr. Hossein Vazifeh Dust (also a Full Professor at the University of Tehran), and works through a 16-branch provincial network that covers most major Iranian economic regions.

The association's revenue mechanics are diversified across four streams: recurring annual membership subscriptions (corporate legal-entity membership entry fee of 30 million Rials / 3 million Tomans and renewal at 20 million Rials / 2 million Tomans); one-time conference registration tiers (ranging from 690,000 Tomans for virtual attendance only to 2,090,000 Tomans for in-person attendance with article publication, with a 25% member discount); one-time training course fees (e.g., Article Writing at 740,000–860,000 Tomans, Negotiation in Sales at 800,000 Tomans with a 40% member discount); and qualification exam registration fees. Distribution is hybrid: a self-service online portal for enrollment and registration, plus regional branch offices that handle localized acquisition, in-person training, and member relations. Institutional partnerships anchor commercial reach, including leadership of the Marketing and Advertising Commission of ICC Iran, MOUs with the Supreme Confederation of Employers of Iran, the Insurance Guild of Iran, and Taavon Cooperative Insurance, plus academic ties to University of Tehran, Allameh Tabatabaii University, Islamic Azad University, Shahid Beheshti University, and indexing through Civilica and the University Press Center.

ISMA does not operate as a technology platform, has no disclosed API or software product, and does not employ proprietary technology infrastructure. Its competitive position is built on regulatory authorization (the only sanctioned body for marketing qualification exams), brand authority as the national marketing scientific body, and a deep community ecosystem spanning academics, practitioners, students, and B2B firms. While event- and community-driven go-to-market motion is well-suited to a domestic non-profit, the organization's modest headcount, narrow geographic base (Iran-only), and very small per-transaction pricing indicate limited commercial scale at present.

Name

ISMA | انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران

Legal name

انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران

Website

https://isma.org.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISMA (Iranian Scientific Marketing Association) is a Tehran-based, non-profit scientific association that runs Iran's only nationally authorized marketing qualification exam, delivers training courses and webinars, and hosts the country's largest B2B marketing conference. It serves marketing academics, practitioners, students, and B2B companies through 16 provincial branches and a member-driven model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accounting & Finance Certification Prep (CPA, CMA, CFA, FRM) (EDANAIAD), Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Marketing professional certification
• Professional association services
• Marketing training programs
• Industrial marketing conferences
• Scientific marketing publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ISMA generates revenue through annual membership fees from individual (real person) and corporate (legal entity) members. Corporate membership entry fee is 30 million Rials (3 million Tomans) and renewal is 20 million Rials (2 million Tomans).
2. Conference Registration Fees: The association charges registration fees for its international conferences. For the Third International Industrial Marketing Conference (B2B), fees range from 690,000 Tomans (virtual attendance only) to 2,090,000 Tomans (in-person attendance with article publication), with tiered pricing for additional articles and virtual options. Members receive 25% discounts.
3. Training Course Fees: ISMA charges fees for online training courses such as Article Writing and Negotiation in Sales, with member discounts. Example: Article Writing course priced at 740,000 Tomans for members and 860,000 Tomans for non-members.
4. Qualification Exam Fees: ISMA conducts annual marketing qualification exams and issues certificates to successful candidates, generating revenue through examination registration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ISMA (Iranian Scientific Marketing Association) is a non-profit scientific professional association that administers the national Marketing Qualification Exam, delivers marketing training courses and workshops (online and in-person), and organizes the annual International Industrial B2B Marketing Conference with ISC-indexed proceedings. It also issues publications (newsletters, podcasts, scientific papers) and operates a nationwide network of 16 provincial branches across Iran, serving marketing professionals, academics, students, and industrial B2B companies.

Product overview

ISMA (Iranian Scientific Marketing Association / انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران) is a scientific professional association, not a software product company. Its offering consists of a portfolio of professional and educational services: (1) the Marketing Qualification Exam — an annual nationally administered certification exam; (2) Training Courses and Workshops — online and in-person marketing education programs for individuals and organizations; (3) the International Industrial B2B Marketing Conference — a major annual conference with paper presentations, workshops, and networking; (4) Specialized Webinars — live online seminars on topics such as digital marketing and crisis marketing; (5) Scientific Publications including papers, books, and a quarterly newsletter; (6) a Marketing Podcast featuring interviews with leading professors; (7) Membership Services for individual and corporate members with verification and certificate inquiry; and (8) a network of over 15 provincial branches across Iran. These services are primarily delivered through the association's website and do not constitute a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing Qualification Exam (آزمون تایید صلاحیت بازاریابی)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered moderate, core and minor.

• Shahid Beheshti University FabLabmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025On May 15, 2025, ISMA President Dr. Hossein Vazifeh Dust visited the FabLab of Shahid Beheshti University's Faculty of Aerospace Technologies. Both parties agreed to sign an MOU for future collaboration, leveraging student talent and university expertise.
• Sazman Modiriate Sanati (Industrial Management Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Industrial Management Organization (Sazman Modiriate Sanati) is a co-organizer of the Third International Industrial Marketing Conference. This partnership has been active since the first edition of the conference in 2021. The organization provides institutional support and industry engagement for ISMA's flagship B2B conference.
• University of TehranmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ISMA maintains academic partnerships with University of Tehran, Allameh Tabatabaii University, Islamic Azad University (Science and Research Branch), and other universities for research collaboration, conference co-organization, and academic publishing.
• University Press Center (مرکز نشر دانشگاهی)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Following an MOU signed between Iran's Scientific Associations Commission and the University Press Center, ISMA members (in associations with Grade A or B ranking) can publish their academic books through this prestigious academic publisher. This enables ISMA members to disseminate marketing knowledge through a nationally recognized publishing channel.
• Civilica (پایگاه اطلاعات پژوهشی سیویلیکا)moderateTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Civilica indexes and publishes conference proceedings for the Third International Industrial Marketing Conference. This ensures papers are discoverable through Iran's leading research database platform.
• ICC Iran (Iranian Committee of International Chamber of Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ISMA leads the Marketing and Advertising Commission of ICC Iran. The two organizations jointly organize sessions, publish the ICC Iran Quarterly Journal, and collaborate on international trade marketing initiatives. ISMA's president, Dr. Hossein Vazifeh Dust, serves as the Chair of the ICC Iran Marketing and Advertising Commission.
• Joint Iran-Spain Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024ISMA and the Iran-Spain Joint Chamber of Commerce hold joint sessions on marketing and advertising, particularly focused on international trade promotion and B2B marketing between Iranian and Spanish businesses.
• Supreme Confederation of Employers of Iran (کانون عالی کارفرمایی ایران)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ISMA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Supreme Confederation of Employers of Iran on October 4, 2023, for joint organization of training courses and seminars. The partnership aims to bridge the gap between marketing academia and the employer/industry community.
• Insurance Guild of Iran (سندیکای بیمه‌گران ایران)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023On May 31, 2023 (Khordad 1402), ISMA and the Insurance Guild of Iran signed an MOU for joint training programs and seminar organization, led by ISMA President Dr. Hossein Vazifeh Dust and Guild Secretary General Dr. Seyed Mohammad Karimi.
• Taavon Cooperative Insurance (بیمه تعاون)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023On May 31, 2023 (Khordad 1402), ISMA signed an MOU with Taavon Cooperative Insurance for joint training programs and seminars. The agreement was signed between ISMA President Dr. Hossein Vazifeh Dust and CEO Dr. Younes Mazloumian.
• Iranian Scientific Associations Council (شورای انجمن‌های علمی ایران)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ISMA is affiliated with the Iranian Scientific Associations Council (CISA), which oversees scientific associations in Iran. CISA sets standards, organizes annual meetings, and provides institutional support to member associations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Korea Marketing Association (KMA): South Korea's national marketing association providing certification, conferences and academic-industry bridging — comparable peer in another non-Western market with similar maturity in the discipline.
• Marketing Association of Australia and New Zealand: Australia/NZ regional marketing membership body running qualification programs and industry events, broadly comparable to ISMA's training and certification mix in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Digital Marketing Institute (DMI): Globally-recognized digital marketing certification provider. Competes with ISMA's digital marketing training courses and webinars, but focuses solely on digital credentials rather than broader marketing.

Broad incumbents

• European Marketing Confederation (EMC): Umbrella body representing national marketing associations across Europe. Comparable in scope to ISMA's federated 16-branch model and its ICC Iran federation role.
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA): U.S. advertising industry association with broader industry remit. Comparable to ISMA's leadership of the ICC Iran Marketing & Advertising Commission in scope of industry representation.

Others

• Iranian Scientific Associations Council (CISA): Umbrella body that oversees Iran's scientific associations including ISMA. ISMA is a member/affiliate, making CISA a direct institutional peer and governing counterpart.
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): Global business organization with national committees — ISMA is the chair of ICC Iran's Marketing & Advertising Commission. ICC is an ecosystem counterpart rather than direct competitor but highly relevant to ISMA's institutional positioning.

Direct peers

• Canadian Marketing Association (CMA): Canada's national marketing association delivering certification, member events, training and industry standards. Operates a near-identical model to ISMA at a country level.
• American Marketing Association (AMA): The U.S. national professional association for marketers, offering membership, certification, conferences, training and academic publishing — directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue model to ISMA's operations in Iran.
• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM): The UK's leading professional marketing body, awarding professional qualifications and running industry events. Closely mirrors ISMA's combination of qualification exams, training, conferences and membership tiers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ismairan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isma-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%A8%DB%8C-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ISMA | انجمن علمی بازاریابی ایران