Isolation to integration: How lifting Syria sanctions will reboot digital marketing

Campaign ME

21-05-2025

Despite fourteen years of crippling sanctions, marketers in Syria have built ingenious workarounds using Facebook groups, Telegram channels, and encrypted chats — to keep commerce alive.
On May 13, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the lifting of all US sanctions on Syria, signaling a seismic shift: brands and agencies can finally deploy paid ads, leverage global analytics platforms, and reconnect Syria to the SWIFT banking system.
his article outlines the immediate implications for digital marketing in Syria—restored ad buying, universal analytics, streamlined payments — and provides a three-phase playbook for agencies and in-market brands to seize this historic moment.
Get your tickets to the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Marketing Strategies 2025 on May 29, where top industry leaders will gather to unpack game-changing practices within the world of marketing.
Restoring paid media: Rebirth of digital campaigns in Syria
For over a decade, Meta, Google, and LinkedIn ad accounts in Syria were effectively blacklisted. Marketers relied on organic Facebook posts, peer-to-peer Telegram broadcasts, and manual tracking. Now, with sanctions lifted, Syrian businesses can:
Reopen Meta and Google ads : Targeted campaigns using lookalike audiences and interest segments become possible again.
: Targeted campaigns using lookalike audiences and interest segments become possible again. Leverage LinkedIn ads : B2B firms can run account-based marketing campaigns to reach regional and international buyers.
: B2B firms can run account-based marketing campaigns to reach regional and international buyers. Activate programmatic DSPs: DSPs like The Trade Desk can now bid on Syrian IPs, unlocking display and video inventory across the open web.
Universal analytics and measurement: From manual to automated
Without Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, Syrian marketers built bespoke UTM-based spreadsheets and used local tools for basic click counts. The sanctions lift enables:
Google Analytics 4 and Facebook Pixel : Full-funnel tracking, event measurement, and conversion modeling.
: Full-funnel tracking, event measurement, and conversion modeling. Multi-touch attribution : Agencies can now deploy Data-Driven Attribution models to optimize bidding and creative in real time.
: Agencies can now deploy Data-Driven Attribution models to optimize bidding and creative in real time. Standardised reporting: Clients will demand dashboards built on universal metrics — sessions, bounce rates, ROAS — boosting agency credibility.
Banking reintegration: Fluid ad spend and payments
Reconnection to SWIFT is the final piece of the marketing puzzle. Previously, ad payments required complex workarounds—third-party intermediaries, cryptocurrency, or reliance on a handful of regional partners. Post-sanctions:
Direct billing : Agencies can fund ad accounts with corporate credit cards and bank transfers, eliminating payment delays.
: Agencies can fund ad accounts with corporate credit cards and bank transfers, eliminating payment delays. Digital wallets and e-payments : Integration with STC Pay, Apple Pay, and emerging fintech solutions will streamline in-app purchases and subscription billing.
: Integration with STC Pay, Apple Pay, and emerging fintech solutions will streamline in-app purchases and subscription billing. Expanded media buys: With formal banking, larger campaign budgets (SAR 50k+) can be processed, enabling scale for national brand launches.
A three-phase go-to-market playbook
To capitalise on this transition, agencies should adopt a structured approach:
Phase 1 – Quick wins (0–2 months)
Pilot paid campaigns : Allocate a modest budget (SAR 5–10 k) to test key segments on Facebook and Google.
: Allocate a modest budget (SAR 5–10 k) to test key segments on Facebook and Google. Re-establish presence: Use 'Welcome Back Syria' creative to earn earned media and social shares.
Phase 2 – Expansion and retargeting (2–4 months)
Retarget website visitors : Deploy dynamic retargeting for cart abandoners using new analytics.
: Deploy dynamic retargeting for cart abandoners using new analytics. Email drip campaigns: Leverage Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign to nurture leads captured through paid ads.
Phase 3 – Localisation and narrative (4+ months)
Localised storytelling : Partner with local influencers and media to craft narratives around reconstruction and renewal.
: Partner with local influencers and media to craft narratives around reconstruction and renewal. Cross-platform integration: Sync campaigns across social, search, and DSP for cohesive omnichannel journeys.
Risks and mitigations
While the reopening is promising, marketers must navigate:
Currency volatility : Black-market exchange rates may persist; build buffer budgets.
: Black-market exchange rates may persist; build buffer budgets. Regulatory flux : Track new guidance from U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on permissible transactions.
: Track new guidance from U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on permissible transactions. Trust rebuilding: Consumers may be wary; lead with transparent messaging and verified offers.
Conclusion: Seizing Syria's second start
Syria's re-entry into the global financial and digital ecosystem is more than a political milestone—it's a marketer's opportunity.
By quickly relaunching paid channels, adopting universal analytics, and integrating formal banking, brands can leapfrog from ad-hoc workarounds to world-class campaigns.
In a market primed for growth, the first movers will define the post-sanctions era.
By Alber Makhoul, Founder and Principal, Sawad Consultation Group