Business environment in Türkiye
Türkiye (called Turkey before 2023) has a vibrant and young population full of potential and open to new businesses and investments.
Istanbul, Türkiye | Photo by Osman Köycü on Unsplash
Having territories both in Europe and Asia, Türkiye has the roots of both cultures, geographies and has a mixed energy where both the East and the West identities coexist. With its dynamic business environment, the country is suitable for fast-paced, flexible and divergent companies to work in this environment where they can find possibilities, potential and both skilled and unskilled labor.
Türkiye has a young population, having 46% of its 85 million people in the 18-44 age group. Both Turkish consumers and producers are younger than the European average and that creates a faster, more digitalized and more dynamic business environment.
Media, Communications and PR environment in Türkiye
Sustainability: Just like in many other markets, content is king in Türkiye , as well, but to truly appeal to the hearts and minds of Turkish people content has to be authentic and it has to include a story. Sustainability, social responsibility projects and digitalization are on the rise in the public agenda in Türkiye and companies must have a narrative touching these areas if they want to connect successfully with the new generation. Brands are expected to make sincere contributions to social responsibility, sustainability and society overall.
Storytelling and new media: Storytelling is also a critical component of communication as Turkish consumers want to be part of the story and engage. In Türkiye, LinkedIn has become a powerful tool for professionals and businesses to position themselves as industry and opinion leaders. News coverage in the media becomes a tool for those who effectively use their own channels. Brands succeed in making their news more effective through LinkedIn, YouTube and podcast channels.
Digitalization and AI: Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence are also rising in Türkiye. As the influence of digitalization and social media platforms grows, communication methods that efficiently reach stakeholders of companies are also transforming. Those who can quickly and effectively integrate new technologies into their communication processes can stand out in the competition.
Crisis Communication: One of the most important components of a successful PR and communications toolkit in Türkiye is crisis management. In the age of social media, crisis planning has become even more critical. Awareness is now increasing among companies and brands that they need crisis communications planned and in place before a crisis occurs and that they need to be prepared for all possible scenarios. The widespread use of social media in Türkiye means that brands can face a new communications crisis almost every day.
Key expertise of Aristo Communications
Aristo Communications offers its clients PR & media communications, corporate communications, reputation and risk management, and social media communications. Aristo’s expertise can be defined in three core business divisions:
PR & Digital PR: With a 360-degree approach, Aristo prepares monthly and annual media plans, strategic plans and moves, C-level communication, risk analysis and preparations for risks, creative content planning and strategic plans targeting coverage at online and broadcast media.
Social Media Management: In Türkiye, journalists started digital broadcasts and publications without much central supervision and influence from their media companies, which makes their work more creative, independent and intriguing. At Aristo, we work very closely with these new media producers, journalists in the digital media and influencers in the online and social media. News today appears in much more comprehensive and diversified forms on written, visual, and digital channels than before. Digital communications and social media expertise, influencer communications and video content have been added to our new areas of responsibility and expertise and we embrace them all with professionalism.
Content Creation: At Aristo, we know that content is still king for effective media relations management. We offer creative, data-driven, and personalized content, tailored by detailed analysis of the target audience and the expectations of the press, and therefore offer the relevant content for relevant firms and target audiences. The art of telling a story in the most effective and creative ways is our signature capability.
Top 3 advice for foreign companies to navigate the media and communications environment in Türkiye
The Turkish media market is vibrant, strong and influential having both long-standing, mainstream media outlets, as well as an emerging new media involving social media platforms, podcasts, influencers, virtual reality marketing tools.
The country boasts a diverse media landscape, with a wide array of local and international news outlets. The national media outlets have a great presence while local press is very strong, respected, and rooted in local communities with coverage of local issues and news. In both national and local media, journalists always look for the industrial, financial, political, or socio-cultural impact on Türkiye or Turkish society when covering international or local stories. Also, when targeting Turkish media, it is always essential to follow Türkiye’s agenda closely, which can change very rapidly.
Most influential media for consumer communications in Türkiye
Turkish national TV channels as well as digital and social media are the most suitable channels for consumer communications. TV watching is very common among consumer-age women, and the use of the internet is widespread across almost all age groups. Türkiye was home to 57.50 million social media users in 2024, or 66.8% of the total population, according to Datareportal. Both macro and micro influencers must be on the radar for all companies and marketing professionals in the next years, while streaming platforms will be gaining more credit and TV shows and programs will keep their strong presence in Türkiye’s media.
Most influential media for corporate communications in Türkiye
Magazines and TV news channels are the best options to communicate with the Turkish corporate communications audience. Mainstream newspapers such as Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Dünya, Nasıl Bir Ekonomi and independent weekly newspaper Gazete Oksijen are the best channels for corporate communications; while CEO-level communication can be best positioned at national TV channels such as CNNTurk, HaberTürk, Bloomberg HT and NTV. Many influential and deeply rooted magazines such as Para, Capital, Marketing Türkiye and Fast Company are also good channels to represent a company’s corporate communications and messages.
Most popular social media channels in Türkiye
- YouTube: 57.5 million users
- Instagram: 57.1 million users
- TikTok: 37.7 million users
- Facebook: 34.4 million users
- X: 20.7 million users
- LinkedIn: 16 million users
- Facebook Messenger: 15.4 million users
- Snapchat: 15 million users
Most important international events in Türkiye
Brandweek Istanbul is one of the most important events for all brands and companies in Türkiye. Organized by Kapital Medya, Brandweek Istanbul is recognized as the largest brand and business festival in the EMEA region. The event, where local and global firms come together, sheds light on trends with inspiring speakers, workshops, academic seminars, brand launches, award ceremonies, and exhibitions. Speakers of the 2024 event included Nobel-prize winning economist and MIT professor Daron Acemoğlu and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu among others. https://brandweekistanbul.com/en/
Uludağ Economic Summit (UEZ) is Türkiye’s most significant gathering for the business and economic arena. Organized every year since 2012 by Capital, Ekonomist, and Start Up magazines, the summit brings together valuable speakers and business people from around the world and Türkiye. The theme of the 2025 event (on April 17-20) “Changing Global Facts and The Future 5.0” https://uludagekonomizirvesi.org/
Istanbul Marathon is another important event as it also attracts active runners from all over the world. Witnessing increasing participation over the years, Istanbul Marathon is organized annually by the City of Istanbul. Originally started as Asia-Europe Run, its name changed later to Intercontinental Eurasia Marathon. In 2013, the name of the marathon was changed again, to Istanbul Marathon, with the aim of promoting the city and its brand. The 47th Istanbul Marathon, the world’s only intercontinental Marathon run, will be held on November 2, 2025. https://maraton.istanbul/