‘Women to Watch: Women Who Make a Difference’ ceremony was held at Swissotel The Bosphorus, Istanbul.
Arzu Ünal’s career as a tour guide, which enabled her to get to know and discover all of Turkey during her years as a student, turned into her present career after Iraq invaded Kuwait.
Arzu Ünal, Y&R Istanbul, Agency President
Arzu Ünal stood at a critical crossroads about 10 years ago. Serdar Erener, the creative director and president of Y&R agency, where Ünal was vice president, was leaving his job. She had to make a choice and decide whether or not to leave with him. “I didn’t leave with Serdar, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had I left?” she says when describing those days. Today, Ünal is the CEO of Y&R Istanbul, an executive board member of Young and Rubicam Europe and the Chairman of C-Section, which just joined the network.
The split in Y&R wasn’t solely due to human resources. A significant portion of their big clients also left the agency one by one, following the outgoing team. Yet today, Y&R Istanbul together with Team Red, which serves one of Turkey’s top two advertisers, Vodafone, are both among the top 10 agencies.
Arzu Ünal compares that era to today by saying, “After big clients like Garanti and Turkcell left Y&R with Serdar Erener, everyone said Y&R would vanish. I am very proud of myself for we stood strong and rose as one of the largest agencies in the industry.”
When she graduated from the Psychology Department of Boğaziçi University in 1991, Ünal was a professional tour guide. Her career as a tour guide, which enabled her to get to know and discover all of Turkey during her years as a student, took a different path after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Tourism industry entered into recession and pushed Ünal towards the marketing department of Procter & Gamble.
“Procter & Gamble became a total marketing school for me. Had Saddam not attacked Kuwait, I could’ve continued my career in tourism,” Ünal says. The second crossroads that led to her becoming an advertiser was receiving a job offer from Y&R upon the recommendation of a friend who worked at Colgate-Palmolive. “Had I not received the job offer, I don’t think I would have become an advertiser on my own volition; I would’ve continued my career in marketing,” Ünal says of this turning point.
When asked whether she aimed to be where she is now at the beginning of her career, Ünal replies, “No.” She continues: “I never set where I wanted to be as a goal and shaped my efforts based on that. I always tried to do my best and give my most. I believe that life rewards your efforts as well as sincerity.”
Ünal lists two of her favorite projects as the launch of the Arçelik slogan for “Çeliknaz”: “Designs Innovation with Love,” as well as the relaunch campaign for “There’s a Difference in Vodafone.” She adds: “But I have to confess that I love my job and my clients. I’ve learned a lot from every client and every brand I served, and I’m grateful for all of them.”
“I always tried to do my best and give my most. I believe that life rewards your efforts as well as sincerity.”
