Work2020–2024

Cafe Shemroon

Client: Cafe Shemroon
Year: 2020–2024
Role: Head of Marketing & Content
Services: Brand strategy, content system, web and menu UX, retail concept, internal platform

Four and a half years inside one of Tehran’s most recognized F&B brands, and the only entry here that is a job rather than a commission.

The brand was diluting as it scaled past ten branches — fragmented operations, reactive marketing, no shared language. The response was to stop treating advertising as output and build an ecosystem instead.

cafeshemroon.com solved operational friction rather than decorating it: a visual menu photographed item by item, because an extensive list was producing choice paralysis; dynamic pricing, because inflation moved weekly and printed menus could not; and one digital roof over branches that had been operating in isolation.

Sandogh Khaneh made the nostalgia argument physical — a vintage retail concept, three stores, that verified in space what the content claimed in language.

And a private social platform for 200+ employees, on the principle that marketing starts internally: staff moved from invisible labour to visible ambassadors.

Instagram went from 50k to 90k, organically, on a heritage-driven “Old Iranian” visual language. The brand ended the period with its first in-house creative team and no external agency.

Case study

Scaling soul in a volatile economy — turning scattered advertising into an ecosystem.

The challenge — scaling soul in a volatile economy

I joined as a content creator, but quickly identified a deeper systemic issue: as the business scaled past 10 branches, the brand identity was diluting. Operations were fragmented and marketing was reactive.

The pivot: I expanded my role to take ownership of the entire marketing infrastructure, aiming to transform scattered advertising into a cohesive ecosystem.

Strategic interventions

I led the design of cafeshemroon.com to solve operational friction and improve customer experience.

Visual transparency (UX) — the extensive menu caused choice paralysis. I implemented a visual menu with real photography for every item, reducing cognitive load and building trust through transparency.
Dynamic pricing — replaced static menus with a digital system that adapts to weekly inflation-driven price changes.
Centralization — unified isolated branches under one digital roof, streamlining B2B communication and customer access.

B. Campaign and visual strategy

Moving away from generic food photography, I developed a visual language aimed at storytelling rather than hard-selling.

Campaign orchestration — seasonal campaigns integrating the “Old Iranian” tone of voice with modern visuals.
Content consistency — strict visual guidelines so that every piece, from social reels to environmental graphics, reinforced the brand’s heritage.

C. Space as verification — Sandogh Khaneh

To anchor the identity, I introduced Sandogh Khaneh: a vintage retail space that served as physical proof of the nostalgia narrative, bridging a modern service environment and traditional roots.

D. Internal culture design

Marketing starts internally. I launched a private social platform for the 200+ employees, turning the workforce from invisible labour into visible brand ambassadors — building belonging and reducing turnover.

Impact

Advanced from a content role to leading the marketing department, creating the brand’s first in-house creative team.
Grew Instagram from 50k to 90k through organic storytelling and consistent visual campaigns.
Transitioned the brand from external agencies to a self-sufficient, agile in-house structure.