In keeping with the tradition of declaring an annual motto at the beginning of each Iranian year, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named the current year that began March 21 “Support for Iranian Products.” Many observers say the motto is a continuation of last year's, “Economy of Resistance: Action and Deeds,” and is a clear sign that Iran is continuing to focus on the economy, its Achilles' heel. Indeed, the function of the annual motto is to provide a discursive framework for the state's policy priorities and to signal to the public that issues of concern are being addressed.

Following Khamenei’s Nowruz speech on March 21, Iranians have had mixed reactions to his urging citizens to buy domestically made products. President Hassan Rouhani quickly pledged support and promised that his administration will do everything in its capacity to implement the guidelines. Meanwhile, government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht tweeted that the administration will repay more than 1 quadrillion rials ($26.5 billion) of its debts to local contractors in the new Iranian year as a means to support embattled banks and domestic production.

Yet Iranian attitudes toward locally made goods vary widely. One group is wholly in favor of "buying Iranian," even if the product quality is inferior to imports. This group believes that buying Iranian is the only way to improve the quality of domestic output. Another group of consumers only buys high-quality Iranian products that are sold at competitive prices and offer after-sale services. Last are those who tend to be more brand-sensitive. This group of mostly young Iranians living in major cities, as well as wealthy Iranians, prefers foreign goods, especially those from major international brands.

Given the country’s young population, the consumption of foreign products has become a culture in its own right among many Iranians, some of whom prefer imitations of foreign branded goods over the cheaper and better-quality Iranian originals. Demand for foreign products is so high that many Iranian manufacturers falsely label their goods as foreign.