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Pulp Friction ka Khaas Number

Omair Faizullah
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Pulp Friction ka Khaas Number

By Omair Faizullah

“Because, if I am not mistaken, we shall have to say that about men
poets and story-tellers are guilty of making the gravest misstatements when they tell us that wicked men are often happy, and the good, miserable; and that injustice is profitable when undetected, but that justice is a man’s own loss and another’s gain
these things we shall forbid them to utter, and command them to sing and say the opposite.”

― Plato, book III, The Republic

As always, it will all make sense a little before you end reading this one. I’ve been told that my writing is difficult to digest. That I should perhaps consider toning it down so those who read, can actually understand all that I keep saying. Well, it’s difficult for me to digest that: If you can’t seem to understand what I’m talking about, you definitely need to level up. See, I believe that if I dumb it all down, I will have nothing to say. After great thought, I’ve come to the revelation – haterz gonna hatez! Hence and therefore – ANARCHY IN PK!

So that’s out of the way then.

I remember growing up lying in a charpai in a verandah cuddled up with my father in the middle and my sister on the other side. He was reading to us from one of the Asterix – The Gaul comics. That’s all I remember. But that is not all that was imprinted on my mind that day. I believe that, that was the day when I saw and fell in love with fantasy and fables.

As we grew old, we learned to read the Urdu alphabet and eventually the language itself. We grew to be proud of knowing and understanding Urdu, but things changed over the years. Urdu, from being the primary language, has slowly and gradually been receding to something secondary. Some people very close to me have a habit of spontaneously turning every conversation into angrezee. Not that I have anything against angrezee but I find it odd that I should start having conversations in it just because I know it. I can speak it. I may be one of the rare commodities that can even passingly write in it. Ironically, I can’t write Urdu prose. I tried once but it came out hokey and pretentious. Never wrote a word again. So anyway, back to the speaking in tongues bit.
I always end up turning the conversation back to speaking in Urdu. I mean, for most of my life, I have been speaking Urdu but since the last ten or so years, our conversations have been frequently occurring with more angrezee involved in them. We have all grown up in a country with Urdu as its primary language of communication. And yet, most of our communication is preferred to be in English.

Almost all of the billboards we see on the roads have copy written out in angrezee. And those that are in Urdu, are mostly in the Romanized version. Perhaps we should thank cell phones for educating us to the Roman alphabet.

Recently, we witnessed our entire political leadership gathered in front of the Chinese president in the parliament – televised live on almost all TV stations. The esteemed guest president took his time to deliver his speech in Chinese and us – our leaders – they chose to speak in English instead of their own native tongue – Urdu. Why did they not deliver their speeches in Urdu? Have we no interpreters who can translate to Chinese? Did they intend for the people of Pakistan to not understand a word of what they were saying intentionally? Was the PM’s speech meant only for those who understand angrezee? What IS this strange complex that we have been brewing that is now coming to boil?

Anyway, going back to me falling in love with fiction, fantasy and fables.

I think it would be safe to say that no localized form of fiction really exists or is being explored in Pakistan. If it is here, it is surely marketed on a limited scale.

Strangely, such was not the case some 20 or so years back. Basically around the time the chawanni, atthanni and bara-aaney existed. I love those names for currency. Everything is in boring old rupees these days. That’s how strange the state of our pop-culture is – even the slang for our currency is boring.

Here is another thing I remember from times gone. Going down to the corner stationery store, handing over a rupee or atthanni and purchasing a thin 20 page, quarter A4 sized booklet. It had pictures of the hero fighting off evil monsters and was a thing of beauty to behold. I would rush back home, find a comfortable place and go through it in a few minutes and then eagerly await the time I could buy more. It was short form fiction at its finest; written by hand (no computers back then) and crafted with love. And there were so many of these little booklets around that it would be difficult to choose.
As we grew up, we found out about Umroo Ayyar, Tilsim-e-Hoshruba, Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza and many more. So many more. We had all these heroes battling evil djinns, sorcerers and all kinds of baddies. It was high fantasy in all its unreal glory. It was original and it fed the imagination with things we would only dream of.
Then there was Ishtiaq Ahmed; the man who singlehandedly (literally) wrote Inspector Jamshed, Inspector Kamran and Shoki Brothers; the series on young adult pulp crime fiction (that’s a category in itself). Oh, the craziness that the characters got up to. It was unreal and it was all in Urdu.
It was science fiction, fantasy, horror and all the subgenres being written and consumed by everyone. Just the existence of such literature spoke volumes about the breadth and imagination of our society. Everyone could not just read it, but could find it and afford it too. It was much needed fuel for the bottomless forges of pop-culture. Sci-fi was not just limited to books; it was also pretty popular in film and TV. Remember Shaanee and Ainak Wala Jinn? Hell, we even went as far as to bring Hitler along with Josef Goebbels home. Look it up, it’s crazier than you would imagine.

Slowly and gradually, we started to grow up and just as gradually, fiction started disappearing from our lives. Just as chawanni and atthanni disappeared, so did short Urdu fiction. Pop, pulp or whatever fancy name you might want to give it; it disappeared, leaving absolutely no trace. Is Ishtiaq Ahmed dead? Is he alive? Are Ferozsons still publishing Umroo Ayyar? If so, do they even sell?

More than anything, why has the amount of bookshops been decreasing over time?

We need to understand that fiction shapes reality and vice versa. It is a well documented fact that fiction in popular media influences how we behave and often even ends up dictating the fabric of our societal values.  Media including literature, television, advertising, internet etc. influences our behavior. A simple example of this phenomenon is the “saas/bahu” dichotomy amongst our drama addicted female population as a consequence of Indian soaps – no, not the ones we wash our hands with, but the ones that gradually leech us of intelligence
you know what I mean. There have been known instances in which people’s behavior has been altered due to watching too many dramas. Romanticism or action heroes both are reflected on our impressionable minds through actions, thoughts and behavioral patterns. Consuming only one type of fiction limits the imagination and our capacity for broader thought patterns contextual to the world around us. The influence of popular culture in shaping society is similar to a dual edged sword. It cuts both ways where we gain as well as lose. In our case, we seem only to be losing – where once we had multiple genres of fiction; we now have slowly and gradually limited ourselves to only just a few. This speaks volumes about the fabric of popular culture in our society. We have become victims of tunnel vision.

Unfortunately, speculative fiction leaning towards science and fantasy is almost dead. It has receded into a very limited niche and the inquisitive amongst us find this only in angrezee where it leans towards the respective society and culture. Which is why, perhaps I should not be judging our entire Parliament. It seems that they aren’t at fault at all. Perhaps it is us, the creators of pop culture in the communication industry that need to widen the breadth of our imagination and look into ourselves for sources of inspiration that once existed but have been gradually forgotten.

Perhaps we have applied ourselves to Plato’s philosophy of killing off our story-tellers and poets. It is after all, reflective of the Republic we reside in.

I would like to end this piece with an epiphany that occurred as a consequence of writing this piece. As Mark Twain famously said, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.”
Well Mr. Twain, the times they are a changin’
and here’s my extension to your words

“Truth is stranger still where fiction does not exist.”

― Omair Faizullah Bangash

Omair Faizullah is a designer and strategic communication specialist. Omair can be reached at whomair@gmail.com

 

The Hunar Foundation

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The Hunar Foundation

‘Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul

and sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.’
― Emily Dickinson

From illiteracy into the world of knowledge, in fact, technical knowledge; is what The Hunar Foundation is striving to achieve. Pakistan currently ranks a low 113 out of 120 countries on the UN’s Education Development Index. In order to sustain a society that has its vales based on literacy; poverty should be eradicated in the first place. According to UNESCO, 21.4 million people in Pakistan get out of bed not knowing where the day will take them. Seemingly unaware of the fact that they lack skill which could be of some help to them, they cover long distances and travel in search of jobs. According to the Economic survey of Pakistan, 2013-14, 50 million of Pakistan’s population lies under the age of 17-35. 10 million out of the 50 million people get access to education or learn any skill but the remaining 40 million remain unskilled. The Survey states further that since 50% of the youth may not get adequate education, it will be near impossible for Pakistan to stabilize its economy.  Consequently, they lie under the category of ineffective breadwinners and life as we know it, challenges us at every step which should be faced with self determination and self trust.

The Hunar Foundation is amongst one of those organizations that work to spread technical education to financially challenged individuals of our society who can easily have a chance at a better quality of life once they get skill training. Many youngsters get dropped out from schools and colleges. Since the need to make ends meet is regardless there, such individuals fall prey to unlawful activities. Hence, the core objective of The Hunar foundation is to spread technical knowledge to those who lack financial access, but can become an asset to the nation in the coming years.

The Hunar foundation is a nongovernmental organization led by a very devoted team of founder members and governed by a board of trustees who have pledged to invest money in the training of unskilled individuals. The institutions set up by The Hunar Foundation for women teaches hair dressing techniques, beauty therapy, personal care services, sales representation, basic accounting and book keeping, industrial garment stitching, baking, cooking, catering, house management, interior decoration and other such stuff.  On the other hand, technical courses for men include electrical installation, plumbing, fabrication, welding, pipe work, mechanical fitting, plant maintenance, refrigeration, air conditioning, , motor cycle mechanics, working with electrical home appliances, UPS and generator repair and CNC machine operations. These courses are recognized by the City and Guilds (UK), a leading vocational skills development organization, and qualifying students receive City & Guilds certified diplomas that are recognized in more than eighty countries. The Hunar Foundation offers two levels of C&G qualification in Pakistan that is Level II diploma and Level III Advanced diploma.

One of the main objectives of the foundation as yet is the establishment of 30 training centers along with four teacher training centers. Out of these 30, 10 of the institutes are allotted for women. Today, some of these centers are operational such as the one at Karachi’s Delhi Mercantile Cooperative Housing Society and Delhi Colony areas as well as another one at Rashibabad in Tando Allahyar and Lahore There are more under-construction at Korangi and another one in Kharian. As per the information collected, over PKR 70 crores has already been invested in the making of the institutes where the training is being given. Another very prominent objective is to raise the bar of technical training versus other set ups.

To achieve this milestone, a number of Hunar instructors have been sent to Australia on AUSAID scholarships to get them to learn cutting edge techniques. Moreover, trainers from Germany keep being invited to impart training to the instructors and very soon instructors from the foundation will be going to Germany to become master trainers. The Hunar Foundation emphasizes on providing knowledge of the English language and computers to students to increase their competence. As yet, over 1000 graduates have completed their education from The Hunar Foundation out of which over 70% are engaged economically.

Having nothing else left to say, we strongly believe that social sector organizations like The Hunar Foundation can truly MAKE A DIFFERENCE. To help Pakistan rise, such organizations can play a major part in equipping people with skills that will help them turn into effective members of society.

 

 

RADIO AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT: WHAT THE CELLULAR APP METHOD IS MISSING?

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RADIO AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT: WHAT THE CELLULAR APP METHOD IS MISSING?

By Mehdi Raza

Radio, as a medium the world over has existed and thrived despite the challenges that came its way over the past 100 years. The industry stood strong, rather evolved, despite the looming fear of being swept away by television and other mediums, with the FM format playing an important role in keeping radio alive and kicking.

FM Radio was introduced in Pakistan in the 90’s and became open to private acquisition in 2003. This revived radio as a viable medium in Pakistan. FM Radio was in a booming phase during the early 2000 and soon there were over 100 FM stations throughout the country. Yet, advertising budgets allocated to radio are only about 3% of the total advertiser spend in Pakistan and it seems to be staying around this percentage contrary to the world average of 6 to 7 percent. A major reason for this is that there are hardly any or very little measurement carried out of the radio audience in our market. Group M and other reputed organizations initiated several studies which are still being used as currency for radio listenership measurement and behavior. These studies however, were not conducted on a regular basis. Realizing the demand, a number of companies are now trying to develop products to fill the gap. Radio research on a regular basis is quite different from television audience measurement systems and therefore requires a strict scrutiny in order to be fair to all existing channels and advertisers.

Hence, in the larger interest of the industry I would want to discuss a recently started real-time radio measurement system which was presented to Pakistan Broadcasting Association (PBA) in January 2015, but did not get the approval of a number of the association’s members due to questions about its methodology.

Although Synergyzer published data extracted from the study in its Annual Issue of 2015, titled “Beyond the Rose Colored Glasses”, I believe that it is not a true indicative of the actual listenership scenario in Pakistan and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered before the study is considered a benchmark amongst the stakeholders, whose businesses it may impact. The questions whose answers should be made transparent to us, the radio broadcasters of Pakistan, are:

  1. Is this smartphone based application method in use at other places around the world or been used anywhere else before? If yes, then in which countries and what are the findings from it. Personally, I have not been able to find a rating system applicable anywhere like this one as yet.
  2. Are we not influencing listener behavior by using devices (smartphones in this case), rather than measuring actual behavior of people? We know that only a tiny fraction of existing listeners are listening through smartphones. In fact, smartphones have a penetration rate of only 15% amongst cellular device users in Pakistan. Have we tested that these devices will not influence listenership behavior?
  3. Which establishment survey has been used as a basis of forming the panel and its composition?
  4. Is the sample distribution amongst socio-economic classes A and B, justified? The study has 60% respondents from these two SEC. In reality, both SEC A and B combined counts for only 20%. My question is why have we taken this sample to three times its actual occurrence, when the normal acceptable booster is far less than the one applied in this study? This skewed representation will favor a few channels, which is unfair to others who may not be concentrated on broadcasting to this select niche.
  5. Are the individuals included in the panel true representatives of the actual radio listening population in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad? Also, have we ensured if all the key target groups are included in this panel? Are we justified in excluding population beyond 35 years of age and SEC D from the panel?
  6. Are we not missing out on multiple listenership behavior in this study? Smartphones will always measure one listener. In actuality, there may be more than one people listening to one radio, as in the case of in-car listening. Why have we excluded multiple radio listening or community listening?
  7. The study has also ignored ways of listening to radio traditionally. Why is this the case?
  8. Why are the Diary or DAR – day-after recall – methods still the most popular radio measurement tools in the world despite access to superior technology and affordability? I am not an advocate of these, but there have to be reasons for their acceptability as currencies in the radio advertising market.
  9. Is the total sample size of just 186 respondents in three major cities sufficient enough to measure the robust rating?
  10. Considering the present security situation, especially mobile phone snatching, how safe is the use of smartphones in a number of areas? I believe this concern will influence user behavior.
  11. Battery life is also another concern and a factor which will affect listenership as it will result in lesser time duration of listenership and thus will not give the right picture.

These were and still are a few important questions and concerns due to which most radio stations were hesitant in adapting the above mentioned research in its current form and are looking for improvements or better alternatives. I strongly feel that a strict and unbiased analysis of this or any other measurement study is necessary to safeguard the interests of the radio industry as well as advertisers, with a critical analysis carried out by all stakeholders to prevent a skewed picture of the radio industry from becoming an accepted practice.

 

The writer is CEO/Director Apna Karachi FM 107

5TH PAS AWARDS 2014

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5TH PAS AWARDS 2014

The PAS Awards, organized by the Pakistan Advertisers Society, and one of the most recognized and credible advertising events in Pakistan, awarded jubilant winners at a star-studded gala held at the Expo Center in Karachi on April 25, 2015.

This year, apart from the regular 21 categories, Pakistan Advertisers’ Society introduced 5 special categories namely Passion for Pakistan, Best in Digital, Media Innovation, Best BTL Activation and Best Platform Award that went on to honour the most innovative marketing ideas.

Actor and radio presenter Khalid Malik, was the Master of Ceremony, while the show featured entertaining performances by FUSION, Rachael Viccaji, Zia Mohyuddin, Bushra Ansari, Jawad and Sara Raza.

The show also featured a glittering line up of Award Presenters from the advertising as well as the entertainment industry like Mohammad Malik, Sadaf Malatarre, Ehsan Malik, Zhalay Sarharidi, Amir Paracha, Khurram Koraishy, Tariq Ikram, Shayan Malik, Michael Nederlof, Zainab Mohammad, Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui, Nadia Hussain, Mujtaba Naqvi, Romain Dequesne, Sarmad Ali, Azra Mohyeddin, Bahauddin Khan, Sajjad Laghari, Meera, Imran Aslam and Anwar Rammal.

The regular categories spanning across various segments had an overwhelming response this year from agencies and brands across Pakistan totalling 263 and after being evaluated and short listed by the jury, currently 68 brands and agencies were in the running to win PAS Awards 2015.

PAS Awards were presented by Zong; powered by Microsoft; co-sponsored by Toyota and Olpers Lassi while EBM and Dabur were associate sponsors. The categories “Passion for Pakistan”, “Best in Digital” and “Media Innovation” were sponsored by Bank Alfalah, Synite and HBL respectively. Dinner was hosted by National Foods Limited, while Pepsi and Tapal Tea were sponsors for the Cocktail Lounge and Tea. TPL Direct Insurance was Official Insurer for the function.

JWT, Convex, Team SFA, E-creatorz and TDF were respectively the creative, digital, animation, technology and social media partners for the PAS Awards 2015. FM89, FM91, HotFM105, Jang Media Group, Brandsynario & Apna Karachi 107 were the media partners, while Kinetic Pakistan were the Outdoor media partners.

Interviewing PAS Jury Panel 2014

The PAS Awards entries were judged by best of the best in Pakistan’s advertising. Brandsynario took the opportunity to talk to a few of the jury members and get their opinions on the creative landscape of Pakistan.

Imtisal Abbasi, COO – IAL Saatchi Pakistan

Q

Celebrity endorsements are prominent in our advertising. Do you agree that higher star power results in a better recall and translates into a better ROI?

A

As long as you have a strong idea, you don’t need the support of a celebrity to back it. Our own agency engages a lot of celebrities, but I think that they add value on when they are relevant to the message. Just to have celebrities for the heck of having them does not make any sense.

 

Mansoor Karim, CEO – JWT Pakistan

Q

Outdoor advertising is too cluttered right now. How can some discipline be brought to the platform?

A

You can’t blame brands or advertising or the outdoor industry. It has more to do with civic discipline. If there is an opportunity, brands will utilize it; even if one doesn’t, another one will. The challenge lies with the civic or municipal office; the people who run the city. But I do think that there should be a limit to OOH advertising. Lahore is a good example of disciplined and organized outdoor advertising, where it’s impactful and simple.

 

Zohra Yusuf, Creative director – Spectrum Communications

Q

Pakistani women have evolved over time and in a number of situations are as successful as Pakistani men, yet the advertising industry still seems to be stuck in typical stereotypes. What are the reasons behind this from your perspective as a woman?

A

Advertisements are far from reality I believe. No woman would smile while doing laundry or exuding the kind of satisfaction after cooking a meal for the entire family as shown in a number of our ads. I believe it’s time to move away from such stereotyping.

Q

What qualities do you look for when hiring creative talent for your company?

A

Original thinking. I don’t want people who are unnecessarily influenced by what is happening around them. I put a lot of emphasis on creativity, willingness to take risks and not being conformists.

It really is not important that they are formally educated in the creative field. I’ve seen a lot of potential in others too.

 

Faraz Maqsood Hamidi, Co-Founder, Partner & Chief Creative Officer – The D’Hamidi Partnership

Q

A lot of time we feel that advertisers sometimes underestimate the intellectual level of the audience and make a lot of in-your-face campaigns. What is your take on that?

A

My advice to my clients has always been to not go for the lowest common denominator, but to always go for the deepest common denominator; one which resonates across our common humanity and is invariably more powerful. If you take that approach, you will be doing slightly more intelligent and respectable advertising.

Q

How do you see the industry evolving in the next five years?

A

The industry is always shifting. The position I like to take, because I know, is that all incredible focus is towards digital because it’s the next big thing. I don’t think it will be at the cost of any former thing, like print, as most people would like to believe. The term I like to use is ‘tri-digital’. Where we are headed is by using the best of our traditional experience and moving it towards a new platform, but the craft remains the same. People are still after good content, intelligent copy and something inspiring or moving; the principles will always remain the same.

APNS: IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF EVERYONE

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APNS: IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF EVERYONE

Mr. Sarmad Ali, Secretary General, All Pakistan Newspapers Society and Managing Director, Jang Media Group talks to Synergyzer about blacklisting as an effective regulatory practice and pays tribute to the legendary Masood Hamid.

Synergyzer: What does it mean to award accreditation to advertising agencies and media houses through APNS?

Mr. Sarmad Ali: Accreditation primarily means that we (APNS) allow advertising agencies and media buying houses to avail credit facilities with our member newspapers and publications. Accreditation is structured into three tiers for advertising agencies – associate agency, provisionally accredited agency, and fully accredited agency – and a fourth tier for media buying houses. Each tier has its own rules and financial implications.

Advertising agencies seek accreditation with APNS in order to do business with newspapers. This lets us protect the interests of not only the newspaper industry, but also of the agencies, particularly in cases where clients default.

There are some agencies which conduct business without being part of APNS, or even PBA for that matter, but they don’t get the same kind of facilities or credit as APNS-accredited agencies do and APNS does not intercede in their matters.

Synergyzer: What is the differentiation between the three advertising tiers? How does an associate member go about becoming a provisional or full member?

Mr. Sarmad: Associate agencies have a credit time limit of 60 days on postdated cheques which must be submitted with each release order. After a year as an associate with a good track record with no complaints from the member newspapers, and no bounced cheques, the agency becomes eligible for provisional accreditation. This requires a bank guarantee of PKR 2 million. After another year and a payment of PKR 3 million the agency acquires full accreditation status. The credit period increases with each tier; for associates it is 60 days, for provisionals it is 75 days, and for full members it is 105 days. Associates get a pre-set agency commission of 14.5%, while provisional and full members get 15%.

Synergyzer: How do you protect the agencies? What is the procedure of blacklisting clients?

Mr. Sarmad: The primary objective of a body such as APNS is to protect its members, the newspapers and magazines that come into the fold of APNS, as well as agencies that are accredited by APNS.

When advertising agencies place business on credit with a newspaper, they draw up a basic contract called a release order. If the agency does not pay the publication on time, the publication will submit a complaint to the APNS. If the agency does not pay the dues within the time stipulated by APNS, the agency gets suspended.

On the flip side, if the agency’s clients do not pay the agency on time, the agency can file a complaint with the APNS, who then suspends or blacklists the advertisers. If an advertiser wishes to change agencies, it must clear all dues pertaining to the print media of its incumbent agency before it is allowed to move to a new agency. As an added measure of protection, agency appointments are not recognized until outgoing agencies provide NOCs for the clients and certify there are no outstanding dues.

In the APNS system, a client not listed by any member agency is considered a free client and able to switch its business at will. But this practice in general is discouraged by APNS. If the client is listed in the APNS system, then under no circumstances is it allowed to move from one agency to another before clearing all outstanding dues of the agency. To clarify, we are not supposed to act as recovery agents for agencies; our objective is to ensure payments to our members are cleared. In very few cases – specifically, categorically, and only on merit – if a client doesn’t respond to our letter, or an agency refuses to give clearance despite there being no dues, we step in and decide whether to allow the client to move to a new agency.

Synergyzer: Has blacklisting stepped up this fiscal year as compared to last?

Mr. Sarmad: Quite a few advertising agencies were suspended this year. When an agency is suspended, it either pays up or comes to APNS with a schedule of payment. If this schedule is acceptable to creditors, we restore the agency. Sometimes the agency pays up in a day and is restored immediately; sometimes they don’t pay for months, or even years. We don’t want to suspend agencies. We want them to function because only then will they have the capacity to pay us. We disaccredit an agency only if they have not paid for years.

The situation has been alarming for the past 4 or 5 years. Particularly for those agencies handling government business are in deep trouble, because more than a billion rupees is owed to them. In the past, APNS has even suspended the advertising of Federal as well as provincial governments on default. For instance, the Federal Government was suspended last year and we received written commitment from none other than the Federal Minister for Information that the payments will be made according to a certain schedule. Not even 5% of the commitment has yet been met. The PM has made similar commitments, so has the Finance Minister, and none have come through. If the government doesn’t have the money to pay the agencies, and by extension the newspapers, then why does it advertise? Why should we accept an advertisement that won’t be paid for? To satisfy our egos? Or maybe because we might get paid five, ten years down the road? A lot of agencies have suffered and we’ve had to reschedule the dues of many who handle government accounts because we know it’s not their fault. We know they want to clear their outstanding payments, but can’t because the government won’t pay them.

The government is a client; if it doesn’t pay its dues then it should be dealt with in the same way as private sector clients. If XYZ Corporation can be suspended for not paying, so can the government. This is a dilemma and it needs to be resolved. The APNS (on behalf of newspapers), PBA (on behalf of broadcasters, television, and radio), Information Ministry or Press Information Department (on behalf of the Government of Pakistan) and advertising agencies must sit down and find a way out of this crisis that has been brought upon us because of the government’s inability to pay its bills on time.

Synergyzer: Has anything been done in that direction as of yet?

Mr. Sarmad: We’re meeting with the Information and Finance Ministry to devise a solution. There has been some progress, but it’s been very slow. Promises are made, but no one knows when they will be fulfilled. A committee has been formed with members of APNS and as officers of PID (Press Information Department) to verify bills to ensure there is no duplication or fake billing. We’re doing as much as we can, but now the government needs to step up and do its part. If there are no payments then obviously they will be suspended again as clients. Federal, Sindh, and KPK are the worst at making payments; Punjab is better. The Baluchistan government is the best as its budget is so small that it doesn’t have any issues on advertising.

Synergyzer: Are suspension and blacklisting effective as regulatory practices?

Mr. Sarmad: At times they’re very effective, especially for clients who need to continuously advertise. If they get suspended, they need to pay to continue advertising. Then there are clients who may have been suspended from newspapers, so they move their advertising to television and vice versa. There is a dire need for us and PBA to form some sort of a joint mechanism that can make joint industry decisions on such clients.

Synergyzer: Are there any sustainable agencies or clients in Pakistan?

Mr. Sarmad: There have been agencies that have done business for years and have never been suspended, or if they were suspended then it was for a very short period. There is plenty of sustainability and there are a number of sustainable agencies and clients. There was a time when the government was considered the most sustainable client – we used to say that the government is not a credit risk. Today, however, government advertising is a bigger credit risk than the entire private sector put together.

Synergyzer: How can the industry encourage sustainable agencies and clients?

Mr. Sarmad: First, as I’ve been saying for years, there is a need for all associations to come together. For instance, there is APNS and PBA on the media side, then PAS (Pakistani Advertisers Society) which represents clients, and the AAP (Advertising Association of Pakistan) whose members are the advertising agencies. In 2000 or 2001, at the PAS event, I highlighted the need for a joint body that looks at the industry’s issues at large. I think we need to start looking at the issues from an industry perspective instead of having a print centric or television centric approach.

Another way to encourage sustainability would be to design a payment system that satisfies both APNS and PBA. It becomes difficult for advertising agencies to meet their obligations when they must pay both APNS and PBA at the same time. Right now APNS has 6 clearances and PBA has 12, so there are 6 times when APNS and PBA payments coincide. This puts a strain on everyone. Perhaps an alternate clearance system where PBA gets paid one month and APNS the other month can be considered. Or APNS may also bring its clearance upto 12 from 6.

Synergyzer: Other than APNS, PBA, PAS, there is DPAP; what is the function of this body?

Mr. Sarmad: Digital Publishers Association of Pakistan (DPAP) is a relatively new phenomenon that came up about three years ago. My late friend, Masood Hamid, was its first President. Now Shahab Zuberi, Group COO Aaj TV/Business Recorder is the President. My colleague Lucas Peter is the Vice President and Monis Rahman of Naseeb Networks is the Secretary General. DPAP is an association of digital publishers. We felt there was a need for such an organization because there are many digital advertising agencies that are not accredited with either APNS or PBA, and it is difficult for the digital publishers to protect their interests, as well as the interests of advertising agencies and clients who want a presence in the digital space. It’s a beginning. It’s the first step and is still in its infancy; we are testing the waters and learning the business. It will take a couple of years for it to become an effective and mature body.

Synergyzer: Masood Hamid, Director Marketing Dawn Group, was a great friend of yours. Do you want to say anything about him?

Mr. Sarmad: My friendship with Masood Hamid was more than thirty years old. I met him in December 1985, we became friends and later turned into competitors. Despite being competitors our friendship grew stronger and brought us closer. Usually, we make friends when we are young i.e. in our school or college days and stay friends with them for the rest of our lives. We don’t witness similar bonding in a professional environment. Turning that professional relationship into close friendship, and that too when the person who is your competitor, is something rare and the credit for this goes mostly to Masood.

He was an amazing person and whenever I think of him, I feel as if I have lost a precious part of my life. Death is inevitable and there is no question to that, but at his age, it is difficult for me to accept that a person so full of life and vibrant can suddenly leave us all.

I feel sad adding the word ‘late’ before his name as I don’t think that someone like Masood should be defined as such. We need to celebrate his life and his achievements. He was a loveable person and all I want to say is that Au Revoir Masood, RIP.

 

 

Teeming with Ten

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Teeming with Ten

Tahseen Shaukat, in his latest avatar as Country Head for Ten Sports in Pakistan, speaks to Synergyzer on his thoughts about the media industry and the challenge of conceptualizing and implementing the intricate details around broadcast of ICC Cricket World Cup on Ten Sports Pakistan.

Tahseen currently holds the business responsibility for Ten Sports in Pakistan with the key mission to maintain the leadership position in sports genre.

Synergyzer: To start off, can you please tell us how has your career path evolved?

Tehseen Shaukat: I have done encyclopedia and mobile phone connection sales during my college days as a salesman working only on commission and for those days did fairly well to support myself. I later started a tech setup while I was finishing my studies. Yet, like most startups, the venture couldn’t stay profitable for long due to competition and lack of funding to support cash inflow requirements. However, it taught me the most valuable lesson in life as you learn more from failures than success.

I worked in different industries for some time, then entered the media industry through Media Max and later settled with Geo TV Network and Jang Group for a stint of ten years. I served there in various capacities and left as an Executive Director to join Ten Sports Pakistan.

Synergyzer: What do you see are the prospects for Ten Sports in Pakistan, business- and viewership-wise?

Tehseen: From the product and platform positioning point of view, we are now evolving. We have shifted towards promoting our key sports like UEFA Champions League for football and WWE for wrestling alongside cricket. There is uniformity in what we are doing to engage our viewer and thankfully the numbers are thriving, however we are definitely eager to reach out to a much wider audience base. This is a good sign considering we have always been a one sport nation and inclined towards Cricket. Our recent renewal of broadcast rights for PCB will also help us grow our business in Pakistan.

Synergyzer: Sports are considered a form of national unifier. Being an international network, how important is Pakistan as a market for Ten Sports to showcase sports that are relevant to Pakistan as a nation?

Tehseen: Despite the diverse set of long term international sports rights available with us, interacting with our audience and delivering them the best in sports programs consistently is our first priority. Other than broadcasting Pakistan Cricket, which attracts serious advertising revenue on sports in Pakistan, we are also committed to broadcasting Pakistan’s participation in key regional sporting events such as Hockey Champions Trophy, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

Synergyzer: How does Ten Sports promote and position its key driver properties; meaning sports and related programs that form main its main broadcast lineup, amidst so much competition in viewership?

Tehseen: 2014 was a unique year for us as we showcased the biggest spectacle of soccer i.e. the FIFA World Cup 2014, Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Incheon Asian Games to the Pakistani audience using a unique promotional strategy for each. Despite half of the FIFA World Cup 2014 falling in Ramadan, we generated a good amount of viewership. WWE with RAW, Smackdown and monthly Pay Per View events has been a consistent ratings driver for Ten Sports and we are now working to reinvent its promotions through capitalizing upon the popularity of certain WWE Superstars and unpredictable twists and turns in the story line that they are a part of.

For our cricket properties, we celebrated the game’s following during Pakistan vs Australia and New Zealand series through our campaign “Yeh Khel Hai Deewano Ka”. The campaign was designed and executed by our creative agency Adcom and won us a nomination at the PAS Awards for best campaign.

There is a lot of media action around the Pakistan Cricket team and we support the news channel fraternity and our partners with sports footages and expert analysis. Our collaboration with Dunya TV is just an example of it.

Synergyzer: Did Ten Sports use the ICC Cricket World Cup to its strategic advantage? How did the event fared for the channel in Pakistan?

Tehseen: Cricket, during World Cup in Pakistan becomes much more than a sport and the event becomes a big manifestation of national unity. Pakistan has a young-at-heart television audience when it comes to sports therefore we derived our ICC Cricket World Cup campaign with multiple strategic touch points and called it “Wake Up Pakistan”. Understanding that the ICC Cricket World Cup does not need to be sold hard, the campaign connected with our audience at the grass root level with a strong message to come forward and become a part of the cricket fever, despite the timings. We worked with Nabeel Qureshi and music director Shani Arshad to conceptualize and execute the task with Adcom who did a fabulous job with our World Cup anthem and we are really happy with the final outcome.

Our most important achievement during the ICC Cricket World Cup was the implementation of a strong ad-capping policy during the event broadcast for which credit goes to our sales team. We are really thankful to our advertisers and media buying houses that helped us meet our revenue targets and in return derived extra ordinary value from viewership ratings that far surpassed competition. As a result, our rating differentials are the highest ever and the brand equity hence developed will continue to benefit us in the future.

Our distribution team did a fantastic job to ensure channel visibility during the World Cup and partnered with restaurants and cafes across Pakistan to show ICC Cricket World Cup via Ten Sports. The initiative not only helped us with getting additional out-of-home viewership but our partners also benefited by offering special dine-in packages and a unique entertainment proposition around cricket to their patrons.

Synergyzer: Ten Sports website for Pakistan was launched just ahead of the World Cup. Please tell us about the digital experience around this key event.

Tehseen: We did streaming for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 on our website www.tensports.com, through the Ten Sports app and with the help of our extensive digital media promotion plan. We generated higher traffic than other platforms combined with highest average stay time. We give credit to our technical team for coming up with the streaming solution which delivered results despite heavy volumes of traffic. The new website is structured with dedicated pages for key sports and events and is fully responsive.

Synergyzer: Can you please tell us about the recent Ten Sports initiative “In it to win it”?

Tehseen: As a part of our plans to engage female audience around cricket, we teamed up with designer duo Sana Safinaz and came up with limited edition ‘Kurtas’ with the tagline ‘In it to win it”. The tagline was derived from Sheryl Sandberg’s LeanIn Foundation’s initiative #LeanInTogether that we are supporting in Pakistan to spread the message of gender equality at home and work place.

While this was the first of its kind, we plan to take up more of such initiatives to encourage and develop a strong female audience for our sports properties.

Synergyzer: Ten Sports has successfully renewed the rights for Pakistan Cricket Board Home Series till 2020, what is your strategy with the PCB rights?

Tehseen: Ten Sports has been associated with Pakistan Cricket Board for long now and this renewal shows our commitment to the development of cricket in Pakistan. With continuous advancements coming into sports production and distribution, Ten Sports will ensure good coverage and penetration for Pakistan games amongst fans across the globe.

Synergyzer: What are your comments over the role of PEMRA as a regulator in pushing for industry growth in Pakistan?

Tehseen: PEMRA has been fairly supportive towards industry growth. The fact that there are more than 120 satellite channel licensees in Pakistan is a strong proof of it however there are challenges that are particular to each market and we have our set of challenges in Pakistan as well.

Whereas digitization and addressability will remain the core issues to discuss in near future, real challenge will be to prepare the industry for content delivery via internet which will determine survival of many enterprises existing within the current television production, broadcasting and distribution eco-system. Hopefully, the industry with PEMRA’s help will draw its own course for sustainable market growth against the challenges ahead.

Synergyzer: Can you please share some thoughts on the current state & future of television industry in Pakistan?

Tehseen: I would term the last decade as a decade of growth for Pakistan’s television industry and while the growth phase allowed for experimentation, now is the time for consolidation. Just as an example, the trend of secondary GECs – General Entertainment Channels – is a result of consolidation in content and that access to foreign content is allowing for channels to save on fixed point charts costs and improve quality of their local content as well as attempting to produce international standard channel drivers. Similarly in the news segment there is a constant quest to expand into secondary news channels by the current players and who knows; we may see a successful formula for secondary news channels soon that can be around analysis, geography, languages or acquisition of competing mainstream platforms.

It is a positive sign that media entrepreneurs are not afraid of experimentation and are continuously trying to launch and incubate within and beyond their network resources.

 

 

Mauka Mauka TVC aired during the ICC World Cup 2015 on Star Sports

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Mauka Mauka TVC aired during the ICC World Cup 2015 on Star Sports

 

NEIL CHRISTY

CEO – Headlion Group

I think Star Sports India nailed it and created the hype that it was supposed to create. Since the brand behind the Mauka Mauka campaign was a TV sports channel, it got what it wanted; eyeballs, word of mouth and a lot more – India losing had no effect on the desired objective. I think this campaign defined the ICC World Cup 2015, so kudos to the creative agency.

TYRONE TELLIS

Marketing Executive – Evantagesoft

Mauka Mauka was and will remain one of the most talked about campaigns of the year! The fact that the concept was based on history and facts and the insight that Pakistan had never beaten India in the World Cup was amazing! Also the follow-up ad which caught the Indians off guard by reminding them that South Africa had never lost to them yet was great. I also loved the brand integration of Yepme in one of the later ads.

However, I did not find the quarter final ads as good as the ones during the group stages. The insight that a Pakistani cricket fan would support India so that his own team can get through was also used well. Overall a great campaign, something we will not be able to make in Pakistan for some years as our focus is on celebs, glitz and glamour rather than facts and human behavior.

ATIYA ZAIDI

Creative Professional

I think it was a ground breaking campaign which became a part of the India-Pakistan pop culture with people quoting Mauka Mauka to each other. It was very brave to show your arch nemesis as your protagonist. I shall rate it 10/10.

AYUB MANIYA

Key Accounts Manager – Abudawood Group, Bahrain

The best thing about the Mauka Mauka campaign is; without using a single word from the Cricket jargon like choka, chhakka or out, Star Sports India brilliantly put across their message to the audience.

NAUMAN WASIF

Marketer

Mauka Mauka had a great stickiness factor. A brilliantly executed campaign!

FARYAL IFTIKHAR

Marketer & Event Management Business Developer

Speaking from the technical point of view, I appreciate that Star Sports India and their creative agency came up with concepts and executed them so well on such short notices. I’m sure that the team must be living and breathing the whole campaign all along, thinking about it even in their sleep. They must have had all options ready related to the outcome of each match. Handling and delivering with such pressure, bravo!

 

 

Digitizing Dawlance

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Digitizing Dawlance

Asad Noman, Marketing Insights  & Digital Lead – Dawlance

“I personally believe that 5 years down the road,  footfall at Dawlance dealers’ will decline drastically and will shift to online selling media.” 

Synergyzer: Dawlance has just launched an online store on daraz.pk. Why take this initiative now after 35 years of successful market penetration?

Asad Noman: Dawlance is Pakistan’s leading white goods’ – also called heavy consumer durables – manufacturer and has a predominant standing within this industry, both locally and internationally. We have always tried to provide solutions to customers that match their needs and offer ultimate convenience. Pakistan’s internet penetration rate is estimated at 16% (according to the website Internet World Stats), which is continuously growing. Hence, it’s about time for Dawlance to meet the growing needs of the population by making its products available digitally. We realized that people nowadays look for a doorstep solution and try avoiding maximum hustle and bustle, especially in case of electronics. At the end of the day, convenience is what people look for nowadays and this is the basic idea behind taking this initiative.

Synergyzer: There isn’t any other home appliances manufacturer that is available online for selling. What do you have to say about this?

Asad: This gives us the first mover’s advantage amongst our local competitors and we took this step to counter the growing needs of people in the emerging era of digital space, innovative product offering and convenience based tools like eCommerce.

Synergyzer: How is eCommerce a unique offering on Dawlance’s end?

Asad: Dawlance has always thought of making lives easier for its customers and this particular initiative circles around the same idea. An individual simply needs to log on to www.daraz.pk/dawlance, place an order for any of our appliance(s) they need and wait for it to be delivered to their doorstep. No more exhaustive trips to the electronic market. Also, there are multiple modes of cash payment available ranging from “cash on delivery” to “paying through debit/credit card”.

Synergyzer: What challenges did you initially have to face when entering into eCommerce?

Asad: While this initiative counts as one of our milestones, yet it was one of the toughest challenges I have ever come across. A company that is attuned to operate with a traditional mindset, which in our case was using the dealers’ network; the idea of launching Dawlance on an online selling medium, was a big question mark itself. The entire process involved thorough thinking and continuous back and forth, both with internal and external stakeholders including supply chain, sales, finance and logistics. On the flipside, our customers at present still have to get used to the idea of purchasing high involvement goods on the web. Hence, we are working side by side on educating our customers at online buying and making the best solutions available for them.

Synergyzer: Why was daraz.pk Dawlance’s initial choice?

Asad: Daraz.pk is one of Pakistan’s fastest growing online selling models which I personally believe can even be looked at as a case study of success. The venture has very smoothly carried out the transition of their basic idea to selling all kinds of items from FMCG to durables to luxuries. Also, the kind of enthusiasm shown by the team didn’t leave any room for us not to believe in daraz.pk.

Synergyzer: What is consumer feedback so far?

Asad: It’s a bit too early to comment on feedback considering this is a durable goods’ business which by their nature are high involvement goods.

Having said this, the number of people getting aware of our eCommerce initiative is increasing exponentially. On the flipside, we are offering an ideal mix of our entire range on daraz.pk that gives customers quite a lot of options to choose from, ranging from cooking food in a microwave oven to storing food in Dawlance’s energy efficient refrigerators, we believe we have offered a perfect combination of appliances to our online customers.

Synergyzer: What in your view is the future of Dawlance’s eCommerce?

Asad: The future is all about eCommerce, be it for Dawlance or any other brand. It’s imperative for us to make the best use of the online medium. I personally believe that 5 years down the road, footfall at Dawlance dealers’ will decline drastically and will shift to online selling media. Considering we have already taken this initiative, it won’t be a challenge then to cope up with the online trend. The young adults of today, who are also influencers to some extent will be decision makers of tomorrow. This is in fact our target market whom we foresee generating revenue for Dawlance in the coming years through eCommerce.

Synergyzer: How does Dawlance plan to leverage this channel considering there’s a whole network of dealers out there?

Asad: Although we are proud to have the largest dealers’ network in the appliances industry locally, it is essential to evolve with the changing trends and technological advances taking place. As our primary objective is to stay ahead of competition and continue to satisfy our customers in every possible manner. We will stay connected to our dealers’ network but meanwhile will also continue exploring ventures similar to eCommerce.

Synergyzer: How much time did it take to setup this channel?

Asad: To be exact, it took us 6 months to establish the channel and the required network. We also conducted a one-way business to consumers (B2C) pilot project in order to test both the viability and acceptability of this proposition. We outperformed the pilot project and successfully executed all parameters which were further used to launch this project.

Synergyzer: What other initiatives do you plan to launch for the digital medium?

Asad: Dawlance has been very aggressive on digital space lately. We launched the brand on social media earlier this year primarily to understand the needs of our potential customers. We need to talk and engage with our customers on a regular basis. We also revamped our website in an attempt to provide customers with a platform where they can find maximum information about our products. In the future, we will further enhance our presence on social media and make ourselves available on every smartphone, tablet and laptop.

 

Sindh: A Tourist Destination?

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Sindh: A Tourist Destination?

“There is no history of attacks on tourists in Sindh, but that factor is not neglected”, Syed Mohsin Ali Shah, CE/Managing Director Sindh Tourism Development Corporation.

Synergyzer: Please give some brief details of your career.

Syed Mohsin Ali Shah: Before joining the Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC), I was serving the Law Department as Additional Secretary, and before that, worked with the Sindh Board of Investment as Director Marketing.

Synergyzer: Please provide an overview of the tourism industry.

Mr. Shah: Tourism has so far not been treated as an industry. This can be gauged from the number of families going for trips in a year. Inbound tourists – those coming into the country – are negligible for a number of reasons; from lack of security to inappropriate facilities for tourists. In my view, local tourism has potential to improve.

Synergyzer: What is the role of STDC?

Mr. Shah: After devolution of the tourism ministry under the 18th Amendment, due to which the tourism sector was put under governance of provincial governments; a number of new projects were initiated to increase tourism. For instance, a hotel is about to be completed at Nagarparkar and another one at Gadhi Khuda Bux, Larkana. The Sambara Inn hotel at Larkana has been refurbished. Another such tourist facility is under construction at Hawksbay.

Besides these, a Karachi City Tour service has recently started which will take intending tourists to places of interest at affordable rates. Tours to other tourist sites at Thar, Larkana, Sukkur etc. will also be organized.

Synergyzer: In Karachi, the number of hotels has not increased since a very long time. Why do you think this is the case?

Mr. Shah: The hotels are constructed on the basis of need. The moment the number of tourists shall increase there will be new hotels.

Synergyzer: Gorakh Hills has gained a lot of popularity amongst explorers and trekkers as a tourist destination in Sindh. What are your views on it as a tourist destination?

Mr. Shah: Gorakh hills are located in the Kirthar mountain range in Sindh at the altitude of 6000 feet above sea level. These hills are famous for their scenic beauty and low temperatures, which rises to only 17oC during peak summer season. Besides this, visiting Gorakh Hills costs much less for Karachites versus visiting Murree Hills.

Synergyzer: What are your views on the promotion of Northern destinations in Karachi or the rest of Sindh?

Mr. Shah: The coordination factor is lacking amongst tourism ministries of different provinces, due to which a proper infrastructure linking one to the other has not been able to develop fully, especially in the case of Sindh and Northern provinces. If synergies are developed then North-bound tourism has a very high potential of increasing.

Synergyzer: How does STDC mitigate security risks and concerns to areas with ongoing tourism?

Mr. Shah: There is no history of attacks on tourists in Sindh, but that factor is not neglected.

Synergyzer: How are tour agencies regulated?

Mr. Shah: The Directorate of Tourism Services issues licenses to them. Any tour operator can be checked from there if he is a registered one or not.

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