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From Censor to Certification

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From Censor to Certification

Mr. Zulfiqar Ramzi, Honorary Chairperson of Sindh Censor Board discusses art films, banned movies and why the Censor Board should be called the Certification Board. 

Synergyzer: Tell us about yourself and your professional background.

Mr. Zulfiqar Ramzi: My family owned Star cinema and Naseem cinema in Karachi. We have been in movie production, distribution and cinema business in both East and West Pakistan, my father being a part of this since he was 19 years of age, before the family migrated to Pakistan, so my background is nested in the cinema industry.

Although we sold these cinemas since the film exhibition business was becoming extinct in Pakistan, but the cinema and film industry continues to be my expertise nevertheless. Due to this, I was appointed the Honorary Chairman of the Sindh Film Censor Board after the 18th amendment.

Synergyzer: Please tell us about the Sindh Film Censor Board.

Mr. Ramzi: After the 18th amendment was passed in 2010, a number of ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, under which the Central Film Censor Board operated, got its powers delegated to the provincial level.

In May 2013, under the Sindh Motion Pictures Act, 2011, the Sindh Board of Film Censors, Karachi was formed, which now examines the movies. The board consists of 16 members who include four officials government officials, like the Secretary of Culture, Secretary of Information, Secretary of Censor Board and an ISPR representative; the rest are people from the private sector like distributors, intellectuals like Saeed Shirazi whose expertise is advertising, Zeba Bakhtiar and Sania Saeed; who are experienced actors and directors.

We do face glitches due to inactive members in our board, yet a structured procedure is still under development under which the government can nominate interested and eligible candidates.

Synergyzer: What are the eligibility criteria to qualify as a board member?

Mr. Ramzi: The board chooses individuals with a background in films, also intellectuals who are film enthusiasts; they can be authors, writers, columnists, people from TV, or actors. The members are a blend of those who understand art and have a grasp over its techniques and ethics.

Synergyzer: In your opinion, do we need a central board set up or a provincial board system is sufficient enough to act as censor board for the rest of the country?

Mr. Ramzi: Since the government decided to devolve the powers of the Central Board of Film Censors’ to the provincial level, and the Sindh and Punjab Censor Boards have started functioning, I believe it will be a futile overhead for the government to continue with a Film Censor Board at the central level. With more than one board at work in different provinces, the film certification process is going to get sped up and available to be screened on time, which will be beneficial to the distributors and the cinema owners. Also, films certified by the Censor Board of one province should be legible to screen across the country, again saving time and money, especially for the distributors.

Synergyzer: What are the guidelines that the provincial board follows for the procedure of censorship?

Mr. Ramzi: The current guidelines fundamentally state that any kind of nudity won’t be allowed, the content of the film can’t be hostile towards Islam or any other religion, it should not celebrate wrongdoing like glorifying crime, and shouldn’t have themes or dialogues derogatory to the nations. Also, films should not be alienating of societal elements, rather showing different perspectives. For instance Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol projected a fanatic moulvi, but it also made it clear that not all moulvis are fanatics.
These are very broad guidelines that need to be changed and need to be defined further now, since the entertainment landscape has totally changed. Yet, it is the job of the film certification authority or censor board, in our case, to make sure that we follow certain ethical and moral premises when we censor a movie and give the public worthwhile content. However, since we are dealing with works of art; the aesthetics, themes of films and the messages they are conveying are important considerations to highlight various perspectives.

Synergyzer: When were these guidelines made and implemented in Pakistan?

Mr. Ramzi: These guidelines were drafted in 1979 and put into effect in 1980 under the Motion Picture Guidance, when the Pakistani media was not as liberal, with the state owned PTV present as the only TV channel.

Synergyzer: Are there any new guidelines being set up?

Mr. Ramzi: Not yet, but it will happen eventually, since now the government is in force. Actually, the whole film censorship framework needs to be reexamined with new guidelines being drafted and implemented with specific rules and definitions. Also, if the government sees fit, it may appoint new board members.

Synergyzer: How will the new censorship guidelines be drafted and implemented?

Mr. Ramzi: The guidelines will be drafted by nominated board members. Opinions and help will be taken from people working with international film industries as well because with cinema emerging again in Pakistan, I think we can compete commercially with Hollywood or Bollywood.

The revised rules will then be put forward to the government and will be debated in the federal cabinet. Those politicians who are well-versed in the rules and articles for entertainment media will give their comments and suggestions on the cabinet floor. Once these suggestions are incorporated, the cultural ministry will scrutinize the draft, and then hand it over to the higher authorities for approval.

Synergyzer: What is the procedure of scrutinizing a movie?

Mr. Ramzi: After any film is imported by a distributor, it gets registered with the censor board for scrutiny. The distributor organizes a screening for the censor board.

We see the film and scrutinize which parts ought to be cut. For a film to pass scrutiny, it’s important that the subject of the motion picture should not be glorifying corruption or excessively politicized, the substance of the film should not be against or stereotyping any religion or promoting contempt towards any specific religious faction or fraction of society. Also, since we don’t have a rating system present at most of our cinemas at the moment, we make sure that the film is watchable by the entire family and does not contain foul language or immoral content.

Usually, the objectionable parts of the movie are cut, yet in certain circumstances, when there is too much objectionable material in any movie, the censor board decides to ban it altogether. For instance, the Imran Hashmi movie, Lootera, had too much foul language and cutting it would not have left any content to watch so it was banned altogether by the Punjab Censor Board.

Synergyzer: Why do distributors opt for importing movies that have the obvious possibility of not being approved by the censor board, Lootera, for instance?

Mr. Ramzi: Let me explain it with the help of an example related to Indian movies. If a distributor from Pakistan is buying a multi-starrer big budget movie that has an obvious chance of success, the producer also sells him two or three low budget movies as a package deal. The distributor has to accept these as he does not want to lose the big budget movie, which will earn him major profits. Due to this, we get to know of movies coming in yet not clearing the censor scissors and distributors importing movies that may not have cleared scrutiny in the first place.

Usually, low budget movies earn small scale profits, too, if screened so it’s not a loss proposition altogether. Yet, if the censor board bans the movie and the distributor as well as exhibitor feel that the movie will not be viable commercially, they do not put across a second requisition to the censor board asking for those movies to be cleared for screening.

Synergyzer: What changes are necessary to be brought about in Pakistan’s censor board?

Mr. Ramzi: Firstly, the censor board ought to be called the Board for Film Certification. The word ‘censor’ has a negative connotation to it; conveying that we simply ban or cut scenes from motion picture, while we are essentially certifying films so that they follow certain ethical and moral guidelines.
Secondly, and most importantly, we need to develop a proper film certification code; elaborate the guidelines and add specific details to the already existing draft.

Thirdly, it is important that a rating framework is introduced in Pakistan for all movies being certified. Internationally, the most used film rating system is by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) with the G (General), PG (Parenting Guidance), R (Restricted) etc. The new digital cinemas, cine- and multi-plexes in our country have enforced this rating system for the movies they are showing but it needs to be brought about in all cinemas since we have mature as well as younger age audience and different films should be available for viewing for different audiences. For instance, if a film is rated NC-17, the film should be screened but only those above 17 years of age should be admitted to watch it.

Fourthly, administrative issues like providing adequate premises, equipment and screening rooms need to be addressed. Currently, distributors order screening sessions with exhibitors which is a time and resource constraint for all involved.

Synergyzer: What are your comments on the current state of our film industry and how can it become viable in the coming years?

Mr. Ramzi: I do believe that our industry is on the right track. With the development of cineplexes and multiplexes, the industry is now catering to a more mature cinema audience who demand a good cinematic experience in terms of story line and production values, amongst other things. These audiences have made movies like Chambeli and Mein Hoon Shahid Afridi running successes, highlighting the potential for new genres.
For the next couple of years, our filmmakers need to make movies that can be viable business propositions. Being able to compete with Hollywood or Bollywood commercial cinema is out of question at the moment since that requires major investment. In our current scenario, we have to make movies that are acceptable internationally, and over time, establish Pakistan’s niche, as well as be able to bring in investors. Good storylines, attention to technical details and production values are necessary aspects here.

Also, we need film schools to train our technical as well as creative talent so that we can churn out movies that create impact.

Most importantly, we need constructive criticism from people from different walks of life so that our films and filmmakers can gain and learn. Harsh criticism will not help the industry grow, rather create gaps. On the other hand, our filmmakers also need to analyze and realize their areas of improvement, and work accordingly on future ventures.

Synergyzer: Movies like Bol and Khuda Ke Liye delivered quite well, while certain others failed to deliver as much. What, in your opinion, were the reasons?

Mr. Ramzi: Bol and Khuda Ke Liye were Shoaib Mansoor’s productions, with big budgets and a stellar cast, with actors like Shan, Iman Ali and Umaima Abbasi. The greatest drawback with lower budget movies is the lack of a star cast, even though they may have good production design and values with good cinematography. Sometimes these movies are rushed into releasing to cash in on a particular season, Chambaili for instance.

Synergyzer: Iran’s art films seem to have made a niche for themselves internationally. Do you think they are a good business proposition?

Mr. Ramzi: We often confuse commercial films and art films. Even though art films get critical acclaim, they do not generate profits usually that can be invested back into the industry for producing further films.

Also, how easy is it for us, as well as for our mass market to watch such movies for two long hours sitting at one place in cinema theatres? Irani cinema may have produced sophisticated and mature movies that got internationally acclaimed, but what we need within our cinema industry is to produce commercial hits that are money generating ventures to re-establish our industry. Art movies should be a distant proposition at the moment, when the commercial viability does not remain a key concern for our filmmakers.

 

Behbud Education System

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Behbud Education System

Behbud Association is a social welfare organization with quite a few umbrella projects under its aegis. These include facilities related to education, health, vocational, environment, rehabilitation, and income generation for women.

The Behbud Education System (BES) is thriving with student centric facilities that comprise of four literary centres, four community schools, three secondary schools and one primary school. All schools are registered with the Sindh Board of Secondary Education. Mostly located in slum areas for easy access to children residing nearby, the project’s main objectives are to provide quality education to under privileged people and to empower women with the help of adult literacy programmes. In order to make it more interactive, BES has devised activities which include mother’s club, parents & teachers meetings and facilitation of education without age limits through the parent education committees. This increases the child’s as well as the parent’s interest level and absenteeism is therefore minimal. The school fee is as affordable as Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 per month; however, if people are not able to afford it, a sponsor is linked to support them.

With the utmost need of libraries being essential for the progress of any nation in the world it is greatly stressed upon by Behbud Association as they have built fully equipped computer labs and libraries. With the students acing through school results, they are often provided further support in the form of fully sponsored further education.

Part of the Literacy Centres, The Jugnoo Program has been designed as a pioneering literary course with the sole purpose of empowering women and children by improving the quality of lives through literacy. It spans over a period of three to four months where basic Mathematics is taught alongside reading and writing in English and Urdu. The success of this course can be gauged from the fact that 150 students got admissions in regular schools after completing the program. Also, all Behbud industrial home workers are now literate.

Not only is the system focused on educating children, rather teachers are also trained frequently through workshops to enhance their teaching skills so that they can further build the students’ cognitive and intellectual capabilities through innovative teaching methods. This is carried out by the Behbud Learning Resource Centre (LRC), established in 2002, which focuses on human resource training and development of teachers. Until now almost 10,000 teachers have been trained. Formed through capacity building initiatives of the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Education Development (AKU-IED), it serves the very purpose it was initiated for.

The Computer Centre at Shireen Jinnah Colony is operating towards the eradication of illiteracy equipped with modern IT tools; the youngsters as well as adults of the slums are trained and taught various basic computer courses while advanced courses are in the pipeline which include 3D and 2D animation, Auto CAD and Computerised Accounting.

Behbud Association Karachi can be reached at:

Pakistan: Behbud Association Karachi
Street 9, Block 1, Scheme 5, Kehkashan, Clifton, Karachi-75600
Tel: 021-35820663; 35820665; 35824524
Fax: 35862093
Email: info@behbudkarachi.org 

USA: Ms. Nigaar Hussain
APWA Inc.
7004, Heatherhill Road Bethesda, MD 20817
Tel:+1-301-320 3973

         

Cinemas and Changing Trends

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Cinemas and Changing Trends

Our cinema industry, on the rise from warm waters, is certainly changing into a complete entertainment hub for audiences. While it may be the facilitation and extra entertainment avenues and value added services available inside the cinema that attract the audience; a cinema’s potential to generate revenue has multiplied manifold for its owners.

From the basic 35mm cinema scope concept to the modern digital technology and what seemed like a dream at one point in time, i.e. 3D, the cinema industry of Pakistan has conquered it all. It was only a couple of years ago that our privileged strata would talk about movies they have seen on 3D screens abroad and now, this concept has completely jelled in our cinema audiences. The modern Pakistani cinemagoer has accepted the change in the industry with arms wide open and can be seen settled in a three hour movie wearing 3D glasses, a concept that might not have been sworn in any other industry as easily.

When we talk about cinema, we not only refer to a theatre hall, but are talking about a complete source of entertainment that includes food, snacks and good leisure time. Gone are the days when people would want to stand in long queues to get tickets for their favorite blockbusters. Cinemagoers now expect better services and value additions. The industry has been hit with a service orientation competition, which has become the need of the hour as digital screening media and snacks are mostly the same across cinemas nationally or internationally. As the concept of booking tickets over the phone is a highly used practice, modern gadgets and hi-tech machines are now an integral part of this industry and have acted as catalysts in elevating cinegoer expectations. For instance, social media pages of different cinemas are filled with requests for the introduction of internet booking. Also, a number of mobile applications have been introduced for different versions of Android, iOS and Blackberry interfaces. App developers and cinema managements are trying different ways through which clients can book and pay through these applications, although restrictions on eCommerce is a major limitation, locally. Even then, certain cinemas have overcome this by using the cash-on-delivery model, where users book tickets over the internet and pay when tickets are delivered to them.

Recently, the concept of luxury and gold class cinemas has started coming up according to which, a cinema should be an architectural milestone with a grand ambiance. Started by Bahria Town, this eventually led to the making of the first Gold class multiplex. Also, foundations are being laid to introduce screening technologies like VMAX and IMAX, which will become available to cinegoers soon in Pakistan.

On the split side, customers are a great source of idea generation for cinema owners. The audience just does not come for every movie; it is the star power of the main characters or the cast that draws people to it. The genre and storyline comes next, followed by visual and sound effects. Also, cinegoers now usually make it a point to read movie reviews before spending on cinema tickets.

The boom in this entertainment medium has gotten marketers to allocate special budgets to highlight their brands and brand logos in the movies, as well as to sponsor movies and hold red carpet screenings prior to opening days. In line with this trend, the three major spending industries; beverages, cellular service providers and banks are utilizing different strategies to target cinemas, distributors and movie production.

Beverage brands hold a prime share in this industry and are earning massive revenues from exclusive deals allowing cinemas to sell only one cola inside the theatre premises. Cinemas, on the other hand are earning huge amounts of royalty fees to allow such exclusivity. This competition amongst cola brands has become so severe that massive budgets are being placed for every new cinema that is opening up as well as for older cinemas that are turning up huge numbers of cinema audiences. These brands have clearly marked their territories and form alliances with movie distributors prior to movie launches.

The telecom sector is also very strategically active in the cinema business, especially targeting the youth. Recently, a certain initiative saw a telco company distributing hundreds of free movie passes while dealing directly with the distributor without taking cinema management into account. Also, youth packages by different telco brands offer free passes of different movies for which royalty amounts or a certain price gets paid to distributors. These tactics have made cellular service providers indispensible to cinemas.

Credit card machines and alternate payment mechanisms are allowing banks to focus on the cinema industry. A number of financial institutions are offering discounts to their credit card holders in partnership with different cinemas, as well as offering VIP tickets to their exclusive clients.

Even though FMCG and other industries are not as visible in our cinemas and movies at the moment, their presence is expected to be felt soon as international trends indicate. For instance, a number of FMCG brands used in Bollywood movies are significantly present in our local market, while only the off-shore units of such MNC’s are investing in the film through brand placements. Their Pakistani chapters do not promote the film here with as much fervor.

Internationally, including in neighboring states, media houses have set up separate units for brand associations with foreign movie launches as well as local movies being produced. It is important for our own media houses, advertisers and movie producers to realize and incorporate this change which will foster the marketing and media industry while making the cinema industry more lucrative in the process.

To sum it all, the impact of emerging cinemas in Pakistan has been very positive on society, business community and our local entertainment industry. New ideas embedded with technology, service benchmarks, creation of jobs, marketing spaces and above all; international recognition of our redeveloping cinema market has drawn a lot of interest from the foreign and local community. If led properly, we are in for setting up an entertainment industry that will impact film business at international box offices and draw plenty of attention from studios located internationally and their marketing agencies.

Research by M. Usman Zahid Usman is Cinema Marketing Consultant at Ideas Infinity Consultancy

 

The Wildlife Experience Center

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The Wildlife Experience Center

By Syed Umer Iftikhar Ahmed

The Wildlife Experience Center is a project of The Wildlife Welfare Society. The center is a petting zoo with four core objectives; education, conservation, rehabilitation and research. With these four cores as foundation, TWEC aims to create, promote and sustain awareness amongst the general populace about wildlife.

Being one of the first petting zoos in Pakistan, TWEC has become a trend setter in inducing the love for animals and wildlife in people through live interaction with animals in their respective habitats in the presence of well-trained personnel. The center has the largest variety of hand-raised exotic birds and other tamed animals. It is also equipped with excellent media facilities and supported by the media industry. Through these, TWEC also plans to make quality documentaries and presentations, meanwhile also arranging workshops and seminars on different topics about wildlife.

The Wildlife Experience Center has been well-received by the community as a progressive, constructive and innovative project. Pet-lovers, wildlife enthusiasts and academics in this field have joined hands to serve the cause through ideas, campaigns and education.
The center educates people of all ages, with respect to their intellect, through various programs. Several schools, colleges and universities have collaborated with TWEC to educate their students about wildlife and its importance. They have visited the place and vice versa for this purpose. TWEC promotes awareness about wildlife, both local and international through educational activities, circulation of educational material and instructions.

It has also carried out several educational activities in welfare institutions and is proud to be associated with Darul Sukun, Aghaz School, Hino Pak, Bank Al Falah and many more institutions.

TWEC is not only a petting zoo but also serves as a conservation center; many campaigns are underway for different goals, some of them being Save Native Wildlife, Save Vultures and Stop Bear Baiting.

The organization hopes to rehabilitate native wildlife through mass educational projects such as Wildlife Warriors, through which they will train wildlife enthusiasts on how to care for the environment and wildlife around them.

Along with expert zoologists and academics of the field, TWEC has an excellent research team. It has provided young academics of this field with an interactive, progressive and practical platform to implement their studies as well as collaborating with international experts, including Bob Clark and the Swamp Brothers from Discovery Channel and has international liaison offices in five countries including USA and UAE.

TWEC does not believe in taking donations but does work in partnership with organizations and the corporate sector to promote its cause while being an open for all space. It is extremely affordable to visit for anyone.

Being innovative and easily approachable, the TWECians have earned great appraisal from people in general. TWEC has an amazingly strong and capable volunteer force led by wildlife enthusiasts who act as mentors to guide its volunteers through different phases so that everyone may contribute. Having an extremely proactive volunteer program for students from all fields, it’s a great platform where they can put their energies to a constructive cause.

The Wildlife Experience Center also provides certified internships to selected candidates from different academic fields and till now has achieved several milestones since its inception in the spring of 2013 and at the rate it is growing; it has a promising future.

TWEC not only provides a great educational experience but also has proved to be a great recreational center for all. People not only learn there but also find entertainment for different members of the family. Some of the recreational activities include getting photographed with pet animals and playing with them. People take these pictures home with moments in which they experienced the unconditional love these animals expressed to them.

Several TV shows also invited TWEC members to educate and entertain their audience while promoting their cause and now, the media industry constantly seeks expert opinion from the organization whenever any issue pertaining to wildlife comes up.

TWECians dream to make our society a nature-loving one where people will respect the surroundings they live in.

The Wildlife Welfare Society has come forward as one of the first local proactive not for profit organization which serves the cause of protecting wildlife through the support of the local community by educating, researching and conserving wildlife and rehabilitating endangered species. It hopes to one day serve as a platform through which enthusiasts, academics, entrepreneurs and experts come together for the love of wildlife.

Zeeshan Azeem, Hyder Shaheed Park, Block 1 Nazimabad,Karachi.
President: Atif Imtiaz
0300-8230961

 

Making of a Typhone

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Making of a Typhone

Zeeshan Akhtar, CEO & Chairman – Qmobile, talks about how QMobile has become a mass cellular phone brand in such a short while in Pakistan.

Synergyzer: Tell us about yourself.

Zeeshan Akhtar: After completing my education from the USA in 2003, I came back to Pakistan to further my career. I was affiliated with the distribution of foreign brands like LG and Samsung that provided me with opportunities to realize my own understanding of the Pakistani market. I learnt how to get brands to achieve major market share. Hence, QMobile was born.

Synergyzer: What are smartphone user trends in Pakistan?

Zeeshan: Smartphone user trends in Pakistan defy all research findings and surveys since the value benefit that Pakistani users demand is phenomenal. I strongly believe that smartphones will replace normal feature phones soon and after the launch of 3G services, the true potential of these phones will be unleashed.

Synergyzer: What are the statistics about cell phone & smartphone users in Pakistan?

Zeeshan: According to Business Recorder, smartphone usage has jumped 79% in the past year, internationally, and around 450 million smart phones are expected to ship worldwide this year. The number of smartphone users in Pakistan, according to an estimate given in Business Recorder, is around five to six million smartphone users. A rather bullish estimate by Ericsson Pakistan anticipates around 50 million smartphone users to be in Pakistan by 2016, which will account for 70 percent of operator revenues.

Synergyzer: What is it that differs QMobile from its competition?

Zeeshan: I believe it is our responsiveness towards market and customer demands. QMobile has always been able to come up with an answer for advanced technological mobile phone needs of Pakistani market. Moreover, our sourcing and inventory management model empowers the brand to be competitive in price as compared to its competition.

Synergyzer: What technological innovations has QMobile incorporated that makes it stand above the rest?

Zeeshan: A combination of features spread over different price segments especially designed for the Pakistani market gives our products a competitive technological edge over others. Our brand’s motto is to upgrade the lifestyle of our masses by providing cutting edge technology in a price which is affordable to them. More than 70% of Pakistan’s mobile phone market is under the Rs. 7,000 price segment, and we have tried to provide a number of features in as many mobile phones as possible catering to this bracket.

For instance, the QMobile Smart Phone Series Noir and Bolt have gained massive response from our consumer and the usage of smartphones is increasing day by day.

Synergyzer: How do you determine your pricing?

Zeeshan: A combination of features of a phone versus its target market defines the price of a certain mobile phone since Pakistan is a low-end market and price plays a crucial factor in the success of any model we launch. While launching any model, we keenly observe and analyze the type of customer segment and what would be an affordable price for them.

Synergyzer: What are the customer satisfaction strategies adopted by the brand?

Zeeshan: Customer satisfaction is no strategy, rather at QMobile, this is a part of our belief. Only satisfied customers can help us remain undisputed market leaders. The ‘Q’ in QMobile stands for quality: We have more than 25 state of the art customer care centers available all across Pakistan and more than 300 collection points just to facilitate our customers. We believe that actual sales are when customers are satisfied with the product and for that, a-state-of-the-art after-sales service mechanism is in place.

Synergyzer: What are some of the brilliant marketing strategies adopted by the brand?

Zeeshan: Marketing is just one significant part of the ecosystem we have developed in our organization. The role of marketing is to create awareness in a simple communicative format for our consumers and potential customers. In a very short span of time we have created many memorable campaigns, for low-end price segments to high-end price segments, like the Noir Smartphone Series campaign. The use of celebrity endorsement has added substantial value to our claims giving us value through this campaign.
But as I said that marketing is one part of the eco system, the other strategies which are in line with marketing to give proper support to our claim include technologically advanced mobile sets with excellent service, customer care, and attractive prices that are comparable to world renowned foreign brands.

Synergyzer: What are the advertising strategies that the brand is currently utilizing?

Zeeshan: Advertising strategy differs from model to model. Yet, we mostly use TV, print and o

 

Befikr Mustaqbil

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Befikr Mustaqbil

Befikr Mustaqbil

BEFIKR MUSTAQBIL WITH JUBILEE LIFE INSURANCE

The current law and order situation has greatly stressed upon the need of safety and security in the country and has thus made potential consumers realize the importance of purchasing an insurance policy which they were previously reluctant for. However, the habit of procrastination at the national level serves as a hindrance which Jubilee Life Insurance has capitalized upon while launching an extensive marketing campaign with the big idea, ‘Stop the Delay. Get Insurance Today.’ Connecting with the same insight, it has a strong message in a light tone highlighting the need of insurance and how it can protect one’s family.

This tagline was coined by Lowe & Rauf after extensive research to understand consumer buying behavior towards insurance leading to a purchase decision. Although potential consumers are in their consideration phase regarding the importance of insurance policies for safeguarding their financial future, they lack timely decision making.

The campaign conveys a strong message through a soft sell approach considering that insurance is gaining momentum because it’s becoming more of a need than a matter of choice. Holistically speaking, this entire category is in it’s growth phase where there needs to be more awareness based campaigns so that consumers can be educated about the need and benefits of insurance and it’s long term outcome.

The message, ‘Do not delay’ in the present campaign is a sequel of the previous campaign that focused on the element of ‘uncertainty’ while this one is playing a reminder function through persuasive advertising. Therefore, the previous strategy was based on informative advertising and awareness building where the target audience was educated about insurance and now they are being reminded about its ultimate importance by seeding the thought, ‘Befikr mustaqbil kay liya sirf Jubilee Insurance.’  The aim is to encourage consumers for category use and make them aware about Jubilee Life Insurance through the concept of proactive planning about their and their family’s secure future. Eventually, it’s about awareness building for the remaining untapped market and persuading them.

The strategy throughout has been constant be it PR, advertising or marketing strategy with awareness building as a primary goal to clear misconceptions associated with insurance in Pakistan. However, the digital strategy is somewhat different where a relatively younger audience is targeted regarding the importance of reducing uncertainty as they will be future consumers themselves.

Converge happens to be the digital agency while Asiatic Public Relations (APR) is Jubilee’s PR agency. The campaign was integrated across all media platforms ranging from TV, print, radio, OOH, and digital which was based on social media and web advertising. An engaging content driven campaign was simultaneously launched on all digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, procrastination based ads were integrated on key websites with prominent landing pages. The objective was to have a fully integrated campaign and get more web hits especially with respect to the digital arena. Moreover, in order to reach the masses, creatives were designed in different provincial languages to attain maximum market penetration.

Jubilee’s campaign is also an outcome of different adaptations such as the T-20 World Cup which was a great time to capitalize to get the highest number of eyeballs. It’s later transition into conventional channels including regional ones through cable TV ensured market development towards rural areas. Likewise, this orthodox category was also modernized by using brand integration in the campaign where Fawad Alam was introduced through social media to highlight the importance of life insurance.

Specifically talking about the TVC’s, the storyboard was developed showcasing a carefree husband and a responsible wife. One fine day he surprises her by buying an insurance policy in order to secure their financial future. The advertisement featured renowned Pakistani actors, Aiza Khan and Sami Khan.

Having a broad spectrum of target audience comprising of 80% males and 20% females ranging from 25 to 55 years from semi urban and urban areas of Central Punjab and Sindh, has been Jubilee Life Insurance’s focus. These include people belonging to a wide scope of socio-economic classes (SEC), namely, A, B, and C where consumers could have various preferences such as, simply saving money for a better financial future, a better living post retirement, quality education for children or their marriage. So the needs could be endless which Jubilee’s portfolio could help fulfill.

Psychographics play a major role in a purchase decision for insurance. For example, people from urban centres tend to be very analytical and seek in-depth information regarding the offerings of the financial products while those from semi urban areas or Central Punjab base their final decision after consultation with elders or opinion leaders and influencers. This segment also has a greater purchasing power and rely more on what the said influencers suggest which includes family, friends, and professionals from financial institutes.

Jubilee Insurance enjoys a market leadership position in the private sector insurance industry.

For over 75 years, the company has built a rich global heritage of enriching lives by offering insurance solutions that make life carefree and rewarding. The corporate brand portfolio includes solutions catering to different lifestyles such as Education Plans, Marriage Plans, Retirement Plans, Plans for Women, Saving & Protection Plans and Rural Plans.

Though the campaign received publicity resulting in great ad recall due to concept simplicity, much needs to be done to eradicate the attitude of ‘procrastination’ from our nation. With a positive perceived positioning the brand image has become stronger post campaign.

 

Visual Colonialism

Omair Faizullah
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Visual Colonialism

By Omair Faizullah

Yes, it is in Urdu.
When you landed on this page, you immediately thought of two things.

1. Why is the title of this piece in Urdu?

2. Why is there an image of an animal famous for its scavenging habits,  standing in the middle of an empty road staring at me with an apprehensive  yellow eyeball?

I recently had the honor of visiting (and judging) at one of the more prestigious art institutions of this country. Among the great pieces of art and communication, I couldn’t forget one project. A visual communication student had realized that Urdu was going through its inherent metamorphosis and will eventually hybridize until the parasitically global English, or more precisely, Roman alphabet will take over in form and function and we will be left with an entirely new alphabet and script.

The concept, needless to say was excellent and we may even be alive one day to witness its manifestation. It had great potential to produce some excellent and thought provoking communication. Sadly, what the student ended up putting on the wall seemed rather contrived, ill conceived and pretty much fell flat on its face. Why you may ask? Well, aside from being designed badly, the entire project was in English. Not a single trace of Urdu in the entire piece. The entire communication module was developed on the assumption that the audience did not really need Urdu – thus proving (rather ironically) the project’s hypothesis but leaving the viewer with absolutely no take away. But we mustn’t be quick to judge the student here, interestingly; they are not to be blamed at all. I would however, like to blame most of the visual culture that is being developed and shown around us.

Nicholas Mirzoeff in his book “An Introduction to Visual Culture”, defines visual culture as “visual events in which information, meaning or pleasure is sought by the consumer in an interface with visual technology. By visual technology, I mean any form of apparatus designed either to be looked at or to enhance natural vision, from oil painting to television and the internet. Such criticism takes account of the importance of image making, the formal components of a given image, and the crucial completion of that work by its cultural reception.”

In simpler words, everything that we see around us on television, in print, on walls, signboards and everything in between adds to the pool of popular culture developing around us. It affects us in ways much deeper than what we may imagine and on levels that most of us cannot even foresee. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we, as people, who generate visual information across media; study it, generate critical discourse and eventually realize the state we are in as a consequence.

Let’s jump back to the two questions I posed at the start of this article. The answer to the first question is: The title of this piece is in Urdu to highlight the irony that this entire piece is being written in English. The way visual culture behaves around us – in Pakistan – is not too different. For the most part, it runs on a loop that lacks context and instead of generating intelligent discourse, nullifies it. The reasons, I believe are a can of worms that we don’t really either see or may want to open. Because let’s face it, where there are worms (and not much else to eat) and such, there are bound to be scavengers. With apprehensive yellow eyeballs. And there you have the answer to the second question. That’s a rather smug way of putting it but hey, it is what it is, there is no other way. When has reasoning or rational argument ever proved anything, right?

Pakistan it seems is in a constant state of cultural colonization. More so perhaps than our neighbors to the west and east. That is quite a bold claim on my part I realize and it will take quite a few more pages for me to properly justify it. But for the sake of argument, let’s make believe that visual culture in Pakistan really is that porous; that it is being influenced by forces and mediums outside of the country more than inside. The fact validating this argument is that we in Pakistan simply do not generate as much visual information as we import it. Thus our culture – visual or otherwise – becomes susceptible to foreign streams of information and their influence.

To support this further, let’s just take film for example. While India produces hundreds of films every year, Pakistan produces only a handful. Next thing we know, we’re enjoying watching someone’s little kid on Facebook, dancing to the latest item number. A similar phenomenon happens when an Indian song is used as the track for our latest political debacle in a news report. Why is that you ask? Well, because we simply do not produce enough songs. Our journalists are left with no choice but to scavenge the immense and constantly expanding music library originating from our neighboring country. So in effect, we depend on a foreign culture to make a societal comment on our own culture. The entire phenomenon is mind bogglingly ironic. And extremely interesting.

Here is another more recent example. Celebrity endorsements. They have started trickling in and will remain a steady stream for some time to come. Salman Khan making sure we wear clean clothes. Kareena Kapoor wants to sell us the latest cell phone. Nargis Fakhri is plastered all over the urban landscape selling us some other such thing. Jacqueline Fernandez urging us to become white-er. And let’s not forget Juhi Chawla selling us bovine oriented cooking oil.

Pursue to Progress

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Pursue to Progress

Taher Khan, Chairman, Interflow Group highlights the wonderful opportunity for trade and investment that Pakistan presents to the world.

Synergyzer: You are an institution for our media industry and you have changed its dynamics. Let us start with some background on the media brands that you have brought into Pakistan.

Taher Khan: Our first affiliation was with Ogilvy and Mather (O&M) on a 50:50 partnership with Interflow Communications. About fifteen years ago, we established Mindshare as an equity partner which now operates under GroupM Pakistan. In 2005, we established O&M as another equity partner operating as a separate agency. Currently, we are in talks with WPP, the world’s largest communication services group, to extend our association with other brands from the British multinational advertising and Public Relations company.

Our focus is on equity partnerships now, rather than affiliations, meaning the brands will partner with Interflow Group and will be incorporated as businesses on their own.

Synergyzer: How did you convince media giants like Ogilvy and Mather (O&M) and GroupM to start operations in Pakistan keeping in view the current scenario of the country?

Taher Khan: WPP chairman, Martin Sorrell, has great confidence in Pakistan alongside Asian markets like China, India, Singapore, Indonesia and Bangladesh due to the potential for growth our market has for advertising which is greatly underutilized at the moment. Also, since developed nations like Europe are stagnating and North America has come under economic pressures, international concerns are looking for developing markets.

We have a huge market comprising of a fairly large middle-class and a young population. Hence, despite all the natural and man-made disasters, MNC in Pakistan, including P&G, Nestle and Pepsi are registering double digit growth and are planning to invest further. Also, there is a lot of ease for doing business in Pakistan, as compared to other emerging economies. The country has pro-business policies and although there are a few initial bottlenecks for companies looking to establish themselves, conducting operations here is usually profitable.

Due to these factors, WPP firmly believes that our economy is poised for growth and given a little bit of direction, bound to boom.

Synergyzer: The image Pakistan has throughout the world is mainly due to the way our media projects it. What would be your take on that?

Taher Khan: It is not our local media that projects a negative image around the world, rather the international media which carries its own prejudices and biases. They usually show the extremist side of our country which is practiced by a minority. The majority of Pakistanis are warm, hospitable, resilient, hardworking and with strong societal values.

The Chairman of O&M, Miles Young once said to me, “Pakistan is Pakistan’s best kept secret.” What he meant was that Pakistanis should be putting in efforts on promoting all the wonderful culture and talent that the country has to offer which the world is unaware of.

Synergyzer: If you were to brand Pakistan, what will be your selling point?

Taher Khan: In March this year, as part of the Pakistan Business Council, we met senior government officials and suggested that we should promote Pakistan as a great investment opportunity. You see, in the past few months a number of pro-business policies have been implemented by the current government and it is the perfect time to tell the world about the opportunities that the country has to offer. Hence, we should be trying to attract investments in the sectors of energy, infrastructure, education, consumer goods etc. and as I mentioned earlier, the services sector.

Synergyzer: Please elaborate on the factors that will help attract trade and investors to Pakistan.

Taher Khan: We are the sixth most populous country, our middle class amounts to anywhere from 15 to 16 million people and we have a majorly young population with growing purchasing power. Any consumer goods manufacturing company will find a huge market here with untapped potential that will continue to grow in the coming decades. Also, we have national resources, a big pool of talented people and a geostrategic location. Most importantly, as I mentioned earlier, the MNCs that are in Pakistan like Nestle, Unilever, Pepsi etc. have been doing well so there is no reason why any other such company won’t.

Synergyzer: Do you think Pakistan should be branded for the tourism potential that it has?

Taher Khan: No, at this point, more than tourism it is trade that we should attract. We should promote tourism once the issue of militancy has been tackled in the country.

Synergyzer: In your opinion, what should we focus on to elevate the economical and social infrastructure of the country?

Taher Khan: Three E’s: Education, Energy and Extremism; and in that order. Education has to be prioritized because investment in education brings about the highest and the quickest returns, with a remarkable rise in overall productivity and leads to solving interconnected issues related to poverty, militancy being one such issue in our case.

Synergyzer: What measures should we take as individuals and as a society to be able to project ourselves as a nation of promise?

Taher Khan: Individually, we should try to be better human beings and set examples for our younger generation instilling concrete values and a strong civic sense in them. I think it boils down to the principles laid down by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah; unity, faith and discipline; which will guide us to success.

As a nation, we often tend to be short-sighted and impatient, wanting immediate results. These things combined have inculcated an air of indiscipline. The fact that we have a very young population is a huge opportunity and a big risk at the same time. If we are not able to meet the expectations of our youngsters, we may have a majorly disgruntled and despondent population, which will lead to a bleak future. We should be able to create an air of optimism and teach people to look at the glass as half full. We have achieved much since independence and instead of lamenting what we do not have; we should set our eyes on the future and work towards it.

The Next OUTDOOR

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The Next OUTDOOR

Amer Khan – Chief Executive Officer, Muhammad Saqib Bashir  – Chief Operating Officer and Naveed Shah – Chief Strategy Officer discuss Next Media Group’s innovative business model for the out of home advertising industry

Synergyzer: What is Next Media Group (NMG) all about?

Amer Khan (CEO): Next Media Group is a complete solution for ‘Out of Home’ (OOH) advertising that enables brands to achieve their business and marketing goals. NMG comprises of separate specialized solution providers including; O-Media Communication which focuses on outdoor media strategies, buying and planning; Level-2 being the creative outdoor ideation agency and i-Catch that offers digital print services along with retail branding.

The division is characteristic of a decentralized organization, thereby, enhancing the diversification in client services.

Synergyzer: How does the Next Media Group differentiate itself from the rest of the OOH solution businesses?

Amer: Our core competency lies in formulating effective outdoor media strategies followed by efficient buying & planning. Moreover we believe that with technology becoming an integral part of life, it is important to develop technology based applications for OOH. Therefore we are the first agency to develop a technology-based campaign monitoring application which facilitates our clients to monitor their campaigns much easily versus conventional approaches. This is just the first step and we are working on other tech based applications to be used in the OOH industry.

Also, we have the first mover advantage in being an outdoor media agency with its own execution team and safety-oriented policy that follows strict safety protocols for execution of any campaign.

Synergyzer: How important is the role of research in OOH? How are you conducting research to plan OOH campaigns?

Amer: Research is an important part of OOH planning. Hence, we are collaborating with a specialized outdoor research agency for our OOH research requirements, mainly ROI – return on investment – calculation to aid clients investing huge amounts of money in the medium.

Synergyzer: What are the challenges in the OOH advertising industry?

Amer: The absence of a formal structure in the OOH industry is one challenge, as no official association protects or guides outdoor media agencies at the national level. Secondly, there is an absence of professional resources in the industry and those still inclined towards working with an orthodox approach; however individuals with better educational background are now stepping into the industry which is now bringing professionalism and innovation to the medium. Lastly, frequent changes in local authorities and their policies at the management level also create uncertainty to quite an extent.

Saqib Bashir (COO): Timely consent from authorities is a challenge. Also, sudden and uninformed changes in rules and regulations affect timely execution which disturbs the entire process and affects the execution process thus pressurizing the operations team but we have to manage it accordingly.

Naveed Shah (CSO): Creative outdoor campaigns are becoming more and more integral to brands, which has given rise to the challenge for churning out new creative ideas, as every client wants to stand out and stand different in creative outdoors. Lack of specialized and trained creative resources in outdoor creative ideas generation teams is now becoming a major challenge.Yet, we see this as an opportunity for fresh talent who want to make a career in this industry.

Synergyzer: How is strategy formulation carried out in OOH planning and buying?

Amer: Strategic buying and planning is critical in translating marketing strategies into media planning. The process begins by understanding the brand, its vision, the campaign brief and its objectives. Next we determine the target market; its demographics, psychographics and behaviors and set about defining a relevant path to connect with them. The third stage involves development of an OOH strategy and integration with an overall media mix along with establishing the key performance indicators. Planning is the final stage.

Saqib: Efficient buying requires in-depth knowledge of the industry, selling trends and demand patterns, interpersonal and negotiation skills along with a meticulous yet flexible strategy.

Synergyzer: How important is campaign post evaluation for brands and agencies involved?
Amer: Despite most agencies’ and clients’ emphasis on the execution process mostly, post evaluation is imperative to determine ROI of campaigns. For this purpose, we have collaborated with third party agency for ROI analysis.

Synergyzer: How do you intend to carry out campaign monitoring and tracking?

Amer: We have introduced technological based tracking system that enables our clients to track and monitor sites in real time. This is just the beginning towards more revolutionary steps in the future to facilitate clients in more areas.

Synergyzer: What is the driving force behind increased and improved creative execution in outdoor in the recent years?

Amer: Creating a ‘wow’ factor has played a pivotal role as it strengthens brand recall. Though conventional mediums are still important, brands have realized that campaigns should be clutter free, and to stay ahead, more creative and unconventional executions need to be implemented.

Naveed: Brands aspire to differentiate themselves. This has played a major role in driving creative outdoor campaigns.

Synergyzer: Where do you see the OOH industry moving to in the future?

Amer: The OOH industry operates with a very holistic methodology. Outdoor media campaigns are focused on a ‘think and feel’ approach where interaction and creative is key in engaging customers and even though we are using unconventional executions, we still need to pace up to global trends. Moreover, the upsurge in smartphone usage and connectivity with the online world is bringing the OOH and digital mediums closer. In the future, these mediums will work even more in tandem and we need to embrace this new trend whole heartedly.

Synergyzer: Do you have a particular work process flow which you follow?

Saqib: The process begins by understanding the brand, its brief, vision, objectives, strategy and budget. Next we determine the target market; their demographics, psychographics and behaviors and set about defining a relevant path to connect with them. The third stage involves development of an OOH strategy and integration with an overall media mix along with establishing the key performance indicators.

Planning is the fourth stage which requires media planning, rational, visualization and campaign optimization. However, execution of the campaign is not the end of the process; we also do post evaluations to asses our effectiveness.

Synergyzer: How important is the vendor management in this industry?

Saqib: Extremely critical. Vendors are site owners; hence relations with them have to be productive. To build good relations, it is important to make timely payments and educate them on new and upcoming industry needs.

Synergyzer: What is the importance of execution in a campaign?

Saqib: Execution is the most crucial part because everything depends on it and all efforts become useless if campaign deliverables are not met, along with it being timely and quality-oriented with all safety standards in place. We have a fully equipped dedicated team for this purpose which we call, ‘F1’ that comprises of skilled and experienced individuals operating from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

 

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