Khaadi, Pakistaniâs renowned fashion and lifestyle brand, recently launched their initiative titled âKreate Your Markâ â aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs – at their Experience Hub at Dolmen Mall, Clifton, Karachi. According to the brand, the initiative embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder, Shamoon Sultan, who wants to celebrate entrepreneurs who are authentic and passionate in their purpose.
Since Khaadi is predominantly womenâs brand, the impetus to launch âKreate Your Markâ centres around the economic independence of women, along with the belief that not everyone will champion and understand their dreams.
âI believe in individuals who dream fearlessly to create their own mark,â says Sultan the dreamer, Founder and CEO of Khaadi, while talking about his recent project. Since establishing Khaadi (coined from the word Khaddi, meaning handloom) in 1998, Sultan has become one of Pakistanâs most successful and respected fashion retail moguls.
Khaadi today has over 60 stores within and outside Pakistan.
The âKreate Your Markâ platform provides a dedicated space at the heart of Khaadiâs Experience Hub providing their âKreatorsâ an opportunity to connect with the customer as well as other incredible women who aspire to join their journey. âOur Kreators are talented and passionate women entrepreneurs who wish to enhance their business and product lines. They have promising products that are made in Pakistan and have captured a popular customer base, making for a great success story,â says Tinath Saeed, Manager Fashion PR, Brand Experience, Khaadi.
Saeed says it was while working on âKreate Your Markâ platform that the team came across a pool of women entrepreneurs, with promising products made in Pakistan and who had captured a niche customer base. âWe wanted to recognize their contribution in engaging local craftsmen and providing employment. These women had the business knowledge to develop products through extensive R&D which lead to impeccable quality,â she adds.
To qualify for the Kreate Your Mark platform, a woman has to be Pakistani resident, who owns the largest or an equal stake in her business, which has been operating for over a year.
Once selected, a Kreator can be part of the Kreate Your Mark platform for a minimum of 30 days per store. After their successful launch they will have the opportunity to become part of Khaadiâs supply chain, which will allow them to scale their businesses.
The chosen Kreators have been connected with leaders and experts at Khaadi for over seven months, where they have gained industry insights, trends as well as customer preferences. They have also received coaching sessions in supply chain, operations, marketing and finance so that they develop a wide range of business skills.
Saeed says Kreate Your Mark is a non-profit platform through which Kreators will receive 100% of the sales contribution from their product line and access to prime locations within the Khaadi store.
As for their expansion plans, Kreate Your Mark will open in select Lahore and Islamabad stores as well.
Giving his final word, Sultan hopes that providing access to these businesswomen to showcase their talent and products at Khaadiâs Experience Hubs, will motivate them to not only pursue their ambitions but also build the necessary business acumen and guidance through his skilled team.
Pakistan is a country where many different cultures coexist, and traditions are everything. Weddings are a part of this tradition, and if there’s one thing that the people of this country can unanimously agree upon is that there is no bigger celebration than a wedding. In our culture, marriage is not just about two people deciding to spend their lives with one another but rather two families coming together to celebrate the union of love.
Pakistan has four provinces, each with distinct wedding traditions that illustrate the country’s cultural diversity. However, music is something that transcends provincial boundaries and ties the entire country. Songs are a constant part of Pakistani weddings, with youngsters preparing elaborate dance performances on them and elders serenading to the traditional wedding songs.
The upcoming winter season has always been eventful in terms of weddings because most families wait the whole year to start their celebrations in the cold weather. The last few years have been like a rollercoaster due to COVID19 which caused a delay in several weddings. Now that the gloomy clouds of the pandemic have somewhat cleared the skies, families are planning weddings accordingly.
Addressing the fact that music drives the wedding season, Spotify has developed a Shaadi Destination âspecial wedding playlists that have most of the hit wedding songs in one place, which is accessible directly from Spotify’s search bar. Rutaba Yaqub, Music Manager, Spotify, states, “as soon as the Shaadi season begins in Pakistan, we notice a rise in consumption, search and release of wedding songs in the country. A Pakistani wedding is one of our very few cultural moments that is driven by music.”
Melodious wedding songs are a part of every moment throughout the celebratory days. It accompanies all the emergency shopping trips, anxious tailor visits, tiring dance practices, and even gossip sessions. Acknowledging the correlation between weddings and music, Talha Hashim, Manager Marketing, Spotify Pakistan, says “regardless of their age or background, everyone is able to relate to weddings as an occasion which brings family and friends together. So, we took it upon ourselves to add a melodic lens to the whole wedding euphoria, that as long as you have Spotify, ‘Dhoom Dhaam’ will be guaranteed.”
Spotify eliminated the need for searching for songs individually by bringing all the necessary wedding music under one roof. It’s common practice during the wedding season that a person is assigned to find and download all the songs needed for the dance performances, bridal entries, etc. With Spotify’s Shaadi Destination playlists, the search for good music ends. Elaborating on this point, Yaqub said, “I remember every time I’ve been at a Dholki, there is someone who has to search for Tappay on the internet because there is no way you can find them all in one place. Every dance practice is reliant on someone manually changing the songs one after the other. Keeping all these insights in view, we created the Shaadi Destination to be a one-stop shop for the music needs of a typical desi wedding.”
Spotify’s go-to Wedding Destination has 7 different playlists that are specially designed to cater to 7 key moments in a Pakistani or desi wedding, as Yaqub puts it. The 7 categories are Dholki Tappay, Mehendi Hits, Shaadi Bhangra, Shaadi Hits, Dulhan Entry, Baraat Entry, and Rukhsati.
Each category has significance in a Pakistani wedding. Tappay are a big part of Punjabi weddings and are highly regarded in other provinces as well. Talking about the Tappay playlist and the reason behind adding a separate playlist for it, she adds, “Tappay originated from the folk songs. Women now gather at dholkis and kickstart wedding celebrations by singing tappay and keeping the tradition alive. The playlist is curated with all the classical tappay that you can expect to hear at a dholki, mayun or sangeet.”
Dholki, Mehendi, and Shaadi are all important parts of a desi wedding and appropriate music for each day is crucial. Bridal entries are a big attraction these days, and brides put a lot of thought into the song they want in the background while walking down the aisle, so Spotify included an exclusive playlist for this memorable moment.
Similar to the wedding celebrations, music also exceeds boundaries and songs from South Asia have an outsized influence on desi weddings. Few tunes from our neighboring country are a must in every Pakistani wedding, and dance performances are incomplete without them. When asked about the inclusion of tracks from other industries, Yaqub says “Any song that you’ll hear at a wedding, you’ll find it in our playlists. The songs are curated regardless of where they are from. Since Pakistani weddings are celebrated with a mix of desi music from across South Asia, we’ve made sure that our playlists also reflect that while also promoting the local music. ”
Spotify has a well-designed marketing strategy in place to appeal to its target demographic, which is primarily Gen Z and Millenials. Spotify launched the wedding campaign nationwide on 26th October, with ads running on TV and across all digital platforms. “We have just launched the campaign with a mass reach plan focusing on TV, iconic OOH installations, and Digital platforms. In addition to this, we also have a hashtag challenge being led by popular and notable influencers in Pakistan in the digital sphere,” remarked Talha Hashim.
Speaking about TikTok being the right platform for Spotify’s campaign as they have focused more on it, Hashim adds, “we believe in designing our marketing plans based on the media consumption habits of our audience. TikTok, by the nature of its platform, is correlated with music, and music goes hand in hand as part of wedding celebrations and our core target audience being Gen-Z, it made perfect sense to have Tiktok in our promotional plan for a hashtag trend.”
Since its launch a year ago, the music streaming service Spotify has grown ubiquitous, with new users signing up every day. Thanks to their collaboration with Coke Studio and robust marketing, in only over a year, they’ve attracted significant attention from their target demographic. Launching campaigns such as the wedding destination right before the wedding season starts is a smart move tactically.
“Spotify aims to be synonymous with the idea of music streaming for Pakistani consumers, which would result in the growth of our user base as well as the love Pakistanis have for Spotify as a brand. This year was exciting for us as we saw significant growth in our user base and phenomenal response to the initiatives that we have launched so far in the country,” added Hashim.
According to him, the collaborations and partnerships Spotify has established in Pakistan, like the launch of EQUAL â a program that promotes women in music, RADAR â an initiative that works on bringing emerging talents to the center stage, including other campaigns, depict Spotify’s aspirations to become the most popular music platform in Pakistan.
Spotify is expecting big numbers in terms of listenership with this campaign, as people have responded well to their initiatives in the past. Hashim has high hopes for the wedding destination as he says “Pakistani audiences have reacted overwhelmingly well to Spotify and our messaging, and this is why we are expecting a positive response once again as a result of this campaign.”
As the world’s most popular music streaming platform, Spotify has a user base of 456 million music lovers. They broke new ground for the music industry and revolutionized the way we listen to music, and Pakistanis have wholeheartedly embraced the platform. With the ongoing wedding campaign, Spotify will strike a chord with its target audience even more.
There is no better way of becoming a household name in Pakistan than touching the most important event of the year for families, and Spotify is doing just that. The music giant is hopeful of the response, and we are sure people will appreciate not having to scour the web for appropriate wedding songs.
Nadia Hussain â model, beauty consultant, aesthetician and entrepreneur â has lately been aggressively marketing her cosmetic brand âBlingâ, on morning shows, social media and her masterclasses. Although she launched the brand in 2019, the promotional activities had to be suspended due to Covid-19 the following year, and the consequent lockdown.
Even during the past three years or so of the pandemic, Hussain had been promoting Bling on social media through 5-minute makeup challenge videos, using all Bling products and imparting her viewers about the brand.
Hussain, who has played various roles during her journey in the field of fashion, from a model to an actor, to hosting shows and then finally having a salon, says she thought having a cosmetic brand was a good addition under her name, since she has been involved in giving aesthetic treatments for a long time. âThroughout my career I have been known for being âblingyâ, whether it is my nails, my phone, shoes or jewellery, I have been called the âbling queenâ and since the word has been associated with me so often, the product name had to be the same.â
According to her, Blingâs product range has everything under the sun which is related to makeup; primers, serums, foundations, suited for all skins and preferences such as matte, semi matte, cream form, sticks and even water-based foundations, blushers and highlighters, eyeshadows, glitters, eyeliners, mascaras and lipsticks. Bling also has a GO makeup palette â an all-in-one, pocket-friendly product that has a corrector and concealer for skin imperfections, lip and cheek tint, and at the bottom, a cream contour, eyeshadow and face powder.
The brand also offers a few skincare products and fragrances. Of the skincare range, her products offer solutions for skin problems such as acne, pigmentation as well as skin-whitening and brightening. âThis (demand for whitening products) is a reality which we cannot ignore in our society as well as in our country, and I feel it is a personal choice. If someone wants to be fair or buy whitening products or get treatments, then it should be fine,â opines Hussain.
She adds the reason why she launched these whitening products was because there were a lot of products in the market that used dangerous chemicals and which also do not deliver the same results that people expect. Hussain is of the view that people should also have realistic expectations of what they can achieve after treatments, because to actually work on lightening your entire skin is an expensive treatment and not everyone can afford it. âIf you can, you may as well go ahead and do it, but if you canât, then you should make the right choices and use the right and safe products,â she says.
All Bling products are manufactured abroad, because according to Hussain, unfortunately, in Pakistan there are limited resources when it comes to manufacturing cosmetics. The variety of products that one requires, whether colours, pigments, packaging or formulae, is really difficult to find in Pakistan. âMoreover, the biggest problem having it made locally is that in an instant, they are going to be copies made and sold under another name.â
All the products are made in the Far East, from different companies and factories in Bangkok, China and Korea. Other famous Pakistani brands that are being manufactured out of Pakistan include Massarrat Misbah, which is produced in Turkey, and Luscious which is manufactured also in the far east, as well as Zero which is produced in Europe.
Blingâs target market is middle-class women as well as those from SEC-B+, and all age groups. âWe have tints or BB creams, which are very young girl-oriented kind of products as well as neon-coloured eyeliners. Our skincare products cater to all age groups as well; Acnozap for acne prone younger girls, while Vite N Glow that targets pigmentation is a favourite among older women. The target market for fragrances is women ranging from 20-35 years,â explains Hussain.
She believes her products are very price competitive as far as drugstore products are concerned. âMy foundation, which comes in a 65ml packaging, costs Rs 2,750, while in general, you get foundations in a 30ml packaging and cost around Rs 3,000,â says Hussain, for whom the competition is Pakistani brands only, and not the Chinese ones on wholesale because though they might be a lot cheaper, no one can vouch for their quality.
Hussainâs plans ahead having âBlingâ in a lot many stores. âI have started retail on 6 to 7 months ago since Covid-19 ended, and retail is important for the brand to grow. Since I do masterclasses, which cater more to professionals, so all beauticians, salon owners buy my products and that is how the chain continues. It has been a good journey so far.â
Talking about the challenges, Hussain says in Pakistan people do not buy foundations with medium-based colours, because they think they are dark colours and she has not still figured out ow to break that. âEarlier I was ordering foundations that range from light to medium, but now I only order from light to semi-light, because the medium ones are not being sold because people have a fixation that it is a dark tone, which is wrong.
She also believes that women nowadays despite brand loyalty, want to try new things and that is how the word is spread. Mostly what women are looking for is affordability and quality. To them packaging does not matter much, but if it is good, then that is even more impressive.
Bling products are now available at stores across Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, but will soon be visible in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, and many other places. Husain says Punjab is a very big market, where people really love to and are happy to spend. âHence a lot of my sales goes towards Punjab. We are also generating a lot of sales from Kashmir.â
Marketing however, remains a challenge and finding the right people to do it, as she says some are good at one thing and terrible at the other and one has to constantly micromanage, which is a challenge in itself.
Also Hussain says doing business in Pakistan is not very easy. You have to be aware of the challenges you will face from import to customs, especially when there is a ban on imports and when your product is selling fast and you need the fresh batch soon. âWhen your products are out of stock, the customers sometimes wait, or get frustrated and head towards another brand, which affects our brand loyalty.â
As far as stores are concerned, Hussain says itâs a different ball game altogether because there are many stores that are willing to work with you but then there will be some that will demand money for it. âIt becomes all about money and then you ask yourself what about the product because to them, the product doesnât matter – what only matters to them is only money. Give them your product and the money.â
Hence, she advises all women to calculate risks they can afford to take a range of skincare products, makeup products, fragrances, etc. And because it is an investment, you need to be able to withstand the loss if itâs not going to do well. âIf you want to invest 1 million to a 100 million rupees, and if that business is not successful, and youâre not being able to handle it, you need to be able to bear the loss.â
SYNERGYZER: You started your career as an investment banker in the US, then came to Pakistan and started a channel and today you are heading a digital agency. What prompted the transition?
FAIZAN SYED: After I got back to Pakistan, I got involved with the Ziauddin Group, where I served multiple roles including that of the CFO. I also launched a couple of colleges as well as their âHealth TVâ channel.
As I was launching and scaling the channel â because it was first of its kind in Pakistan (focused on health and lifestyle) â the world had started to move towards the digital medium and digital content. Realizing this, we built a website that was content-focused. Other channels at that time had only informational websites. We took a content-focused approach not only for the website but also for our Facebook page, and within three years, without spending any money, our Facebook page had about 3.2 million followers and the website garnered about five million page visits a month. This kind of traffic was amazing for health and lifestyle content.
Later, friends started helping us with the digital presence and we took a couple of clients on board. One fine day, Continental Biscuits came in for a pitch, looking for an agency. That was when we decided to set up one. Though we were not an agency back then, I put together a team, went for the pitch and won the account. We then set up the office and the rest is history.
âEast Riverâ was initiated as a passion project but it grew so big in size that I eventually had to give it my full attention and this is where I have been spending my time over the last few years. Today, we have over 30 domestic and international clients and about 80 employees.
SYNERGYZER: How did you get involved with Ziauddin Eastern Medicine?
FAIZAN SYED: So, while running TV, we did a show on TV called âTib-e-Nabaviâ, and when I checked, that particular show had fantastic ratings. After talking to the hosts âthe hakeemsâ who came and talked about hikmat and tibb on the show, I realized there was a huge market for this kind of service and products in Pakistan, to which brands such as Hamdard and Qarshi were catering, but no one was doing this on a mass market scale. This is when we decided to set up our first clinic in Karachi with the same hakeems who were coming to the show, and asked them to record the show during the day and in the evening, divert that traffic to the clinic.
I then started designing products and selling at the clinic; we made a liver tonic and even a heart tonic. During my quest for different natural ingredients, I discovered that one product we did not market well enough, despite its abundant availability in Pakistan, was honey. I went to KP, visited various areas, met farmers, bee-keepers and discovered that Pakistanâs Sidr honey was one of the best in the world. In fact, it gets smuggled out of Pakistan and is repackaged as Saudi Sidr Honey or Yemini Sidr Honey, even though itâs our honey and weâre not getting the pricing value for it. So we began packaging and selling the local Sidr honey not only in our clinics but to other retailers as well. At one point, we had four clinics nationwide; Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Hyderabad with four to five hakeems serving those clinics, a TV show, and our products and our honey selling at different retail stores including Chase Up, Imtiaz Super Store, Al Fatah etc.
Finally, we had the system going and it was a great start, but then came Covid-19 and people stopped going out and there was no traffic in the clinics anymore. At that time, we decided to sell the broadcast license for TV because I started noticing a lot of advertising spend going towards digital. So, we shifted to digital for Hiba Life and shut the broadcast.
We did continue on YouTube but at that time, it was not enough to drive traffic to the clinics. During this time â since I had affiliated with universities, had access to the clinics, and knew the demand there was for hikmat and tibb â I began researching more, met people at the National Council for Tibb and discovered that there were only seven colleges of professional education in eastern medicine and tibb. Hence, we decided to create a department within Ziauddin University called Ziauddin Eastern Medicine and the idea was that the clinics that I had set up would have a pipeline of students coming through to fill the roles of hakeems and we would promote this, as well as our products, on TV and digital. But unfortunately, Covid-19 disrupted this vision. We had to pull back and had to rethink our strategy. Fortunately, since we had been running Ziauddin Faculty of Eastern Medicine for three years, we have about 150 students in the pipeline who will be graduating soon. So, we have a pipeline now and I am thinking of restarting that clinic practice again.
The college of media sciences was created because while I was running the TV channel, I noticed that there was a dearth of good quality media professionals in the market. Seeing this gap, we created the College of Media Sciences, which I oversaw for a number of years as the founding director and even taught some courses there. The idea was to train students not just in the class rooms but also give them practical exposure â since we had TV, radio and digital on campus â to create the perfect media professional. I am proud to say that out of our batch of graduates, we have a number of people who are working here at East River. I had the same vision for Hiba Life and the Ziauddin Faculty Eastern Medicine too.
SYNERGYZER: How were you able to gauge the market potential for businesses that you initiated?
FAIZAN SYED: For this, you have to look at a few things, such as the GDP per capita to understand the spending power of people in the country. Then you look at the size of the population, population growth rate and with that, a lot of ground level research which includes talking to people and looking at local and international trends. When you put all of these things together on paper, you see that globally, people are inclined towards natural products and Pakistan already has a mindset for eastern medicine (every household has a remedy or a nuskha (prescription) for common ailments. Hamdard and Qarshi, though had a good market presence at that time, they were not very aggressive in terms of marketing. This is how I figured the potential for a strong dominant player in this category, provided there was the right kind of investment and packaging in place.
SYNERGYZER: Coming now to the agency side, how, in your opinion can we develop the advertising/creative industry in Pakistan?
FAIZAN SYED: For this you first have to understand Pakistan. We have to play safe. Since here, Â we do not have a lot of excess cash sitting around in businesses or in the hands of consumers, our propensity to experiment is lower. We have little much money so we have to do only what will work.
As to what will work â âjust use the previous idea because it worked somewhere else, so it will work here as well; copy it, tweak it a little, change it, doneâ. Very few people will say they have little much money and they are willing to experiment, because what if an experiment fails? It may not work and then what will happen? That little money you had is gone. How will you capture your audience? Thatâs why I think, our environment is a little less risk-taking when itâs come to creativity. Yet, some great things have come out of Pakistan, proving you donât need a lot of budget for great creativity, but I think on the whole, not everyone is ready to take risks.
What comes to my mind here is âThe Blair Witch Projectâ. It was a movie that came out in the mid-2000s. It was made with a budget of just $60,000-80,000 and it created a new genre of film.
Look at Khaby Lame, the biggest TikTok star in the world today, who has millions of followers. He began creating simple videos. With time he got smarter and began editing his videos, but look at his earlier videos, they required zero-budget. He experimented, tried something new and different and suddenly became a star, known today by the entire world. So, the questions is: How much are you willing to experiment? Are you ready to accept failure? Ready to be ridiculed? What if you get it right? I think this is what is missing and why experimentation is not be as large and visible as it should be in a country that has a population of 200 million, 100 million 3G and 4G subscribers, and about 40 million smartphone owners.
SYNERGYZER:How are you developing and training your employees at East River?
FAIZAN SYED: We have a robust training system, every single employee is incentivized to take on training. We have prescribed list of training. You take on you training, you complete your certification, and you get a cash incentive. Moreover, we have identified every single resource need and trainings are updated every year because platforms, strategies, tool are all moving at such a rapid pace that unless youâre recertifying yourself every year, you are falling behind. So for us, recertification, identifying what training are needed by every position, and then providing them the opportunity – whether they require funding to get that certification, or if we need to pay for it, we will pay for the certification, and also give them an incentive for completing it.
SYNERGYZER: Letâs talk about PAA (Pakistan advertising association) now. Do you think for a full-service digital marketing agency, is it important to be registered with an advertising association such as PAA?
FAIZAN SYED: I think any industry association is extremely beneficial for the businesses that operates within that industry. Why? Because thatâs the melting part of the minds of the industry. And it is important for those minds to get together on a regular basis, share ideas so that the industry improves, evolves and becomes bigger and better. We can work together in PAA to develop our talent, our services we deliver to our clients and just make this overall a better space. So, of course every agency should be a member of PAA, because that is the role the PAA and any industry can and should play.
Yes, digital agencies want to operate in their own style but I think ultimately, an agency is an agent between an audience and a brand. Whether you are a creative agency, creating content that brings that audience to the brand; a media agency placing that content on the right media, be at television, radio or digital, it is an agent delivering an audience to a brand. So if you look at this way, then we are all just agent, serving the same purpose, except that one agent is creating content, one agent is delivering an audience and one agent is working slightly different with one type of medium, but they all are working within the same framework. They are working on the same objective so they should all work together and find a way to work together.
SYNERGYZER: How are digital agencies able to work around mechanism such as learning and developing, claims and default issues from clients, lack of structure in the industry etc.?
FAIZAN SYED: Yes, that is a big problem and we had number of clients, new startup businesses that have disappeared without payments. But what do you do as a digital agency? These problems do not arise if you are a media agency or a print agency because APNS registration and PBA registration helps prevent that. So yes, for a digital agency, that is one area of exposure and remains a challenge and I am open to hearing how others in the industry are tackling this challenge.
SYNERGYZER: What is your opinion on affiliation of digital agencies with international agency networks. How are such affiliation beneficial?
FAIZAN SYED: It entirely depends on what the affiliation brings to the table. If you are just taking a global name next to your local name, thinking that global name will bring you client but you have not changed the way you operate the agency, then there is really no point. Just putting an English name next to your own, does not change your service delivery and your style of executing and your strategy and approach to client. Now if your affiliation is such that it actually gives you a lot of access to systems, processes, white papers, thought leadership, content⊠great, because now you are taking all of that and inculcating that kind of thinking, that process, that knowledge in your local work force and upscaling it. If you upscale the work force, then it can do so much more; generate taxes since youâre make more money, remittances, export work etc. So, I think it depend on the affiliation and what the affiliation brings for the table.
SYNERGYZER: Do you think advertising sector should be given the status of an Industry in Pakistan and which would include both traditionally and digitally businesses? So far advertising has only been a part of media.
FAIZAN SYED: I think we need to figure out first how we define media. You have various mediums, such as TV, print, digital, OOH; these are the traditional ones. I would even say those flyers they used to give out while you are standing at a traffic signal, that is also a media, and these are one-way methods of communication. TV, print, flyers is one way but radio is two way because if they open up the call-in system, you can call and give feedbacks â hence radio is not exactly a one-way method. Digital is a two-way communication system. It is the only medium that allows the audience to give feedback to the advertiser. It is the only medium where every single user of the medium can be a revenue earner, contributor, creator, advertiser and serve both roles â advertiser and audience. This medium where the creator is also the audience, and if the audiences get together and start watching random creators, then the creators having the audience behind them and if I insert ad units in between, I can actually monetize that audience and that creator gets monetized too. Thatâs what happening. All these YouTubers that are coming up from interior Sindh, Punjab, the TikTokers, if you look at them in Pakistan, and you look at how much money these people have started to make, you will be surprised. They are making $15,000-30,000 a month from home. There are people running amazon stores ever since Pakistan got approved for Amazon. Pakistan is the fastest market for Amazon store growth in the world. Now, even if our GDP per capita is low and people are only making $5,000, look at the number of people that can potentially make that kind of money. If there is 30 to 40 million people on Facebook, 30 million people on TikTok and letâs say 10 million are the active audience and if 10 million people even make $1,000 individually a month (10 million times a thousand is $10 billion per month). You can wipe out this countryâs external debt in one year if you support this medium and if you support this industry because that money will come in and you can channel that money and tax it and allocate it for your external debt. This is just an example. Â So for me, of course it is an industry, but it is an industry where the buyer and the seller are same or can be the same.
Shell Pakistan celebrated Pakistanâs seventy-fifth anniversary, this November, with a grand ceremony, attended by their partners, industry leaders, business professionals, Â entrepreneurs, and academia. It was also the occasion when the company announced the winners of the Shell Tameer Awards 2022, a nationwide contest that recognizes the best and brightest entrepreneurs in Pakistan.
Addressing the occasion, Waqar Siddiqui, Chief Executive Officer, and Managing Director of Shell Pakistan said, âThis year marks 75 years since Pakistanâs creation and 75 years of Shell powering progress in the country. We have partnered with Pakistan to build and grow and today, we have come together to celebrate an incredible milestone. We are honored to be a part of the countryâs past successes and future opportunities.â
Being the oldest energy company in the country, with a strong and rich legacy, Shell has had its presence in Pakistan in one form or the other for over a century. Their presence in South Asia dates back to 1928, when Royal Dutch Shell and the Burmah Oil Company, India â which was looking to enhance their distribution capabilities in the region â Â were merged to become Burmah Shell Oil Storage and Distribution Company of India. Post Partition, the companyâs name was changed to Burmah Shell Oil Storage and Distribution Company of Pakistan. In 1970, after 51% of the companyâs shares were transferred to Pakistani investors, it was renamed Pakistan Burmah Shell Limited (PBS), which had about 1,200 sites across the country.
In 1993, following Burmah Oil Companyâs divestment from PBS, Royal Dutch Shell raised its investment to 51% and the company became Shell Pakistan Limited.
According to Habib Haider, Head of External Relations and Corporate Affairs, Burmah Shell has played a major role in helping run some of the first major industries of Pakistan, namely, Adamjee Jute Mills, Bata, Buxly Paints, Crescent Textiles, Dalmia Cement, Gul Ahmed Textiles, Premier Sugar Mills and Pakistan International Airlines. The company was the choice fuel provider for a number of airlines visiting Pakistan and fuelled PIAâs first Boeing 747. Subsequently, it was awarded a three-year contract by PIA.
âAlso in 1952, the Sui gas field was discovered in Pakistan by Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), which was back then, a subsidiary of Burmah Oil Company. This was the first major milestone in the search for hydrocarbons in Pakistan,â he says.
After becoming Shell Pakistan, it was during the 90s that Shell launched its Retail Visual Identity (RVI) which included not only redesigning their pecten but also revamping their services at the petrol stations. âWe rebranded and set up a total of 750 sites, which was a massive accelerated program. Later, PSO and Caltex too launched similar programs, but it was Shell that pioneered the RVI concept, providing a one-stop shop concept to consumers in Pakistan, a fact that many people do not know even today,â says Haider.
In 2005, Shell also became the biggest private investor (with a 26% share) in the âWhite Oil Pipelineâ project, connecting Karachi to Multan. The project turned around the entire diesel supply chain in the country, consequently reducing massive road congestion caused by the fuel transportation trucks. During that time, they also invested in a terminal in Lahore in collaboration with PARCO, which is now called the Machike terminal.
âHence this celebration is a subtle reminder to people that we have been around for 75 years in the country and have been part of its progress,â says Haider.
Shell Pakistan, today, has a shareholding of about 78% and a solid presence in the country. However, Haider believes that now the industry has become very fragmented, and with about 20 companies operational in the sector, brand loyalty has also become very competitive. During the 90s, competition came from only three other brands: Caltex, PSO, and Attock, but now others have caught up in terms of providing the same services and convenience.
But despite this, he says the company has a very good network since they have been here for a long time and in cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, which are the main demand centers, having a good station at a good location is a huge advantage which they have had for a long time. âOur strength lies in our ability to do something consistently. If we have a select store, there is a whole structure behind it to ensure that it is stocked and serves customers at a consistent level. At our location, a customer can get the quality and quantity they are paying for.â
Shell Pakistanâs main competitors include PSO, Total, and Attock â which has a strong presence in the north due to their refinery. Apart from fuel, Shell Pakistanâs main grade lubricants include Helix (for automotive and cars and petrol engines) Rimula (for trucks, and diesel engines), and Advanced (for different grades for motorbikes). Their biggest competitor in the lubricants category is Chevron, which is also a strong competitor in the diesel market.
Going forward, Haider says there are two to three plans in the pipeline. The government has decided to deregulate the sector which he says, makes the environment much more exciting as now, the companies will have the ability to launch a new range of fuels and specifications, etc. But, this will also bring about challenges. âFor example, in the retailing business if you claim to have the best network and the best everything you are also vulnerable to market inefficiencies. You want to make sure that your network control is very solid and you donât want other people to sell through your retail station. We do not want such practices creeping into your business. For this, we are talking to the regulators about changing a few laws and regulations to make the market more transparent which will also encourage more investment in the sector.
They are also looking to expand their retail with a new concept called âDestination Conceptâ at retail fuel stations. âThatâs one step forward from the one-stop solution. These destination sites will have EV charging station, yet, they will not just be EV facilities. There will be air-conditioned rest areas where people can wait and watch television while their cars are on charge. Also, our Select stores are getting better with more alliance partners coming in place. We have established one of these stores on the highway with KFC, our alliance partner, and the site is powered through solar cells. We have also partnered with K-solar, which has put up the electrification facilities at our retail stations.
Shell Tameer Awards 2022 Shell Pakistanâs 75 years celebration was also exciting for some as it announced the winners of the Shell Tameer Awards 2022.
Shell Tameer is part of the Shell LiveWIRE, a global flagship social investment Enterprise Development program with a vision to strengthen local economies by promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and meaningful employment.
Giving further details, Afhsan Pasha, Social Performance Lead, Shell Pakistan, says the LiveWIRE programme was launched 40 years ago and is currently run in 20 countries. âIt was launched from Scotland in 1982, where unemployment at that time, was very high (at 14%) and one person in eight was unemployed. Since Shell was a UK-based company, this is how they decided to create an alternative way of about creating employment, livelihood and supporting local economies.â
In Pakistan, the programme was launched in 2003, under the name Shell Tameer. Pakistanâs employment rate in 2003 was 7.5 and the objective of its launch was the same as it was in Scotland 40 years ago; to create alternative means of employment for people.
âWe now have evolved into six categories but initially when the programme was launched, even business schools were not teaching entrepreneurship. They started teaching it in 2007-2008, when it became little known. So Tameerâs efforts in the first few years since its inception was just to create awareness about what entrepreneurship is, and also what is the alternative means to having a white collared job,â says Pasha.
(LiveWIRE also has a Top Ten Innovatorsâ Awards competition that they run globally across 20 livewire countries, in which only livewire alumnis can participate. These awards have been going on for seven years and Pakistan has been showcased in all of them. So far, nine Shell Tameer entrepreneurs have won these Awards receiving global and national recognition)
The Shell Tameer programme has also reached out to women in Sindh and Balochistan and provided them with entrepreneurship training and helped them start over 230 small businesses. In partnership with SOS Technical Training Institute and the Hunar Foundation, Shell Tameer has trained 300 students in enterprise generation. âAt the grassroot level, we supported a few communities but gradually, we structured our focus area to add value because at the end of the day, I cannot support an artisan who makes semi-precious stones, somewhere in Thar. It has to be linked to our business so that we can add value and connect them to the right people. Weâre an energy company after all. So, thatâs how we came up with the thematic areas. In 2016, we launched four, and now we have launched six,â she explains.
Since 2004, the awards have been taking place every two years and but because of the disruption caused by Covid-19, Pasha says they are now making up for the years they missed. The awards were also held last year online and this year, they are in the ninth round.
Pasha further says that since supporting and training startups is a big chunk of their programme, they work with incubators, universities, along with facilities, resources, and academia they have access to, to teach entrepreneurs them how to run their businesses.
They also do roadshows which include visiting universities that have incubation centers, such as the Punjab Investment Board, which has a national expansion program. Pasha says they do this because it is very interesting to work with tertiary markets such as Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, etc. as âthat is where the hidden talent is waiting to be discovered, and this is where we get applications from.â
For participating in the programme, the entrepreneurs have to be Pakistani national, between 18 to 40 years of age, and are running a business for at least three years (in terms of registration). They also must have an idea at a prototype stage.
The screening is done through the Shell Volunteer Program â comprising of Shell employees, who are given applications for various categories. Each volunteer screens five applications and ranks them. âOnly the top scorers are reviewed and if there is a tie in terms of scoring, we then decide on the one with the most innovative idea or which has the biggest social impact.â
Following this, one of the consultants at DAI, their international partner, conducts a webinar with the finalists on âhow to win pitchesâ. After this, the finalists get fifteen minutes of a mock session, seven minutes to pitch, and seven for feedback â all of which are mandatory. âOne more thing that we do internally is that we do due diligence for every finalist. âIf someone has submitted something and there is no data or documents to validate it, he/she is disqualified,â says Pasha.
On the final pitch day, the judges constitute a person from the finance department at Shell, one from the academia, and third from the industry â P&G, Nestle, Unilever, and K-Electric, some of which are Shellâs partners.
The winners, apart from getting prize money, also get to meet industry experts in their field and are links to potential opportunities, âFor example, reducing the net carbon footprint at our retail sites. We can get in touch with those startups to work with our retail people to deliver such solutions. Last year from our Tameer awards we had two winners who are now integrated into Shellâs ecosystem. One of them is âTrash itâ who are working on waste management, and the second is âEnent,â which has a device for reducing energy waste. The founder did a pilot for six months with us and it was successful, so we have given him three more sites now to reduce electricity bills by up to 20%.
For this yearâs programme, over 250 applications were received and 30 finalists were shortlisted in six award categories â Circular Economy, Clean Energy Solutions, Empowering Women, Technology Innovation, Transport, and Mobility and Bright Idea. On November 3, the finalists presented their pitches to an expert jury of diverse professionals who selected this yearâs winners and runners-up.
The following are the Grand Winners of the Shell Tameer Awards 2022.
Circular Economy
Concept Loop by Dabeer Hemani
A tech-based start-up converting plastic waste into building materials and high-value lifestyle products through their sustainable data-driven and tech-empowered processes.
Clean Energy Solutions
Geoaircon by Muhammad Hassamuddin
A clean-tech start-up providing ground-sourced Climate Control technology. Utilizing temperate underground temperatures to cut down air-conditioning or heating costs by 35-75% for industrial, commercial, residential, and agricultural use.
Empowering Women
The Method by Insiya Meherally
A young start-up working towards womenâs safety by providing self-defense training across corporate and private networks.
Technology Innovation
Crop2x Pvt Limited by Humaira Rana
A technology start-up advancing the agriculture sector by proving AI-based data-driven insights on soil, land, and weather conditions to increase yields and reduce operational costs.
Transport & Mobility
Motto Vest Pvt Limited by Zeeshan Shahid
A tech-based start-up aimed at providing safe mobility for bike riders through their AI sensor-based airbag vest to prevent fatalities and disabilities.
Bright Idea
Enviro Solutions by Abuzar Siddiqui â An eco-friendly idea converting plastic waste into road-building material.
SYNERGYZER:When did you join State Life Insurance Corporation Pakistan? Walk us through your professional journey.Â
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: I joined State Life a year and a half ago, in March 2021 precisely, as the Chairman and CEO. I was in Hong Kong for 3.5 years working as a Global Director, Risk, and Strategy for the largest pan-Asian insurance group, AIA Group Limited. I also worked with Milliman, an American strategy and management consultancy. Before that, I was in London for thirteen years where I completed my further education and qualified as an actuary. I worked for HSBC, Ernst & Young, and Prudential, where I took on different roles from advisory to strategy management.
SYNERGYZER:After having spent so many years abroad, what brought you back to Pakistan?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: I am from Pakistan. I was born in Quetta and soon afterward, my parents moved to Karachi where I finished my schooling as well as AâLevels from Karachi Grammar School.
My journey abroad has been fantastic; I got to learn a lot and also made some great friends, but at the end of the day, your root is your home country. I believe that thereâs no greater reward than coming back to the country you call home with your own area of expertise, and professionalism and knowing that you can contribute towards the growth of the country in whatever capacity you can â itâs something that brings me immense pleasure! It is effectively the Japanese concept of Ikigai âyour ‘reason for being.â
SYNERGYZER:How would you say the international exposure has shaped your career?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Since I left the country at a relatively young age, my experience abroad taught me a lot, from the professional ropes to personal experience, it has shaped me as a person and as a professional. Especially in the context of the last 20 years, a lot has been happening geo-politically and geo-economically; the concepts of globalization is changing. Working in London, the financial capital of the world, while the economies were changing drastically, not only did I get to work with best of the seat but I also learnt the value of different cultures and perspectives and to adopt and grow in a constantly evolving leadership, never losing sight of my culture and heritage. It is important to live oneâs own identity; so when we talk about diversity and inclusiveness, I have experiences that range across the spectrum, because when you are working as a minority, you are working harder to prove yourself and be included.
Now that I am here in Pakistan, my focus is to ensure inclusivity, to give confidence to every individual to bring their own set of skills to the task and celebrate the value of diversity of perspectives. For any organization to thrive I think itâs very important that we identify and value these skill sets to use them in the right place and explore their true potential. Only then can we draft narratives, solutions and identify the needs of the people we are here to serve.
SYNERGYZER:How do you think has Pakistanâs insurance sector changed over the last two decades, and what is it that has remained unchanged?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Pakistan has one of the smallest insurance markets; it has a very low insurance penetration rate, which is the amount of annual premiums over gross domestic product. Currently, the world average is around 3.5%; India stands at about 4.5%, while countries like Malaysia and Indonesia would be above 3.5%. Pakistan currently sits at 0.9% and I see no reason other than the limited innovation.
State Lifeâs current market share stands at 60%, it was at 50% when I joined. So the growth weâve achieved over the year proves that the entire market has the potential to grow. The insurance sector as a whole holds its forte in selling saving products, but what I feel is missing is the innovative aspect to meet the protection and social welfare needs. This applies to both private and public players in the market. Given the current population of 220 million, it is high time that we realize how a one-fits-all policy does not apply to such a vast population â different people are going through different stages of their lives and need different solutions for financial inclusiveness and protection needs. I believe the innovation in products has not been promoted as enthusiastically as it should have been and that is what, SLIC has been primarily working towards ever since I have taken charge.
SYNERGYZER:Keeping this penetration rate in mind, why is there still scepticism about insurance among customers?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: When you enter the insurance industry, you are taught that insurance is not bought, but it is rather sold. Going in with that frame of mind, what I see is that some companies are only looking at high net-worth segments of the market; making savings or investment products for them, whereas the real purpose of insurance is savings and protection.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, during the past ten years or so, there has been a practice of selling insurance as an investment product which means when stock markets are volatile, the returns may not be as much as what people expect and that is when trust in the industry goes away. What is insurance primarily? It is a promise to the individual that when the need arises, the insurance company will be there to meet that need. When that promise is broken, so is the trust. I think the industry, as a whole, has to work very hard to bring that trust factor back and we are doing that with a line of new products which focus on protection and individual needs. These products are made with different age groups and financial segments in mind so that we can offer solutions that assist them in their life journeys.
SYNERGYZER:Your leadership vision and drive has brought significant growth to SLIC. At the same time, you have highlighted the need for innovation. What are the innovative changes you have brought to the organization since you joined it in 2021?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: With innovation, our focus has been on products, digitalization and increasing accessibility. With product innovation, we were the first in Pakistan to launch rider protection plan. In todayâs gig economy there are many platforms that provide rider and courier services and their riders are the frontline workers. We have innovative digital product that protects these riders, providing cover for life, accident, disability and hospitalization.
We have also launched our individual and corporate health product line; where the focus has been to ensure affordability for the masses. As per our benchmarks, our products are 40% cheaper than anything else that is available in the market for the same service and protection.
Speaking of health protection; Pinktober is marked to create awareness against breast cancer, itâs one thing to create awareness but we also need solutions to support women and the only way you can fight cancer is by preventing it. We have created Sinf-e-Ahan, Pakistanâs first women specific cancer protection plan that protects near all types of cancers that may afflict a woman. The design of the product is purposefully simple where we pay-out straightaway on diagnosis and again the focus has been affordability; the cover can be taken for as little as Rs 200 a year.
We have launched a âhaariâ protection plan for our farmers in the rural society and soon a domestic help protection line too. We are a young nation, and there are a lot of good things happening in the freelancing and tech industry but there arenât any financially inclusive products for them, so we are focusing on these.
Moreover, we re-launched some of our best saving products under âgolden endowmentâ since we are celebrating 50 years of State Life this year. We have technically reviewed the policy, the product and refined it, which means that the new product gives you an automatic 25% value addition from day one. It is not only protection but also generates savings growth with guaranteed bonuses each year.
Similarly, SLICâs pension savings plan is one of the best values in the market where on average your initial investment doubles in seven years.
On digitalization, we have also launched our digital product line which brings health and protection solutions in the palm of your hand. Digital premium payment solutions are available to policyholders now.
Our health line, has evolved to e-claims and e-processing providing cashless solutions. In July this year we launched âstate-of-the-artâ data centre in Islamabad. So together, with continuously improving and digitizing our policyholder services, we are also focused on making our internal processes more efficient and paperless.
We have focused on improving accessibility to our policyholders. I myself hold e-kacheris on a monthly basis, where anyone engaged with SLIC can call in or connect via zoom and we look resolve any issues at the earliest.
We are also focused on improves sales accessibility. Our agency force is the largest in Pakistan with nearly a hundred thousand agents and more than 11,000 area offices across the country. We have some excellent banking partners and are also bringing on corporate agents as well as digital sales points.
SYNERGYZER:Moving forward with your digitalization plan, what role does it play when it comes to the insurance sector and where does SLIC stand currently as compared to its competitors in terms of digitization?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Generally speaking, across the globe, the insurance industry is always a step behind when it comes to digitization and adopting technology. However, I think there are some good initiatives taken along with directional push being brought in on digitization in what you call âInsurtechâ from the SECP and companies are innovating. However, what you usually find in a financial world is that the front face, for example, a digital app etc., may be available to a policyholder or a customer but the back end is still very manual. So, for me, when you talk about digitalizing, I am not only talking about the front face but I am talking about the entire journey and I think that journey still has to be undertaken in leaps and bounds as far as Pakistan is concerned.
SYNERGYZER:The growth and turnaround State Life has witnessed under your leadership has been phenomenal. Despite the ongoing pandemic, State Life paid Rs 100 billion in claims, registered 100% business growth and your market share increased. What are some of the factors that led to this?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: 2021 was a record-setting year for State Life and we are very proud to be a part of it, despite the pandemic and other economic challenges. State Life increased new business year on year by 100%. We paid Rs 100 billion in claims which is the first ever in Pakistan. I earlier mentioned our endowment product where we pay guaranteed bonuses each year. In 2021 alone, we allocated about Rs 85 billion in bonuses to policyholders. The fantastic thing about State Life is that itâs the only company, which allocates 97.5% of its profits to its policyholders. So, whatever we earn, effectively goes straight back to the policyholders. When we talk about the best returns and the best protection, State Life naturally gives that. As for the other factors, I inherited a team of people who are very loyal and very dedicated to State Life and when the challenges were put up to them, they worked really hard to surpass them. From our actuarial divisions to our policyholder services to our marketing division and the field force, I think they all did a fantastic job.
The main goal that Iâve had since Iâve been here is to really generate and increase the penetration rate in Pakistan and the acceptance of insurance, and the reason for that is that a larger and more dynamic insurance industry will contribute a lot more to the economy of Pakistan and towards the social protection of Pakistanis. Â A vibrant insurance industry has the potential of becoming the backbone of an economy because its focus remains on long-term savings and protection and when individuals feel that they are protected, they are much more likely to take entrepreneurial risks to fulfill the dreams that otherwise they may not have the means to, and thatâs why we are here: to back them up and protect them. We are the market leaders, however, I feel currently, there should be no competition within the insurance industry given how small it is on whole and its potential for growth. SLICâs focus is really to lead by example and show that there is a much bigger service to roll out to all of Pakistan and I am very happy to say that yes, we have been successful in the past year or so and hopefully will continue being so.
SYNERGYZER:What was the objective behind the revival of your historic Aye Khuda Mere Abbu Salamat Rahen ad campaign this time addressing the mothers and dharti?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Following all the hard work we had put in including coming up with new products, starting the digital journey, reviving different sales channels, etc. it was important to get the message across. So, we sat down with a number of media companies and got a whole diaspora of pitches, from something very flashy on how to connect with the new generation to something being a bit more archaic, given we are an old company. All had their pros and cons but the one thing that kept coming up was the jingle, âAye Khuda Mere Abbuâ which everybody still remembers; itâs a fond memory in everyoneâs mind. Since we had our 50th anniversary coming up, and there was a realization that it is a legacy to be celebrated. Also, Pakistan has also changed since that jingle first came about. A father is not the only sole bread earner of a family anymore, a mother has an equally important role. She had an important role back then too but more so even now. No matter what they may be doing, they may be homemakers, leading their own lives together with the father being bread earners, or single mothers or single fathers, understanding and respecting those different roles was important.
Also, one of the things that struck me was that this is not just a jingle or an ad campaign, itâs actually a prayer if we really think about it. It is something that you can wake up every morning and say to yourself. All youâre doing is wishing happiness and wellbeing for your parents and your family and of course, your nation and your country. Those are the driving factors and driving identity in anyone of our lives. The country and nationality that we have, the parents under whose guidance we grew up, so waking up and saying a silent prayer for them is probably what weâve all done as children, so I saw it more as a prayer than a jingle and I think that was the thing that we wanted to grasp; a message of hope across the country to tell people that we have a legacy; that we have served and protected Pakistan in our capacity for the past 50 years and we look to serve Pakistan for the next 50 years as well.
SYNERGYZER:What changes are you planning to bring in terms of marketing on TV and social media?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Well, the goal is to communicate, to celebrate our victories. We are the largest insurance group in Pakistan. For us to achieve 100% growth in our sales figures is no small feat so I think it should be celebrated. One aspect is to celebrate the successes of our people and our company but moreover to also show the people of Pakistan that we are here, integrated with you, as part of your lives, and we are here to serve you. With all the innovation that we are carrying out within State Life, be it through digital product lines, digital access to policyholders, or improvement of services, I think thereâs a lot more to do and we will keep doing it such as coming up with health and protection solutions but we also have to inform the individuals. If you donât inform them how will they know that they have a solution in their hand. So, itâs not so much a marketing spiel, or a celebration of successes today but also information sharing for what we have to offer that we know will benefit the Pakistanis across all sections of society.
SYNERGYZER:What are some of the challenges the insurance sector currently faces in Pakistan and how can they be overcome?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: There are two aspects to it, insurance really comes about gradually. It may not be the immediate need. Globally, after Covid-19, the economic pressures that every country has had and Pakistan is going through as well, might put pressure on disposable income for individuals. I see that being a challenge for the consumer because even if they wanted to, would they be able to buy an insurance product? Also, we need to find out whether the insurance industry really is providing solutions to the market or the people of Pakistan. For example, we have recently gone through devastating floods; crops and houses have been wiped out, entire villages have been submerged, and most dangerously, when the water levels were stagnant and not receding, the diseases that come out of that. These are scenarios where insurance really comes into play, if these individuals had health insurance or if we really had a health insurance industry across the country, then the biggest care of morbidity would be covered.
Moreover, think about the financial strain these families would be going through. When we talk about financial protection that meets the needs in such unforeseen circumstances, it gives us an education on the need the insurance must fulfill. So, I think the market space is out there, the need is out there, and the challenge for the insurance industry is really to come up with solutions that meet those needs. Understand that we are here to serve all of Pakistan not just a particular well-to-do segment and thatâs what SLIC is focusing on.
SYNERGYZER:What is State Life Insurance Corporation doing in terms of CSR (Corporate social responsibility)?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: If you really think about it, State Life came into being for the purpose of social responsibility. Its founding principle in 1972 was to create a social protection network for the country. What weâve been focused on is for State Life to spread across the length and breadth of Pakistan from Gawadar to Gilgit, from Karachi to Khyber. We have more than 11,000 area offices across the country.
We activated these area offices to reach out to flood-affected areas and we have set up free medical camps to provide medical consultation, medicines, pregnancy advice, child nutrition, water purification, and women hygiene products free of cost. Since we are an insurance company, our doctors have been volunteering their time free of charge to be available at these camps and our field force and officers and staff have been in these areas directly to facilitate and ensure that the people come to these camps and avail the services. Weâve had two phases of these camps already; there are about 60 medical camps that weâve organized and we will continue doing so as far as the needs are concerned and then we will reassess again what we can do going forward. Thatâs one area.
Secondly, we introduced Sinf-e-Ahan, the women’s cancer protection programme. Weâve been very focused on doing our bit where we can to help generate awareness against cancer. We recently participated in and sponsored Pink Pakistanâs cancer awareness bike ride in Karachi. Our engagement in this cause will continue throughout the year.
The other area that weâve really focused on are helping the youth. Earlier in the year, we signed an agreement with Pakistan Software Export Board to help promote affordable products for the tech and freelancing community and with that ethos of generating a protective layer, the protective social network for the younger entrepreneurs and the youth of this country.
We have also supported the Pakistan Junior League which is the first ever in Pakistan, the first ever in the world. The thought process behind that really is to not just to have our brand logo there but to provide an opportunity for young of this country, to fulfill their dreams.
SYNERGYZER:Talking about PJL, can we hope to see more such sporting initiatives from State Life in the future?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: Yes, definitely. There are a lot of things in the pipeline because personally, I donât see these opportunities as a marketing gimmick nor do I want them to be. We can always go into the tournament or something, give a little bit of money, and have our logo printed there. But I like to go in with a solution and create that solution technically; not just give in a sponsorship amount but also come up with a solution that serves the purposes or fulfills the need. We are in conversation with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); I think they have got a fantastic pathway group where they went and found 100 young talented boys. We are also devising activities and programs around womenâs football and cricket. Once we go through this, this is not a one-off like I said, so we are looking to become integral to the promotion of youth and healthy sporting activities within Pakistan.
SYNERGYZER:Do remote and hybrid setups work for insurance companies? Do you think there is room to adapt to the new work trends?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: I think one must. Weâve seen during Covid-19 that more and more companies and individuals now believe in working remotely or in hybrid setups and that we do not have to be physically present across one another to achieve a goal, as long as we are working towards a goal.
Be it State Life or any other company, adapting to modern times and working styles is only beneficial for the individual and the corporation, people can work more efficiently and can contribute even more. There needs to be a balance between the two but I think a healthy balance will only improve the efficiency throughout.
SYNERGYZER:Lastly, State Life is completing 50 years this year, what do you think is the way forward? Where do you see yourself and the organization in the next five to ten years?
SHOAIB JAVED HUSSAIN: First and foremost, on behalf of State Life, I would like to thank all of Pakistan for their trust in State Life for the past 50 years; it is a matter of pride for State Life to serve Pakistan for the past 50 years. For the next 50, the focus is to really expand the protective social network. We are available, affordable, and accessible for all Pakistanis regardless of their background. We want to be there; we want to recognize their needs and we want to be there to support them throughout their life journey. If one wants to take quite a traditional route, we want to be there as the backfall, as a partner in their life journey to live a healthy and longer life. If an individual wants to take on more risks be it from a professional standpoint or otherwise, we want to be there to give them the confidence that they can take on more risks because theyâve got State Life there that protects them; be it financially and otherwise as well. All in all, I strongly believe that a robust and growing insurance industry can be a protective net for the individual and an economic backbone for the country.
Life teaches us lessons no university will offer in the world. Only if youâre a good observer of life, you learn from it. Long before I joined advertising as a profession, I met some underprivileged and talented people who I believe knew the art of salesmanship, advertising and marketing no less than professionals having degrees of prestigious universities. Observing them closely even today helps, in particularly carving useful consumer insights in advertising. These were one of the best desi advertisers I came across in my life. You can also find them in a local train, a public transport bus full of strangers or in your neighborhood Sunday market. These talented people are walking advertisements of their businesses, they coin their own taglines, strategies and sticky jingles too, like I said, youâll know if you are a good observer.
The Attention Seeker
Imagine your mundane usual commute in one of those city buses in Karachi Saddar bazaar, provided you have travelled in such a bus. There is nothing exciting in that bus and youâre just waiting to get off as soon as your point arrives and a man enters, a local vendor, selling those cheap Chinese products. âYeh kia ho raha hai bus mein? Yeh kia hora hai bus mein?â He screams at the top of his lungs getting everyoneâs attention. Youâre puzzled, looking at him for further explanation, thinking whatâs wrong and he goes on in relatively softer tone, âRumaal lelo dus mein!â Finally, everyone smiles. He also manages to sell his products to a couple of passengers. I am guilty of buying those handkerchiefs which I never wanted in the first place, let alone people who needed them. Thatâs when I developed the love for advertising.
The man in the bus was clearly a self-taught person who writes his own script for his own life â and for his business too. The cut-throat competition scenarios he faced on a daily basis taught him well. He never spoke about how good that handkerchief was, where it was made and how cost-effective his deals were. No functional benefits whatsoever. For me he was a star and I used to wait for him to enter the bus and entertain us with his wit and delivery of script.
The Headline Hawker
You must have come across hawkers who sell newspapers in streets. But have you ever noticed how they manipulate with actual news and headlines? I saw one who used to sell multi language newspapers in our neighborhood and he would read Urdu headlines out loud. The funny thing was after you buy the newspaper, you never find any of his cheesy lines on the front page. He would always pick his favourite lines from page three, manipulate it and make it sound like an intriguing headline â a perfect bait for you to buy the paper.
The Famous Sunday Bazaar
Everyone has visited the famous Sunday Bazaar in their lives for one reason or the other. I used to go to get DVDs, oil paintings, original movie posters, camcorders and stuff I couldnât find anywhere else at cheap prices. Every vendor had a different technique to lure the customer. They used to sing their offers, compete with each other like an actual banter between shopkeepers, etc. Imagine youâre passing through the maze of that enormous bazaar and you overhear, âHogayi shaam, gir gaya daamâ and you canât help but ask the price. We actually used to think it must be cheap now since itâs evening and the bazaar is about to close, while the vendors wanted to sweep their remaining stocks in lumpsum since early birds have already gotten their worms by that time. And you must have heard a monotone sung line in misfit auntiesâ sections, â12, 12 rupia, 12, 12 rupia, 12, 12 rupia.â I am sure you read this in the same tune in your mind.
How consumers behave, what sellers want, you must know if youâre an advertiser, and you have to be a great observer as well. Like I said, an advertiser can pick up useful insights from a dhaba and help his creatives design a communication in the consumerâs language, manner and style. And many times, we see something different and an idea strikes because travelling itself is food for the brain, it brings you out of the concrete jungle and into a place full of possibilities and ideas hiding in every corner.
The attention seeker and the headline hawker did the exact same thing. They looked around and caught useful insights upon which they based the advertising of their businesses. They did not speak about the functionality of their products; they spoke what the consumer would not forget. How genius is it to tease pedestrians by announcing the headlines and capturing their interest, thus compelling the consumer to buy the newspaper in order to read more about it. Where does this insight come from? It comes from the curious nature of humans. We cannot deny that gossip is one of our favorites, whether it be about someone we know personally or a famous celebrity. The hawker used the same curious nature to design his communication and was successful in getting the audience interested.
These are a few examples which brings to light the importance of paying attention. A good advertiser pays very close attention to how their consumer behaves which helps him/her discover insights which will lead to a successful idea appealing to the relevant target market. Noticing the small, minor details can make a significant difference as even a single word can help the audience connect with the brand. Successful advertising can be termed in many different ways, the most common way is through numbers, but another way is memorability. When a consumer sees an ad which they can connect with, they tend to remember it which leads to a more favorable outcome for the brand in stores and also customer loyalty as it was not a random pick but a definite decision of the customer to buy that specific product.
Remember the time when social media did not exist and all we had was a television which broadcasted content at specific timings and we had to wait for our favorite shows to air? (cartoons, dramas, talk shows, live shopping shows etc.). One show that my uncle eagerly looked forward to watching was the post-midnight telemarketing show; he watched all product sequences and then sometimes ordered one for himself. Back then, I did not understand why people were so excited about these live broadcasts.
Fast-forward to today, when TV is almost an absolute essential in the lives of many and digital is the main source of communication, brands are again moving back to the live stream phenomenon and there are good reasons why this has become one of the best ways to engage with the audiences and convert them into customers in real-time.
Live-streaming is an evolved and more engaging version of live TV. The reason it creates a significant impact is because it keeps people up-to-dated on newest products in the market, and this is why television has lost a lot of subscribers. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, with just a click of a button, you can broadcast your content live to millions of viewers across the globe. Moreover, since more people have gotten into streaming, numerous other platforms have also been created specifically for live-streaming to give them choice as well as for audience to connect virtually. An example of this is Twitch TV, a new virtual world where fans spends 95 minutes on average watching other streamers play Fortnite, draw anime characters or perform their alternative music.
One of the reasons why live-streaming is so attractive and crucial for brands and individuals is because of the level of interaction and engagement it offers. No other platform or marketing strategy allows such a level of interaction. In addition to this, live-streaming also has the highest rate of engagement for all types of content.
Digital live streams can do everything a Live TV can along with value-added features. On a digital stream, viewers can post their comments, reactions, reviews and sentiments, which automatically show up in real-time, allowing the viewers to interact with the streamer and vice-versa. This real-time interaction makes the consumer-and-brand bond stronger and opens a great channel of communication. Video-on-demand, which was a fan favourite previously, is now losing its charm as it cannot create the same engagement with the viewers as the live-stream can.
Another important aspect of live-streaming is reach. With live-streams, you can reach out to more people, for example, if you go live on Facebook or Instagram, the chance of your content popping up on your followerâs screen is more compared to any other image or video on demand.
Increased reach is just the beginning; with increased exposure, one can get more and more leads for your venture and more followers for your brand. Within the digital universe, it is elementary for people to find and share live videos as the action required to do so is minimal and hence it increases your reach as their friends and connections view it as well.
To top it all, one reason that it has been the choice of brand managers is cost-effectiveness. For some marketers, reaching out to the audience effectively and engagingly can be expensive and may require significant investments, but live-stream can be created on small budgets and the results are better than any other platform. This is one of the most essential reasons why live-stream today has outgrown video on demand, and with each year, the passion for live videos has seen significant growth â 3-4 times higher than video on demand and almost ten times more than short formats.
Letâs look at an example, something Facebook has quoted as live best practice on its Meta for Business portal. Samsung, as we all know, is one of the biggest electronic manufacturers and distributer in the world. Back in the COVID-19 pandemic days, Samsung tried Facebookâs live shopping solution for the very first time to evaluate its impact on the business. Consumers activity had already been shifted online due to no or restricted outdoor activities; it was a great time to experiment it. Samsung in collaboration with Meta initiated a campaign to offer the existing and potential consumers an online experience using Facebook live events.
In collaboration with its media agency, Samsung hosted these live events to promote the launch of their new home appliances products. Two influencers were taken on-board to host the session and share details about the product in an engaging way. People who wanted to buy the product could, at the same time, click on the links provided to view the product featured and check out further details. The link directed the viewer to Samsungâs official website, where people could also buy the product. With these live sessions and other marketing efforts targeted to direct viewers to the live sessions, Samsung was able to; increase the ad recall by 6.8 points, lift the overall sales by 39% and increase brand awareness by 4.2 points. And all of this during the pandemic times. This shows the potential a live stream holds for businesses.
Daraz Pakistanâs new livestream feature is another local example for how brands in Pakistan can harness this power. Inspired by the technique used by local online sellers on Facebook groups, where they sell products online via live sessions, Daraz introduced a real-time content feature available on their app. It gives sellers another tool to engage consumers, while helps them interact with the sellers and see the product before they can buy it. It features a variety of content, including product showcases, trivia games and Q&A sessions. This new feature helped Daraz garner more sales then ever during their biggest sale of the year, and hence the new philosophy with the play button in the middle, which also promotes it and forecasts how it will play an integral role in the brandâs journey in the near future.
Live streams are the next big things and they have a huge potential in the e-commerce world to provide endless monetization opportunities. And with a widened and eager audience at our disposal, advertising enthusiasts have a new way to experiment with campaigns and get results in real-time.
Just to summarize, letâs use the one thing that we all love â numbers. Live videos during COVID-19 grew by 93% with an average viewing time of 26.4 minutes per session (source: Streaming Media, 2019). Live video holds the attention 10-20x better than the pre-recorded content (Forrester, 2017). The engagement is so amazing that 7 out of 10 people who watch the live stream tune in regularly (Interactive Advertising Bureau, 2018). All in all, live streaming is a trend that is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.
So, if youâre an agency person, here is your pitch for the next live campaign to your brand. And if youâre a brand person, ring up your agency and go live!!!
Changing times change industries. The advertising industry is synonymous with creativity, teamwork, and innovation; however, the state of affairs is far from how it could have been.
The Gap That Exists
In a world of fresh creatives, eye-catching spectacles, and jaw-dropping campaigns; Pakistan DOES lag behind. While the rest of the world is testing the limits of new technology, Pakistani creatives do at times seem to be content with the work of yesteryears. So, why does this gap exist?
Well, for one, the conservative nature of many top brands leads them to staying with the tried and tested formula. While most of the world has moved towards digital and tapered-off old-fashioned radio spots, we have remained behind. This is partly due to our demographics (a tiny percentage of our marketing audience is available online â and the number is far from what it is in many other countries) and partly due to the fear of stepping into the unknown.
Why Is The Gap There?
Majorly, there is a major learning gap in the Pakistani ad industry, largely down to the lack of link between educational programs and the work required by agencies.
Students study a program at their college or university and, often, instead of stepping into an agency where they can be mentored, matured, and molded, they enter the world of freelancing. Freelancing is not without its merits, and while the potential pay may be higher, it does not provide the foundation of a good advertising and marketing career that an advertising agency experience does.
Agency Aid
So, how do people in todayâs day and age learn about the industry? Aside from educational programs and taking on a low-paying freelance gig, new creatives have taken it upon themselves to learn from impersonal sources. What they need to realize is that a YouTube video is not the same as the trial-by-fire training first-hand involvement provides.
Hence there are those who seek out agencies to learn from; becoming management trainees or social media executives, hoping to climb the ladder and absorb as much as they can along the way. These young talents use their theoretical knowledge that they have studied in their respective educational programs, and try to implement it in the real world. They aspire to see the campaign they have worked on, on TV or on a billboard; up high touching the clouds. The truth is often less attractive than fantasy. Raw talent is just that: Raw, not ready.
Advertising agencies these days are stacked full of either such newbies who have just entered the job market or those who are older and are settled in their positions and spaces, more popularly referred to these days as their âcomfort zonesâ. In my opinion, comfort is a creativity-killer: Creativity demands continuous improvement; the belief that nobody, least of all me, is capable of knowing it all; and that lifeâs journey is just about learning as much as anything else.
For agencies to improve, and for our industry to improve in-turn, we need to nurture our talent. The solution is simple yet not easily achieved: Retain young talent and mentor them into the creatives of tomorrow. This can be made achievable by providing young creatives the tools for their own growth; including continuous development opportunities in the form of workshops, hands-on training, creativity stimulating games, and most importantly, a workplace culture that puts emphasis on quality rather than quantity.
A very sad fact is that most advertising agencies these days are akin to mills, churning out product that is essentially homogenized. You see an ad for a cooking oil brand and you can be sure there will likely be a play on a wedding or a huge family gathering etc. This leads to an obvious lack of new ideas.
Can The Situation Be Fixed?
Nothing is truly irreparable and with the right steps, the industry will be able to look forward to producing more and more creative professionals with outstanding ideas. The most important need for a more creative tomorrow is to create a better working culture today. Gone are the days when every aspiring advertising professional would look forward to working at an ad agency. These days anyone can put up an ad on Fiverr or Upwork or any of the hundreds of job boards online and create a âgigâ to start selling themselves as marketers.
What modern marketers want, and honestly, what everyone wants is a good work-life balance. People want to work at a place where they like spending time. A place free of office politics, a place where promotions are given based on merit and nothing else, a place where they can be happy. People are now more focused on work-life balance than ever before because they have more options. So, if they are working at a place with a bad culture, they will just leave. We have all seen this happen many, many times. Modern problems require modern solutions, and a culture built on employee happiness can pay dividends in the short-term as well as the long-term.
Burnout is hardly a new concept in the field of advertising, but the sheer number of people leaving the industry all together is a worrying trend and one that seems unlikely to change. A better environment will lead to better work being produced and more committed employees.
Some revolutionary suggestions based on my experiences working with a number of advertising agencies: Instead of Human Resource Managers, advertising agencies should consider having Happiness Managers on-board. Instead of late nights, cooped up in an enclosed space, there should be room for escapades with colleagues. To encourage long-term employment at agencies, provide newbies with a mentor; someone they can rely on to learn while they take their first steps in the world of advertising. This way, by building a better culture, we can build relationships that will hold strong far longer than they currently do.
Welcoming a Brand New Tomorrow
Although the Pakistani advertising industry may be in a tough situation, it has the potential of going a long way from where it is right now. The Pakistani nation has an abundance of talent and with relevant strategies, we might soon be able to welcome back the golden age of advertising that we still remember from the â70s and â80s.
The future course of action will be set by the actions we carry out today – this can be our line in the sand. We must adapt and improve or risk losing it all. With the appropriate shift in culture, our industry can become a beacon of fresh ideas and inspiring work.
We are the creators of our destiny – letâs create a beautiful one.
