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Q&A: Director Public Affairs & Comms Coke Pakistan Talks About Coke Studio’s Role in Revival of Pakistani Music Industry

Synergyzer

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July 31, 2016

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Q&A: Director Public Affairs & Comms Coke Pakistan Talks About Coke Studio’s Role in Revival of Pakistani Music Industry

As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016: ‘Actifying Generation Y’

Fahad Qadir, Director Public Affairs & Comms Coke Pakistan

Coke Studio has brought about an exponential change in the Pakistani music industry, yet it is very much the only TV and digital product for established musicians in Pakistan. What will it take to revive the music business in Pakistan, considering we do have experienced talent from the earlier wave that came about 10 to 15 years ago?

The exponential change that Coke Studio has brought in the Pakistani music industry is unique and has actually restored the industry. As a socially responsible corporate citizen with a long time association with music, Coca-Cola Pakistan invested in the revival of Pakistan’s music industry that had lost its charm in the past years. Coke Studio has proved to be a ray of hope for many artists who were not able to showcase their talent due to the unavailability of any such platform and resources. Hence, the revival has happened, now we just need to keep our focus on sustaining it. At the same time, we welcome others to build the momentum by starting their own initiatives for support to talented musicians to grow because big as it has become, Coke Studio should not be the only initiative working for this cause.

To summarize, what role has Coke Studio played for music in Pakistan?

Coming out of a country which is otherwise recalled for the negative attributes attached to it, Coke Studio has given a completely new dimension to the evolution of music and has set a benchmark for other music industries. Our format is unique and has been adapted by other countries including India. Yet, we still feel that there are unexplored avenues and we are exploring them to keep Coke Studio evolving.

What started off with 10 artists has grown to incorporate 40 artists and more than 35 musicians in the house band. In Season 9, the evolution continues with 6 music directors working on different genres of music under the music duo, Strings – Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia, as the executive producers.

Does Coke Studio plan to promote underground music talent?

Music is our country’s passion point, and we as a company realize that. It can be easily said that Coke Studio has been a pioneer in re-activating music in Pakistan. When we claim that Coke Studio has played a critical role in the revival of the music industry, we mean the incorporating of underground and well-known bands, singers and musicians from different cultures, ethnicities, and languages that the audience has witnessed throughout our eight seasons. Coke Studio’s focus on fusion has brought regional music, folk tunes, sufi music, and other lesser known genres to mainstream audiences, allowing singers and musicians to evolve and be more creative, and in doing all this, we have definitely promoted underground talent. This platform is for everyone who is willing to be a part of quality music production; including both mainstream and lesser known artists.

Coke Studio was produced by Rohail Hyatt, who also developed the show format in the first place, and then Season 7 and 8 saw Strings take the producers’ mantle. Season 9 is set to feature Strings again as well as a number of music directors. How does a change in music producers and including a number of music directors make a difference to the show format?

We have worked with Rohail Hyatt for six seasons and carried out various experiments with him. Then Strings, the duo of two multi-talented people, came onboard and added their flavor to the format, which was refreshing.

Every individual has had his or her own style of creative working and that’s what makes a difference to the show format. We believe in letting creative people use their individual style in making each season stand out. We feel that making our producers follow a particular format without giving them the liberty to use their own creativity won’t give us the best results. The biggest advantage of giving creative liberty is that the show does not become monotonous, there’s always something new in every season.

What is the decision-making structure for Coke Studio?

At Coca-Cola, we believe in developing and working with long-term partners. Rohail very successfully produced Coke Studio for us from Season 1 to 6, and when we all mutually felt that it was time to bring a new perspective, we opened Season 7 for a pitch to finalize new producers.

Hence, Strings took over from season 7 and took the show to new heights, an incredible accomplishment if you consider what Rohail had already achieved. There has been no looking back since. This constant framework for evolution led to Season 8 of Coke Studio becoming bigger than all previous seasons combined in terms of numbers.

We allow the producers to make the important decisions as we firmly believe they are the experts in terms of developing the content, artist line-ups, songs and of course, the music. While the final decisions are definitely mutual, almost everything is led by them.

Coke Studio has always been phenomenal in the past. What should we expect from Season 9?

You should expect a lot of excitement and innovation in Season 9. This time, the format is totally different from previous iterations of Coke Studio. This season, six music directors, including Shani, Noori, Fakhir, Jaffer, Shuja, and Shiraz, have worked with different genres of music, with Strings as the executive producers.

The line-up of artists comprises of more than 40 vocalists and 35 musicians in the house band, which is the biggest number of artists coming together to create an exceptionally classy music program. There are some interesting changes in the set design as well. This season, we have gone with a very bold and contemporary set design to match the scale of the artists, although we have taken care that the ambiance of the set design fits perfectly with Coke Studio’s philosophy.

Two other music products, Nescafe Basement and Cornetto Pop Rock, are synonymous with promoting underground bands and providing music concert based entertainment to students in universities, respectively. To what extent can such music products sponsored by brands play a role in reviving the music industry in Pakistan?

Pakistan is a developing country and because of this, our people struggle really hard to establish their own identity. For youth especially, it becomes difficult at times to avoid stress, as they lack basic facilities and have limited resources to achieve their life goals. Coca-Cola Pakistan launched Coke Studio realizing that there was a need to create a platform the youth of Pakistan could identify with. The platform has served to change the lives of many emerging artists showing that such platforms developed by brands can have a big impact on people’s lives.

We laud Nescafe Basement for its own efforts. Others too are welcome to invest in community development, take bold initiatives like we did with Coke Studio and work to provide more opportunities for gifted artists to showcase their talent. We can promote new talent through such platforms and provide mentors in the form of our executive producers to help revive the music industry in Pakistan. The biggest hurdle for any artist is to find a platform that can help them gain exposure. Brands are now providing such opportunities; it is now up to the artists themselves to show what they can do.

Does Coke Studio broadcast exclusive content on the radio?

Radio does not have the same penetration or scale as TV or digital, but it is still a very important part of our media mix. We do a lot of exclusives for radio in addition to releasing the show. A good example of this would be artists featured on Coke Studio going live on radio shows to engage with fans and answer their questions.

Coke Studio is a very successful example of content creation. In what ways is it effective for the brand?

Coke Studio is loved by fans because it is culturally relevant, authentic and inclusive. These are the core values of Coca-Cola, the brand, as well, which we made sure are infused with the Coke Studio ideology.

The show connects at a deep emotional level with people in Pakistan and around the world, irrespective of age, gender, religion or any other difference. Just look at Tajdar-e-Haram. The positive sentiments, engagement, and love of Coke Studio fans ultimately connect back to the brand and strengthens its relationship with its consumers making Coke Studio an effective marketing tool for the Brand.

What does Coca-Cola plan to achieve by the year 2020 in Pakistan?

Coca-Cola Pakistan believes in creating shared value by taking into account the brand’s, “Me, We, and the World” commitment, for ensuring the sustainability of our business.

“Me, We, and the World” focuses on improving lives, creating jobs, increasing opportunity, preserving resources and meeting needs of the communities we proudly serve around the globe. This approach resonates well with the Coca-Cola’s global 2020 vision that aims at refreshing the world by inspiring moments of optimism and happiness and making a difference.

Through Coke Studio, we are making that difference by addressing the complex problems of our nation’s youth who are struggling between modernity and tradition, juxtaposing it through music.

Ufone Ramadan Campaign: Highlighting Social Causes

Synergyzer

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July 29, 2016

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Ufone Ramadan Campaign: Highlighting Social Causes

As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016

Ufone has an active culture of corporate responsibility that promotes volunteerism and contribution to society. Ufone volunteer groups have worked in Pakistan on various environmental, social development, health and education initiatives such as; plantation drives, blood donation drives and facilitating flood affectees.

In Ramadan 2016, the telecom giant came up with a unique CSR initiative through which the brand donated airtime to already existing yet small-scale social ventures working hard for providing basic necessities to the needy. This way, the projects were able to gain much needed exposure, which led to an extraordinary increase in financial help from society at large. The following discussion details the campaign and how it was able to help the initiatives in question to benefit.

THE OBJECTIVE

The objective behind the campaign was to highlight individuals endowing the needy in society through their social ventures. Ufone used its media muscle to promote nationwide recognition of Operation Eid Child, Wadaan and Khana Ghar; as a form of non-traditional philanthropy instead of donating money the traditional way.

This visibility strengthens the social and economic impact these ventures have in the communities they operate in. Also, it is altogether possible that inspiring others to follow the examples set by these three ventures will result in the betterment of society on a larger scale.

IT’S ALL ABOUT U

Ufone’s approach to corporate responsibility in the past has been primarily volunteer-centric. However, this year’s Ramadan campaign added a new paradigm in the telecom giant’s approach for it reached out to and enabled independent social ventures like Operation Eid Child, Khana Ghar, and Wadaan to help them achieve their objectives.

According to Mr. Rainer Rathgeber, CEO – Ufone, “Telecom companies are amongst the heaviest advertising spenders in nearly every country in the world. This money is used to talk about ourselves all the time. This Ramadan, Ufone will let those people talk who really make a difference”.

Elaborating further, Mr. Rathgeber explained, “Large-scale publicity can cost a lot of money, and without the publicity, these individuals and organizations really cannot generate enough support to scale up their operations. And so, appreciating these realities, Ufone is coming forward to provide free media space to three such humanitarian initiatives, enabling them to communicate their message far and wide”.

Hence, the company developed campaign content for and donated free media space to Operation Eid Child, Wadaan and Khana Ghar on TV channels, newspapers, billboards and digital media, including Facebook and various blogs; enabling the social ventures to reach out to the masses, encouraging socially-conscious citizens to join such causes.

THE INITIATIVES

1. Operation Eid Child (Islamabad – Lahore – Karachi)

‘Operation Eid Child’ is the brainchild of Sharmine Aziz, a former History and English language teacher at the Headstart School in Islamabad. The idea behind ‘Operation Eid Child’ is simple; pack boxes of gifts for less privileged children and pass them onto the organizers for distribution.

Sharmine has created a website, EidChild.com, with the aim to share happiness with the less fortunate children of our country. Her website prompts visitors to give any old toys or belongings they have lying around the house that can be used by such children.

Setting up drop points in all major cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad through a network of friends and colleagues, Sharmine has devised a nationwide drive aimed at bringing smiles to children across Pakistan through Eid gifts.

2. Wadaan: Dewar-e-Meherbani (Peshawar)

Wadaan, literally meaning ‘prosperous’, was the name of the Wall of Kindness project set up by two students, Omar and Daniyal, in Peshawar. The boys started ‘Wadaan’ as a simple project to donate clothes they were not wearing anymore with the aim to bring a slight amount of prosperity to those in need of basics. For this purpose, they found an unused wall in their locality and nailed in some hooks to hang clothes, thus setting up a place where anyone could come and take what they needed or leave anything they wanted to share.

The idea received a lot of appreciation from the local community and has now expanded into a communal wall of kindness, which now includes things like non-perishable food items, shoes, gifts and other items of necessity stacked on shelves. The items are contributed by the local community for the people who need them. Hence, the key thought behind Wadaan is to help people without affecting their self-esteem.

Facebook page: Facebook.com/wadaanpakistan

3. Khana Ghar (Khuda Ki Basti, Karachi)

Parveen Saeed once read a story in a newspaper of a mother killing her infant children because she couldn’t feed them. The story had such an impact on her life that she started a discount food kitchen from her home at Khuda Ki Basti, a shanty area in the outskirts of Karachi with support from her friends and family, and named it Khana Ghar.

Parveen provides food that costs Rs. 20 to make, in only Rs. 3 to the people that come to her ‘Dhaaba’, feeding a number of individuals and families who live below the poverty line. The idea behind charging for the food, albeit a very small amount, is to discourage waste. She believes that food given completely for free ends up being wasted, whereas when you pay money to buy something you value it more.

Eventually, the project grew and Parveen was approached by TV channels. The exposure brought various donors from all parts of Karachi to her Khana Ghar, helping her expand operations and cater to more people.

Facebook Group: Facebook.com/khanaghar

Contact number: +923009212136

Banking Details for Donations to Khana Ghar
Bank: ABL account in the name of Khana Ghar

Account number: 01-200-4891-8

Branch code: 0160

Swift code: ABPAPKKA

IBAN: PK57ABPA0001600120048918

PROMOTING A CULTURE OF KINDNESS

According to Ufone; Operation Eid Child, Wadaan and Khana Ghar are role models for society and by highlighting the efforts of these social initiatives, the company has shown the masses that it doesn’t take much to promote a culture of kindness, and every member of society has a capacity to start something that can improve the lives of others.

To illustrate, the Ramadan campaign not only enables the social ventures to reach out to the masses to inspire them and get support for those who need it, the campaign also establishes the mindset that these ventures can be easily replicated by anyone desiring to bring about a positive change in society.

In summation, Ufone is inclined to bring about a progressing change throughout Pakistan through supporting committed individuals and organizations working selflessly for the betterment of society as well as its own corporate responsibility initiatives. The brand also hopes that other companies will take the lead and get encouraged to come up with strategies that show ownership of social issues.

MANAGING RESPONSE

A few days after the Ramadan campaign, phone calls started pouring in at Ufone call centers, with people asking how they can donate to the ventures. The call center executives duly explained to callers that contributions can only be made to each of the people responsible for the initiatives and provided their contact details.

MEASURING IMPACT

For the social initiatives, the telecom donating airtime has been a blessing in disguise. According to Sharmine Aziz of Operation Eid Child, “Through this campaign, Ufone picked up three little groups of people trying to make a difference in their own little way, helping them go from social media to mass media overnight”. As a result of the campaign, many people started contacting Sharmine through her personal Facebook profile and the website, EidChild.com, to become a part of the cause.

Moreover, the campaign had a tangible impact on each of the social initiatives in addition to providing exposure. For instance, Khana Ghar had received more than Rs. 0.3 million donations since the start of the campaign, enabling the discount kitchen to provide food rations to upwards of 1400 families in the Khuda ki Basti area. Parveen Saeed of Khana Ghar shared her thoughts on the results of the campaign and her future plans saying, “I have been doing this for 15 years, and have even had interviews conducted by BBC and Voice of America, but nothing gave Khana Ghar the kind of publicity like the Ufone ad campaign. I am very thankful to them for supporting my little project and helping it grow bigger. It is because of Ufone’s help that I will now be able to send food trucks to other areas after Eid with the donations I have received.”

Also, the campaign has served to inspire people to start their own initiatives. Omar and Daniyal of Wadaan shared their experiences post-campaign saying that they have been contacted by people from Multan, Balakot, and Gujranwala with requests to put up more such walls. In addition, donations and a large number of volunteers willing to help out have enabled them to start serving Iftar at those locations. In their words, “Sure, we got more followers on social media after the ad campaign, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to give people the impetus to contribute some time to underprivileged individuals in their respective communities. Hundreds of thousands of people must have seen the ads on social media, TV, billboards and in newspapers. From that count, even if one more person donates their unneeded clothes or feeds the poor because the ads motivated them then we’ve fulfilled our purpose and Ufone its own.”

Actifying Generation Y – CSR Initiatives for Youth Development

Sanna Malik

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July 25, 2016

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Actifying Generation Y – CSR Initiatives for Youth Development

As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016

Microsoft launched the YouthSpark initiative three years ago to enable computer science learning across the globe in partnership with governments, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses. As yet, more than 300 million youngsters have been educated, employed and have started entrepreneurial ventures through this program. The idea behind YouthSpark is to gear youngsters for their futures in a technologically inclined world enabling them to pursue careers across all economic sectors. They are taught the foundation skills necessary to develop computational-thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them understand how to create, apply and use technology by knowing how it works. In addition to this, Microsoft will aid those who would want to pursue a career related to computer science in building their future.

Verizon’s community improvement program, Innovative Learning is intended to educate and mentor colored male students in the USA, particularly those belonging to marginalized communities to learn entrepreneurship, coding, app development, 3D design, and robotics so that they can pursue careers in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These fields are the basis of the US economy and by increasing learning opportunities; the cellular carrier is playing its part in creating a sustainable future of the country.

In neighboring India, Tech Mahindra carries out the SMART or Skills for Market Training program that aims to educate, enlighten and employ youth around the belief that educated and skilled youth are the country’s future. Under the SMART program, youngsters including those with disabilities are trained in technical vocations. The foundation has also established a SMART Academy to impart high-quality vocational skills training that will include theoretical as well as on-the-job coaching with the help of and input from established professionals. Through these means, the students will be made employable for higher paying jobs in India’s organized corporate sector. The Tech Mahindra Foundation is also conducting research on vocational education and training along with the National Skill Development Authority of India, to understand the scope of skill development in the country.

In Pakistan, youth is a whopping 60% of our population. Economists have time and again pointed out that in order to achieve economic sustainability, it is important that there are more hands that can earn versus mouths to feed. This means that the part of the population that is working has to be more than the dependent population. Being a developing nation; education, skill development, and careers are options that although accessible, are not very equally available to the lower strata of society. Other than education and skill development, inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship is a major factor that needs to be nurtured since the need of the hour for our economy is creating job providers rather than job seekers. Also, it is important to inculcate skills and work ethos that lead to entrepreneurship so that youngsters engage in practices that lead to inventive thinking and innovation.

Under the circumstances that we are in as a developing nation, the corporate sector is looked up to, to play its part. A number of companies are already carrying out projects to help develop entrepreneurship within the youth. Especially active in this motive are technology and telecom sector MNC’s operating within the country. In this edition of Synergyzer, we have covered certain efforts especially those by Mobilink, Telenor, and Ufone. The most interesting part is that such companies are trying to ready up the younger generation for tackling socio-economic, health and environmental challenges by providing them a role in their ecosystem.

For instance, Mobilink has ventured into partnerships with universities like LUMS to facilitate young entrepreneurs with necessary resources and guidance to turn their ideas into productive business ventures as well as developed programs like Mobilink mLiteracy, an SMS based literacy project, to make quality education accessible to all. Similarly, Telenor has developed a support program for digital businesses that facilitates young entrepreneurs through the company’s infrastructure, expertise, and different services called Telenor Velocity and another one called Djuice Apportunity, where youngsters can showcase their mobile applications and get connected to the right stakeholders.

Still much more efforts are required to mobilize Pakistan’s youth. They need sources of information that are dependable, they need to be empowered yet have to be instilled with social values that inculcate a culture of responsibility, their ideas need nurturing and direction, and their energy needs to be channelized towards productive endeavors. These may be a few of our responsibilities as a nation, but are definitely not easily achievable yet cannot be delayed in the broader perspective.

Tang Campaigns: Year In Review 2016

Interactive & Beyond

Synergyzer

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July 23, 2016

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As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016: ‘Actifying Generation Y’

Pakistan is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. With a rapidly growing population and a large number of consumers with disposable income willing to spend on fast moving consumer goods has led to the growth of FMCG companies in the country.

Mondelēz Pakistan is one such company, with products such as Cadbury Dairy Milk and Tang that are household names nationwide. The company periodically undertakes seasonal campaigns to connect with their consumers, for instance, earlier this year, the company launched a new sub-brand, ‘Marvellous Creations’ to usher in its variants, Jelly Popping Candy and Cookie Gummy Crunch chocolate bars. The launch was supported by a strong nationwide marketing campaign made up of TVC’s, outdoor placements, in-store and experiential executions in malls all over the country as well as PR and digital elements.

“The big idea for ‘#FromMeToMom’ was to give people a chance to openly express their love for their mothers.”

TANG #FromMeToMom

Following the Chocolate season, Mondelēz Pakistan launched a campaign for this year’s Mother’s Day on May 8, 2016, titled, ‘#FromMeToMom’, an activity undertaken by their make-to-drink (MTD) beverage brand, Tang. The big idea for ‘#FromMeToMom’ was to give people a chance to openly express their love for their mothers by launching a missed call activity. This allowed them to send their mothers a recorded message via phone, thanking them, telling them what they most loved about them and how they are special.

Parallel to this activity, the brand also launched a new 1-liter bottle and a new flavor, ‘Tang Mosambi’, bringing the consumers a variety of five fruity flavors to choose from. Tang aggressively highlighted its Mosambi flavor at various touch points, with sampling done at retail outlets and departmental stores throughout the country.

TEACHING PEOPLE TO #TangMissedCall

Tang set up a number that could be called by people willing to participate in #TangMissedCall. The process was very simple; dial the official Tang #FromMeToMom number, 0344 888 TANG (8264), which will register the caller on an automated dialer. From there a return call went out to the participant, which when picked up prompted the user to record their voice message for their mother and provide her number. Tang surprised mothers all over Pakistan by playing their children’s recorded messages on Mother’s Day, creating a unique emotional engagement with end users.

Also, animated videos were posted to Facebook and top portals explaining to users how the missed call activity worked with steps given in English, Urdu and Roman Urdu. Banner ads on blogs and websites had a click-to-action button while ads targeting smartphones had a button to make calls directly.

“The brand has introduced recipes for various sweet as well as savory dishes that use Tang as an ingredient.”

PHONE TA(N)G: RESULTS

Considering the strong brand image and top of mind recall, the activity was extremely successful with more than 20,000 missed calls received; 12,000 of which were unique. More than 3000 recordings were delivered to mothers on their Day. Meanwhile, on social media, the hashtags, #TangMissedCall and #FromMetoMom, trended on Twitter with the latter gaining 93,916 reach and 700,000 plus impressions. On Facebook, the post gained 4 million plus reach and around 20 million impressions giving great traction to the campaign, making it the talk of the town.

MAA KAY HATHON KA PYAR

Tang’s missed call campaign was an extension of the umbrella campaign of the preceding year, ‘Maa Kay Hathon Ka Pyar’, which portrayed Tang to be an emotional brand rather than a functional one. The campaign put mothers at the center of the family unit, highlighting their significance as being the most important person in a child’s life, focusing on emotional connects and how mothers play a significant role in the well-being and nourishment of their family.

THE TANG(Y) SECRET INGREDIENT

Considering the increased interest of their consumers in quick recipe videos on Facebook, the brand developed a strategy of giving people just what they wanted by introducing recipes for various sweet as well as savory dishes using Tang as an ingredient. The videos went viral on social media and were much talked about particularly in food groups on Facebook.

The summer-long campaign was made in collaboration with the Desi Appetite Facebook page and the videos were posted on other portals as well as Tang’s official Facebook page. The pages selected for the campaign were hand-picked based on their credibility and reach. Tang maintained interactivity with end users encouraging them to send in their recipes and pictures throughout the campaign to crowdsource recipe ideas.

“The ‘Maa Kay Hathon Ka Pyar’ campaign portrays Tang as an emotional brand rather than a functional one.”

TANG GOES FILMY WITH ARY FILM AWARDS 2016

As part of their holistic marketing strategy, Tang also partnered with ARY Film Awards held in Dubai, in April this year showcasing the brand’s ambition to support the entertainment industry.

The brand sponsored two awards for the categories, Best Movie (Jury choice) and Best Independent Film (Jury choice). It also made its presence felt throughout the biggest film award event of the year with its signature colors by replacing the traditional red carpet with an orange one.

Moreover, Tang introduced the 360-degree video technology to cover the ARY Film Awards. This gave the audience watching at home the option to experience a unique level of interactivity by allowing them to view the action in real-world panorama through their screens.

The drink brand also embedded its lively image in the script and behind-the-scenes rehearsal videos. Besides these, the Tang logo was integrated into all of AFA 2016 communication. There were also branded performances as well as celebrities posing with the recently introduced Tang 1 liter bottle during rehearsal shoots to target the viewers subliminally.

In summation, Mondelēz Pakistan has done much to ensure the growth of Tang by building long-lasting relationships with their target market through social media content like Tang Quick Recipes, the missed called activity #FromMeToMom and the brand’s sponsorship of ARY Film Awards showing a desire to remain an active part of the brand’s consumers’ lives throughout the year, through content, campaigns, events and more.

Soya Supreme Ramadan Campaign: Fasting & Feasting

Reels

Synergyzer

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July 20, 2016

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Soya Supreme Ramadan Campaign: Fasting & Feasting

As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016: ‘Actifying Generation Y’

Soya Supreme, the flagship brand of Agro Processors & Atmospheric Gases (Pvt.) Ltd. launched Ramadan Communication campaign in 3 episodes during Ramadan and Eid, building on last year’s ’Life Ki Theme’ campaign.

The campaign was launched to underline the importance of the values of Ramadan, such as generosity, patience, and reflection as well as address an increase in demand for edible oil, which according to the Pakistani Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), jumps from 4000 tons in regular days to 6000 tons during Ramadan in Pakistan as people consumer higher quantities of fried foods.

The owner family of APAG has been in the edible oil business since 1954. In addition to their flagship brand, Soya Supreme, APAG owns the canola oil brand, Smart, and a mid-segment Banaspati and cooking oil brand, Malta. For this year’s Ramadan communication, the company felt that Soya Supreme needed to highlight the importance of religious rites of passage like the ‘first fast’ of a young member of the family.

Campaign Objectives

The campaign was structured to highlight the importance of Ramadan in a regular Muslim household; how it affects the lifestyles and habits of every family member, showing family values and religious training that is part of a child’s upbringing in a Muslim household, and how the youngest members of the family are encouraged by the elders to perform their religious duties. The campaign talks about the virtues of patience, highlighting the fact that if children can master their will and be patient, then we, as elders, should also learn to be more patient.

The communication is developed in three parts, each dealing with a specific theme. The first part deals with preparing for Ramadan, the second highlights the importance of being patient and performing religious duties, the final highlights festivity, and celebration, along with sharing and caring for others.

“To promote the Ramadan communication, a 360 degree campaign was developed covering both ATL and BTL platforms comprising of TV, radio, outdoor, point-of-sales, consumer contact activities and digital.”

Ramadan Communication Campaign

This year’s Ramadan campaign was derived by taking forward last year’s umbrella campaign, ‘Life Ki Theme’. The first part of the communication titled, ‘Welcome Ramadan’, focused on pre-Ramadan elements while ‘Ramadan Ki Theme’ focused on the Ramadan lifestyle and ‘Khushiyon ki Theme’ focused on Eid celebrations. Each individual communication was aired sequentially; the first advertisement aired before Ramadan while the rest were aired during the holy month and Eid for maximum visibility and reach on both conventional and digital media.

In ‘Welcome Ramadan’, the pre-Ramadan part of the communication, a boy, excited about Ramadan, goes shopping with his mother for supplies, including Soya Supreme, and promises to fast in the coming Ramadan. This first episode is designed as a call to action for purchasing the edible oil brand before the holy month begins. As an incentive to the consumer, a sales promotion comprising of free packets of dates with every 3 and 5-liter bottle of Soya Supreme Cooking Oil is communicated in the commercial.

In the ‘Ramadan Ki Theme’, the second episode of the communication, patience is highlighted as the essence of Ramadan. The boy from the previous episode is shown offering prayers and having a difficult time keeping his fast as various preparations for Iftar are going on around him, i.e samosas, chanaa chat, and other traditional Iftar items, all utilizing Soya Supreme. He even gets tempted at a point to steal a samosa but decides on keeping his fast, making his grandfather smile at his resolve. The family is shown to celebrate the boy’s first rozadar Iftar when he successfully concludes his first fast.

The third and final episode, ‘Khushiyon Ki Theme’, focuses on Eid and celebration and is about generosity and giving to others. Kickstarted with visuals of cooking sewaiyan in Soya Supreme, in this commercial the boy gets Eidi in appreciation and encouragement for his behavior during Ramadan but chooses to share his reward with his younger sister who gets less Eidi than him.

“This year’s Ramadan campaign was derived by taking forward last year’s umbrella campaign, ‘Life Ki Theme’.”

Promoting Ramadan Holistically

The target market for the campaign was females belonging to SEC A and B+ aged between 25 to 35 years. They were chosen as the target demographic because females are often decision makers when it comes to regular household purchases. Young mothers also attribute a lot of value to the religious upbringing of their children and consider religious rites like ‘first fasts’ an important family bonding exercise. Keeping the psychological inclinations of the target demographic in mind, the central idea of the campaign developed by the brand’s marketing team along with its creative agency, Spectrum Y&R, was developed such that it focused on all key triggers to develop a strong emotive hook.

To promote the Ramadan communication, a 360-degree campaign was developed covering both ATL and BTL platforms comprising of TV, radio, outdoor, point-of-sales, consumer contact activities and digital. The three-episode Ramadan Campaign was run on TV and radio while brand integrations were done with various TV cooking channels as well as cooking shows on different news, entertainment, and children’s channels. In ARY Digital’s Jeeto Pakistan, several Suzuki Mehran cars sponsored by Soya Supreme were given in lucky draws and various gift hampers were provided throughout the Ramadan transmissions. An extensive campaign was run on Facebook and the Google display network which included banner ads, video ads, and YouTube preload ads, while special cookbooks of Iftar recipes were distributed free of charge at major supermarket chains. Digital and conventional media and content integrations were supported by extensive outdoor placements to develop strong visibility for the campaign.

“The Ramadan campaign talks about the virtues of patience, highlighting the fact that if children can master their will and be patient.”

Campaign Results

Millions of people were reached through the digital medium as the Ramadan campaign received an overwhelming response on both, conventional and digital media. As a result of the success of the overall marketing efforts, the brand hit its sales targets increasing its market share and growth from the seasonal campaign.

How Mobilink Make Your Mark Is Helping Millennial Entrepreneurs

Education & Social Development

Synergyzer

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July 18, 2016

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How Mobilink Make Your Mark Is Helping Millennial Entrepreneurs

As originally published in Synergyzer Issue 3 – 2016

One of the most recent positive developments in Pakistan has been the growing startup ecosystem. In recent years, we have witnessed a plethora of startups, most offering a unique product or a service, which makes them stand out. And followers of this space will tell you that a host of local startups have made a name for themselves on the world stage too.

A mix of factors is behind the sudden rise of the startup ecosystem; the emergence of high-speed mobile internet, a burgeoning youth population, supportive government policies and significant contribution from the private sector.

The private sector, which is mostly associated with incremental innovation, is big on the idea of supporting up and coming entrepreneurs in the hope that a few might be able to bring about transformative innovation for the benefits of the masses.

Mobilink is playing a leading role to help these young entrepreneurs, to further their drive and positively impact the society at large. For this purpose, the Telco has launched VimpelCom’s international program called Make Your Mark (‘MYM’), which focuses on ‘Helping Young People Shape Their Future.’

Under the program, Mobilink partnered with The Lahore University of Management Sciences’ Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) to set up an incubator program. As well as supporting the program financially, Mobilink also provided mentors in the shape of industry experts, and the ability for the selected teams to develop and test their applications on Mobilink’s platform.

Business mentoring and support by industry leaders is key in strengthening both startup and the founding team’s own entrepreneurial skills – an invaluable trait in getting the new business off the ground.

“Business mentoring and support by industry leaders is key in strengthening both startup and the founding team’s own entrepreneurial skills.”

After the passing out of the 13 startups at the LCE, they were invited to a MYM Entrepreneurial Connect Day 2016, where they had a shot at partnering with Mobilink on future business endeavors.

The judges for the evening were Head of Departments of Mobilink’s various business functions, who utilized their business acumen to assist the Telco in choosing the winning startup and commission a successful and scalable business partnership.

Divided into two stages – ‘Elevator Pitches’ and ‘Deep Dive for New Digital Ventures’– the MYM Entrepreneurial Connect Day saw judges score and assess participating startups for their business foresight and experience, time to market and potential for growth. The startup teams also got a chance to further understand the prospective digital businesses and explore potential commercial linkages with respective departments of Mobilink.

Upon completion of the two stages, the judges shortlisted five startups – Paper.pk, ShahiSawari, Treble, TeachUs.pk, and ChaiChalk. These shortlisted startups held preliminary discussions about the commercial arrangements, way forward and mutual expectations of their business partnership with Mobilink.

To take the entire MYM program further and boost Pakistan’s vibrant and emerging Tech ecosystem, Mobilink is also set to establish Jazz’s ‘National Incubation Center’. This world-class incubator is being set up in collaboration with Team Up, a startup community of founders, mentors, and investors, bringing the expertise of seasoned industry veterans to the table.

On similar lines, the Telco also recently inaugurated its Digital Innovation Lab, a collaborative space for supporting and accelerating key Digital Initiatives. This lab is an innovation center where key internal stakeholders, industry professionals, thought leaders and Digital Entrepreneurs will utilize Mobilink’s expertise to create and explore innovative products and services in the Digital Space.

“Mobilink is playing a leading role in helping young entrepreneurs to further their drive and positively impact the society at large.”

Such private sector support is a game changer for a lot of startups. From working capital to mentoring, it enables young entrepreneurs to gain a foothold in the sector through the business acumen of global industry experts.

But, this is not to say that challenges do not remain for the new generation of entrepreneurs. While the recent micro-level activity is indeed encouraging, it is the macro-level policy and infrastructure challenges which haunt entrepreneurs and investors.

The government needs to actively participate and understand that it is important to design and build solutions that promote trust and foster transparency amongst stakeholders. Only then will the startup community expand on its current promise and make its mark on the world stage.

WHAT ADVERTISING HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT PLANNING

Thought Leaders

Omar Azeem

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July 8, 2016

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WHAT ADVERTISING HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT PLANNING

I never planned to be an adman, but once I stepped into this fascinating world especially into the strategic planning function, I started to love it with each passing day.

Having spent two lazy months after moving back to Pakistan, I decided to pen down a few things I learnt about planning over the years, and share my experiences with the marketing fraternity here at home.

“While working on a project, I would often write the brand’s marketing objectives on a piece of paper and keep them at a stare’s distance, so that I will not get diverted from them.”

Begin With the End in Mind

I am sure most of you are familiar with the ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, written by Stephen Covey and extensively talked about in corporate cultures all over the world. I just love the narrated habit # 2; ‘Begin with the End in Mind’, as it perfectly conforms to what my job is, day in and day out.

While working on any project, the first question I would usually ask is, “What are we trying to achieve?”, and this is where it becomes of paramount importance to exactly know the client’s/brand’s business-marketing-campaign objectives and the KPI’s the communication is to be measured against. I would quite often write those objectives on a piece of paper and keep them at a stare’s distance, not to get diverted from them. Being connected and aligned with these objectives when recommending solution(s) helps in attaining focus as well as identify and explore relevant ideas.

The Brief has yet to get Comprehensive

As an adman once famously said, “If you don’t have an ad, you don’t have a brief”. That is, if I can’t produce an idea from my own brief, I should not expect the creative team to come up with one. As a planner, I am accountable for being ‘useful’ to the creative team and other disciplines to act like a springboard, giving practical and valuable suggestions. For instance, it is not enough for me to tell any of the teams to go from Lahore to Islamabad for a meeting, rather I also have to support them by instilling a direction about the most efficient ways of reaching Islamabad, and how to prepare for an effective meeting.

I have learnt that the brief needs to be treated as one of the most important documents in our lives. This has resulted in and continues to result in effective communication ideas, gives the satisfaction of achieving the client’s business-marketing objectives and finally, gives us a reason to be proud of ourselves.

Before writing any major creative communications brief, I ask myself these questions; “Why is this brief here?”, “What are the key objectives that the brand intends to achieve?”, “How best can the brand achieve these objectives?”, and above all, “How can the brand make a positive difference in people’s lives?”

One of my former bosses (who taught me, what I know today!) used to say, “Stay away from jargon and keep it simple. The words that you use should be able to support your creative team in generating ideas.”

Another important thing that I learnt over the years: There is a reason the document is called a “brief”. One doesn’t need to write a whole article or a multiple pager, rather it is our job to keep it succinct, focused and inspiring; so that it can act as fuel for generating ideas.

The Briefing: A Chance to Bring Words Alive

I have learnt that more important than the brief is the “creative briefing” session and it is never to be ignored. This is the time when you bring your brief to life and give it a kick; to tell the story you want, capture imagination and inspire the creative team, provoke questions, and generate ideas. To ensure a successful briefing session use pictures, videos, everyday life situations, metaphors; anything to get your creative team’s brains running. Take care not to bore them.

During such a session, use your brief as a “discussion document”. It should be something that sparks conversations, which can further lead to effective ideas. Try not to complicate things, simplicity always wins over complexity.

Listen and Collaborate to Win

Our perceptions are a reality for most of us, but it is important that not to get caught in a one dimensional and rigid thinking process that proves us to be “always right”.

I may think of myself as Superman; however I have to realize that my Creative Director can be Batman, Account Director may be Iron Man, the digital resource a Spiderman and above all, the client a Hulk. In short, it is critical to see the world from others’ perspective, NOT ACT AS TERRITORIAL GENERALS, and imagine and collaborate together. Imperative to keep in mind: Everyone in a team is working to achieve the same objective.

“If you can’t produce an idea from your own brief, you should not expect your creative team to come up with one.”

Insight, Opportunity and Ideas

I believe ‘insight’ is the most overused and abused word in our business. Ad-men (and women) quite often talk about ‘Consumer Insight’, and how it should lead to the creative idea. Yet, here I am, a person who will never ignore the brand, the product and the environment it operates in.

Although the consumer part is highly important and can’t be neglected, I strongly believe that insightful ideas MUST not be limited to consumer insights only and can come from anywhere within the brand, product, or cultural framework. The key is to unearth the most relevant consumer demand and marry it with the brand or product promise and the cultural truth in the shape of a consumer advantage and value addition. Look deep into the brand, its philosophy, its promise and even the way it is produced; the insight may be hidden underneath these unexplored layers.

Where do you think, “Audi – Vorsprung Durch Technik”, came from? It is inspired from the brand belief and brand philosophy. By the way, it is translated as, “Advancement Through Technology”. Look at the cultural and societal truths and you will find clues everywhere around you. “Malaysia, Truly Asia”, is a seamless cultural insight and an undeniable fabric of the country.

Remember the breakthroughs that Samsung (Samsung DIGITall. Everyone’s invited.) and LG (Digitally yours) made in our lives during the 90’s by introducing digital technology in often boring home appliances, and made us seek them out to make our lives easier? Both these brands exploited the core product strengths as insights, which led to the consumer demand for convenience.

Whenever I work on a brand or a project, I try and make sure to keep my perspective open. This not only gives me a broader prospect of the situation, but also helps in identifying the most effective opportunity for the brand.

“Our perceptions are a reality for most of us, but it is important not to get caught in a one dimensional and rigid thinking process that proves us to be “always right”.”

Integration is Effective

Remember the old story of a farmer whose sons used to fight each other and close to his death he teaches them a lesson about how powerful unity is?

Similarly, in business collaborations, integration and making various disciplines come together behind an idea is the key to winning campaigns and driving results. Here, ideas are more significant than channels; such ideas that are powerful and flexible enough to be effectively integrated across disciplines and across channels.

A few ideas like, “Just Do It” by Nike, “Keep Discovering” by Emirates, “Real Beauty” by Dove and “Open Happiness” by Coca-Cola are clear examples and vivid proofs of the power of a good idea, and you can see how these ideas have been exploited and integrated across different channels of communication over the years, without alienating the core of the brand.

Who Should You Be in the Entire Process?

The Honda Cog ad wonderfully resonates with my job and I simply love it. Consider yourself that Cog which sparks a chain reaction and gets things rolling. Basically, that cog which acts as a catalyst for the entire process to work and accomplish things. For those of you, who haven’t seen this ad, search for the ‘Honda Cog ad’ on YouTube and watch the first result on the list.

Besides this, I really love one of Jon Steel’s 13 minutes videos, which I recommend those reading this search on Google and listen to, “WPP’s Planning Guru Jon Steel on What He Values Most in a Planner!”. Amongst others, one of the most inspiring arguments in the video is about being ‘useful’ and the ability to ‘bring out the best in other people’. This is where I have felt one can really make a difference; by being a part of the solution and an effective member of the team.

About the Author

Omer is former Strategy Director at FP7, TBWA\ and Ogilvy & Mather in the GCC region. He recently joined BBDO Pakistan as Business Director after moving back to Pakistan, and can be reached at omerazeem@gmail.com.