ZEENAT CHAUDHARY: You have held three workshops related to digitisation in Karachi, one of which was on digital transformation. What is the value of digital transformation?
FRANK PETER: Many people use the term ‘digital transformation’ quite liberally. They will pepper in words like ‘algorithm’, ‘machine learning’ and ‘AI’ in a conversation without knowing what they mean. Businesses need to realise that digital transformation is (and should be) customer-driven. In other words, if you want to make money, you should enhance your customer experience via digitisation. This is all the more important because people have more choices than before, and whether you work in banking, retail or dining, you need to convince potential customers to choose your brand; and you do this via digitisation.

ZC: Which sectors in Pakistan have adapted to new technologies the fastest?
FP: The financial sector (banks, insurance companies) is probably the most advanced because they have no choice but to up their game to keep up with the competition. If you are a customer seeking a new credit card, a fast and convenient online process will trump a 30-day long, in-person paper application process. For agricultural and other labour-intensive sectors, digital transformation is slower because in this segment, labour is cheap in Pakistan and therefore implementing digital systems will end up being more expensive.

ZC: Is this one of the reasons why emerging economies have not digitised their agri-based businesses?
FP: Definitely. In Germany, labour is exceptionally expensive and there are labour laws, so you cannot make people work overtime without paying overtime, which is why companies opt for automation.

Consumers come across hundreds of ads in a day, most of which they will ignore or not believe. Instead of using celebrity endorsements, ask past customers to share their experiences about the service or use micro influencers, who may only have 3,000-5,000 followers (as opposed to a celebrity with millions of fans) but are considered authority figures among their followers.

ZC: Why are people resistant to digitising their organisations?
FP: Everyone knows digital transformation is important but top-level executives are hesitant because of fear of the unknown and giving up control.

ZC: How do you change this mindset and the “fear of the unknown”?
FP: People are notoriously selfish. You have to convince them why something is good for them and give them incentives. For example, if you want to build an internal social media platform that will enable your employees to access day-to-day information, company news, peer reviews, etc., you have to give people an incentive to use it. For example, if the employees in your organisation rely on notice boards to find out company news, get rid of these boards. This will push people to use the platform if they want to know what is going on in the company.

ZC: How would you rate Pakistan’s digital agility?
FP: Rating Pakistan’s digital agility is a difficult call to make as I interact with a limited subset of individuals from Pakistan in my training sessions and they have a vested interest in digitisation. However, I recently found out via We Are Social [a global creative agency] that internet penetration is still very low in Pakistan and there is also a disparity between male and female users, which leads to many marketing challenges. There is no point pushing online marketing if your users don’t exist online. However, there is a lot of room for growth.

ZC: What kind of businesses have you worked with to improve their day-to-day processes via digitisation?
FP: I previously worked with a hotel in Malaysia; it had a beautiful website but it didn’t have a reservation button. You could check room availability but you had to email the hotel to make a booking. Many people would rather go to another hotel site or use a website like Expedia or Booking.com. So I helped make that one change (adding a button), and it had an immediate impact. I also worked with an airline to figure out why potential customers had stopped buying tickets on their website. After looking through the data, we found that the system timed out too quickly, so it wasn’t a great customer experience. We simply increased the number of minutes prior to the timeout and this helped the airline capture sales. My role was to train the airline staff to search for data via Google Analytics (which has a built-in sales funnel) analyse it and take action.

ZC: What soft skills do people need to adapt to digital transformations?
FP: Interpersonal communication and critical thinking are at the top of my list; many universities in Malaysia now offer critical thinking skills as a core curriculum. Other skills that are important are high EQ, creativity, and analytical thinking.

ZC: How much investment is required to digitise SMEs in particular?
FP: You can digitise office systems with minimal investment. A good start are those ugly steel filing cabinets so often used in offices and which are a remnant of the past. One can save time and effort by creating and using soft copies of files via scanning and cloud computing (a small company can use Google Drive, which is free, as the amount of storage space offered is sufficient). It is not much of a financial outlay but it will get your foot through the door. Another way is creating a social media account on Facebook or LinkedIn, etc., which is free (unless you are paying for media), although this will take time and effort to get results.

ZC: How can companies best use social media platforms to cater to consumers?
FP: Digital is not just for getting likes on Facebook and Instagram, sending out promotional emails or having a website with shiny buttons. Firstly, you must have a goal. Whether it is direct sales, lead generation, customer retention or awareness building, different goals require different approaches. If your goal is customer awareness then direct marketing (putting up Facebook posts that scream ‘buy now’! or ‘sale’!) is not the way. Secondly, there is no point trying to reach everybody, it is a complete waste of time. You have to do a bit of data mining to figure out who your best potential customers are and then package the content in a way that they will want to consume it. For example, a 19-year-old would prefer a 10-second video, while a 32-year-old may prefer a bullet point list; you need to promote the same product using different packaging and ways of distribution.

ZC: How should brands communicate with consumers on these social media platforms?
FP: Consumers come across hundreds of ads in a day, most of which they will ignore or not believe. Instead of using celebrity endorsements, ask past customers to share their experiences about the service or use micro influencers, who may only have 3,000-5,000 followers (as opposed to a celebrity with millions of fans) but are considered authority figures among their followers. For example, if a new shoe store opens up you will be more inclined to shop there if a friend or blogger you follow recommends it, as opposed to seeing a random ad for it on Facebook.

ZC: What are the benefits of using social media in terms of ROI?
FP: For a company, social media should primarily be used to build a loyal customer base. So when CEOs ask me: “Do I get back more than I put in?” my answer is that the return is not always immediate because sometimes ROI is just a sentiment that you raise. For example, a bank should use social media to demonstrate that they are experts in handling money and investments by showcasing testimonials from happy customers, responding to online queries in a timely manner and showing they care about previous customers.

For feedback: aurora@dawn.com

Despite a degree in journalism and two decades of experience with newspapers and magazines, some people only know me as a fashion blogger, which I was insulted at initially, but then I started to take it as a compliment. After all, a two-and-a-half-week old blogger will make more money, get better show seats, perks, free gifts, goodies and foreign trips than most journalists would these days. Of course, it would have helped had I been younger, fitter and richer but then age and experience give me one small advantage over most Millennials: I usually know what I’m doing and have the patience to see it through.

I don’t mind sharing my wisdom. So here’s fashion blogging 101.

1. Don’t jump on the brand-wagon

No matter what the brand tells you, there is no such thing as a free lunch, lawn outfit or foreign trip. Those big ugly boxes of gifts that you don’t use (or maybe you do) always come with a small note listing the several hashtags you are asked to incorporate “when posting”. Whatever you will be gifted will be evaluated against the promotion you give. In other words, you will be evaluated on the basis of the kind of attention your ‘thank you’ post gets the brand. And here is when you have to be discerning. Keeping the cost of your post in mind, see if it’s even worth the effort. Then (and here is the important part) always add a hashtag that specifies that your post is sponsored.

2. Do’s and don’ts of lawn

Come summer and you start receiving enough free joras to dress your entire family – but you are expected to have the outfit styled and turn up for the launch. Some brands will be so kind to style it and stitch it up for you. But stop and think. You are a fashion blogger because you have an individual sense of style (hopefully); why would you want to look like Little Bo Beep walking into a lawn garden party? Why would you want to look like everyone else? Make your own selection, style the outfit yourself and if nothing appeals to you, then learn to gasp say no. Don’t compromise on your own brand identity to establish someone else’s. Sometimes it really isn’t worth it.

3. You don’t have to like everything

Gorgeous, stunning and spectacular may be your favourite adjectives but remember that not everything you see at a show or exhibition is gorgeous, stunning or spectacular. Be honest, be fair to your followers. And if you have to be fair to your advertisers as well, then at least be specific in what you are praising. Maybe a certain outfit isn’t all that stunning but the colour combination, a motif or even a silhouette catches your fancy. Worse case scenario: “so and so looked great,” is always a safe line. Models and celebrities can make the worst outfits look great. Just don’t lie. It really isn’t that complicated.

Aamna Haider Isani is Editor, Instep (The News) and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief,Something Haute. aamna.isani@gmail.com

Professor Zuboff’s weighty tome sums up the ‘all fretting’ and fear of Big Tech and nails their feet to the floor. It is a heavy read, but worth the effort. Take these two (somewhat frightening) quotes from Zuboff:

1“We don’t need you to type at all. We know where you are. We know where you have been. We can know more or less what you are thinking about.” (Eric Schmidt, former chairman, Google).

2 “This is the first time the world has seen this scale and quality of data about human communication,” says the Head of Data Science at Facebook and thus, says founder Mark Zuckerberg, it has “predictive models that will tell what bar you will visit in a strange city and that the bartender can have your favourite drink waiting.”

We are all tradable data points now. We have sleepwalked into allowing Big Tech to have access to our personal data and now they have so much of it, that they claim to know what you are going to do next.

Creepy or what? How did this happen?

Partly, it was ignorance. Facebook and Google were new; new things that we did not understand, so we happily gave them access to our data by ticking okay to terms of service we did not bother to read. Partly, it was complacency; being targeted with ads seemed to be a reasonable price to pay for free services that we value and is far from being one of the biggest crimes a corporation could commit. Partly, it was social norming; all our friends were Googling and joining Facebook, so we did too. Result: we have handed huge power to a few (mainly US) corporations – that are now some of the richest companies we have ever seen.

Surveillance Capitalism (SC) is radically different from previous versions

This is not just a new way to sell targeted advertising; it is a new type of capitalism, which has produced corporate panopticons, with more knowledge about human behaviour than any company before and more knowledge about citizens than any government. They also claim to have the analytical power to predict human behaviour using huge volumes of data. And then to change it.

In the future, the services we choose to use (Google, Google Maps and Facebook), will be just the tip of the iceberg. The plan is to hoover up growing volumes of data from multiple sources such as the automated data that will be produced from ‘things’: cars, home energy systems, mobile devices and much, much more. Data analysis will be enabled by a confluence of technologies; cheaper and increased data storage, faster computer processing, ultra-fast 5G networks (to link all those data signals from things together) and AI. If all this seems far-fetched, just think how fast the likes of Google, Facebook and WeChat have grown from being scrappy start-ups to corporate behemoths. Professor Zuboff shows that this is not just Big Tech, but a new type of capitalism (Surveillance Capitalism) that changes the rules of the game and needs to be understood on its own terms and controlled before it controls us.

How to spot SCs – according to Professor Zuboff

SCs “unilaterally claim human experience as free raw material for translation into behavioural data, which are fabricated into prediction products that anticipate what you will do now, soon or later.”

SCs revive “Karl Marx’s old image of capitalism as a vampire that feeds on labour, but with an unexpected turn. Instead of labour, SCs feed on every aspect of human experience.”

SCs are protected by “the inherent illegibility of the automated processes that they rule, the ignorance that they breed and the sense of inevitability that they foster."

The ‘data signals’ that we send off are traded in ways that are obscure to the 99% of us who don’t understand ad tech – and used by third parties (that are invisible to us) to alter our behaviour.

SC services do not “establish constructive producer-consumer reciprocities. Instead, they are ‘hooks’ to lure users into their extractive relations in which our personal experiences are scraped and packaged as the means to others' ends.”

SCs know “everything about us, whereas their operations are designed to be unknowable to us. They accumulate vast domains of new knowledge from us but not for us. They predict our futures for the sake of others' gain, not ours.”

This is quite a charge sheet. Add to this that SCs pay as little tax as possible, whilst presenting themselves as brands that seek to “do well by doing good" (wearing a mask of Californian hippy idealism) and you have a toxic mix. Plus, the recent PR has been terrible.

Zuckerberg’s founding idea was to trick people into revealing their preferences through a kind of online social experiment. ‘Facemash’ (as it was at first called) was set up as a type of 'hot or not' game for Harvard students, which allowed visitors to compare the photographs of two female students side-by-side and let them decide who was hot or not.

The perversion of power

We already know how the power of SCs has been perverted. User data could also be used to predict individuals' voting intentions, and target them with tailored messages. Nothing terribly wrong with that, except that these ad buyers could be anonymous (and be external and ill-intentioned powers) and deliver messages that are either lies or designed to whip up anger or both. It turned out that these super-smart, self-described data lords were also not able to control what goes onto their platforms – not just mendacious political ads but worse – predatory paedophiles and extremists seeking publicity, like the recent shooter at the mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand and much besides.

Freedom without responsibility

Big Tech, supported by a neo-liberal business culture in the US, argued that they should be free to grow and disrupt markets in pursuit of their new and exciting business model that will make them and their investors as rich as Croesus. Zuckerberg from the start has been prepared to cut corners and ignore privacy concerns. It is the DNA of Facebook. Zuckerberg’s founding idea was to trick people into revealing their preferences through a kind of online social experiment. ‘Facemash’ (as it was at first called) was set up as a type of 'hot or not' game for Harvard students, which allowed visitors to compare the photographs of two female students side-by-side and let them decide who was hot or not. Needless to say, the young women were not asked if he could use their photos. Zuckerberg faced expulsion from Harvard and was charged by the administration with breach of security, violating copyrights and violating individual privacy. Zuckerberg has played fast and loose with user data ever since. Large quantities of it were handed over to Cambridge Analytica to allow targeted ads during the 2016 US elections. This is just the most recent and most egregious example.

What became visible in the US Senate hearings that followed is this: Facebook evidently did not think that great riches and influence brought responsibility. Freedom, which always sounds like a good thing, has a dark side. Freedom on Facebook/ YouTube /Instagram also meant opening Pandora’s Box and seeing all manner of ghastliness come creeping out. SCs, in pursuit of growth, turned into publishing platforms because their aggressive growth strategies demanded it. To win more ‘users’ (and have them spend more time on the platform), more ‘content’ was needed to fuel growth. And what is the best ‘content’ for this? News, scandal, outrage; this is what gets people clicking and sharing (and making money for SCs). The data showed that this was the way to grow fast and SCs always follow the data. Zuckerberg, in particular, does not really care what that content is – just that it wins and ‘engages’ users.

The accidental power brokers

SCs (and especially Facebook) are “accidental power brokers” but with an underdeveloped sense of corporate responsibility. Why? Partly, it is the personality and values of Zuckerberg himself and partly, the neo-liberal assertion of freedom to grow fast and make money. But when your company becomes huge and rich, power and responsibility are the inevitable by-products. And you will soon bump up against incumbent power brokers. You will make a lot of enemies and others will either reign in your power or (as the Chinese have done with WeChat), co-opt it.

Nineteen out of 20 European searches are on Google and 15 of the 20 most valuable tech firms in the world are American, so it is no surprise that the EU has been the first to develop policy. Americans are dithering and the EU is acting, partly to protect its own media and businesses.

Governments, late in the day, consider regulations

SCs in the West are now in the cross hairs of government and regulators. It was inevitable that this would happen at some point. Politicians desperately needed to play catch up. They had complacently allowed SCs to become huge as a result of four things. Firstly, aggressive growth strategies (the belief of Silicon Valley start-ups is that you have to get big or get eaten). Secondly, buying off competitors like Instagram (by Facebook) and YouTube (by Google) because you have to eat insurgents before they eat you. Thirdly, network effects – as free services become more valuable to their users, the bigger and more comprehensive they become. Fourthly, inertia; once you have your friends on Facebook, it becomes a pain to move away.

How to regulate SCs

Google and Facebook are now monopolists in online advertising in the West – yet, anti-trust legislation, in the US and Europe, relied on showing that these companies were pushing up prices to consumers, but they weren’t. Quite the opposite. They were giving away free services in order to hoover up huge volumes of data. Just as we ‘users’ have been slow to spot what they were up to, governments as well were out of date with their legislation and regulation. SCs are now also the biggest spenders on lobbying in Washington in order to maintain the freedoms that enabled them to get so big. However, all seem to agree now that Zuckerberg and his ilk cannot be trusted to regulate themselves.

The EU leads the way

Nineteen out of 20 European searches are on Google and 15 of the 20 most valuable tech firms in the world are American, so it is no surprise that the EU has been the first to develop policy. Americans are dithering and the EU is acting, partly to protect its own media and businesses. The EU rejected the idea of breaking up monopolists, which is being advanced by Democratic Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren in the US, believing that network effects would inevitably create new monopolists. Their first basic principle is that individuals should be given control over their own information and the profits from it. Their General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) asserts that you have the right to access, amend and determine who can use your data. So, in theory, you could take all your Facebook data and transfer it to another service that offers you better terms and/or acts more ethically. The second principle is that companies cannot lock out competition; this might mean that a dominant company would be forced to share bulk anonymised data so that the economy can function properly rather than be ruled by a few big firms.

What happens next

How will it all work out? It is too early to tell. The EU hopes its regime will unleash new services and companies in Europe and that the US will adopt GDPR as a rational way forward. But the US, in the grip of Trump’s economic nationalism, will probably see it as an attack on US companies. And there is a completely different model out there – the Chinese one. WeChat, in the space of five years, has overtaken Western brands to become an ‘everything’ app (search + social media + e-commerce) with the connivance of the Chinese state. It has even more data on citizens that Western SCs. That data is being used to monitor citizens in a way that makes George Orwell’s 1984 look prophetic. Surveillance Capitalism has morphed into The Surveillance State. It is a highly appealing model to authoritarian regimes around the world. Dictators saw what happened during the Arab Spring, when social media was used to organise insurgency and don’t want it to happen to them. So, my tip is to watch what Xi Jinping and Margrethe Vestager, the redoubtable EU Commissioner for Competition will do next.

Julian Saunders was CEO, Red Cell (a WPP creative agency) and Head of Strategy, McCann-Erickson.

julians@joinedupcompany.com

If production companies are able to operate in such murky waters in the US and India, where the business is highly structured and regulated, it is no surprise that as far as transparency and legislative oversight are concerned, the production business in Pakistan remains mired in controversy, even as it continues to flourish.

Before reviewing the trends shaping advertising production in Pakistan, it is important to step back and take a look at the forces influencing the global ad business. By all accounts, advertising has been in a state of flux for the last two to three years. The after-effects of the global economic downturn of 2007-08 continue to pressure advertisers into cutting discretionary costs, as a result of which traditional media spends and agency revenues have fallen steadily. In the last year alone, P&G, the world’s leading advertiser, has cut almost half a billion dollars in agency payments and giants such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and Visa, are on track to put approximately $20 billion worth of advertising expenditures under review.

The situation is not much different in Pakistan where advertising spends decreased by seven percent in FY2017-18 (source: Aurora Fact File 2017-18) compared to the previous year, leaving full-service agencies grappling with shrinking margins. Experts interviewed by Aurora for this story opined that the increasing scrutiny of questionable production practices combined with declining revenues have significantly changed the business, triggering a fundamental shift in the way production houses are operating.

Transforming the production house model

Traditionally, the workflow in advertising follows a linear structure. Brands hire agencies to come up with a Big Idea for a campaign. Agencies hire production companies with the expertise and resources to execute the concept and production companies deliver the final TVC for broadcasting. On the surface, the process seems straightforward enough. Then, however, in order to ensure that they would cash in on the big bucks involved in production, multinational agency networks established Agency-Owned Production Houses (AOPH), promising clients the full deal – from concept to the final TVC. Today, the AOPH model accounts for almost 70% of all commercial productions in the West and although there is nothing nefarious about the model itself, the lack of transparency in the selection process and conflicts of interest among agencies are raising questions about how ethical these practices are. As far as Pakistan is concerned, much like the rest of the world, the AOPH model dominated productions during the 70s and 80s. It was this trend of agencies sourcing work to production houses that they either owned or had a financial stake in that led to the inside joke among agency professionals: “Give the idea away for free; make money on the production.”

Today, the AOPH model accounts for almost 70% of all commercial productions in the West and although there is nothing nefarious about the model itself, the lack of transparency in the selection process and conflicts of interest among agencies are raising questions about how ethical these practices are. As far as Pakistan is concerned, much like the rest of the world, the AOPH model dominated productions during the 70s and 80s. It was this trend of agencies sourcing work to production houses that they either owned or had a financial stake in that led to the inside joke among agency professionals: “Give the idea away for free; make money on the production.”

Fortunately, the 90s saw a shift towards director-led production houses when big names such as Asad-ul-Haq Jamshed Mehmood (Jami), Saqib Malik and Asim Raza (the Big Four) set up their own production houses, thereby donning the twin hats of producer and director. Salman Farooqi, CEO, Bionic Films, credits the Big Four for laying the groundwork for formalised production house structures and improving the quality of commercials with a focus on concepts and storytelling. A decade and some years later, the advent of privately-owned TV channels and the subsequent allocation to TV of big budget accounts (telcos, banks and colas) led to the birth of independent production houses.

From vendors to solution providers

The view is unanimous that independent production companies have contributed significantly to streamlining production flows and upgrading quality standards. In the words of Sultan Ghani Afzal, CEO, Stimulus Productions Worldwide (an organisation credited for bringing international best practices and talent to Pakistan), “producers used to be perceived as logistics managers when in fact the role of a production house is much more than that.” In his view, apart from providing technical expertise, equipment and specialist resources, production houses are communication partners, able to provide creative input as well as concept improvements.

The concept of independent production houses quickly found favour in the business as both advertisers and agencies began to see the advantages of collaborating with standalone production companies. The problem with working with director-led production houses is that the directors not only have to focus on the creative and storytelling aspects of the commercial, they also have to organise resources, manage production schedules and negotiate contract details with the client/agency. In Farooqi’s view, such an arrangement unnecessarily increases the workload of the directors, while limiting the resource pool from which production teams can be sourced. He cites the recent TVC for Telenor Microfinance Bank produced by Bionic Films as an example of how a specialised production house can widen the execution options for a project, thereby adding significant value. In this case, Bionic Films were able to rope in Neil Howland, an American director, acclaimed for his expertise in shooting videos that capture the essence of a country’s heartland. “The concept of the ad was such that it could only be shot in Pakistan. From navigating the red tape for Neil’s security clearance to shoot in Pakistan, meeting the visa requirements to handling his on-ground security while travelling through different cities, Bionic Films managed every detail. This was possible because of our dedicated focus and expertise.” The result is that today, of the 50 or so production houses that are operating, only a handful have directors at the helm (see Behold a storyteller on page 31).

In addition to broadening the business horizons through local-international collaborations, independent production houses serve as a training ground for young people graduating with degrees in media sciences and filmmaking. Because independent production houses work on multiple projects with different directors at the same time, fresh graduates have the chance to work with specialists and technicians from different countries providing them with invaluable experience. Farooqi is quick to add that this does not imply that the Big Four did not mentor people; rather, as people work their way up in an independent production house, their learning is more intensive because each project exposes them to different clients, agencies, vendors, studio staff, technologies, working styles and business practices in a very short time. In addition, while clients are sometimes hesitant to work with inexperienced directors, photographers, set designers and lighting, sound and camera technicians, production houses provide a comfort zone, all the while hiring talented young people willing to learn on-the-job and in Pakistan, where there are no skill development forums in place to train people in disciplines such as set and costume design, cinematography and art direction, this is commendable indeed.

A game of money!

Despite the massive strides made by production business, conversations invariably move to the most controversial aspect of the production business – the money and the corruption. However, the production houses that Aurora spoke to for this story made no bones about the fact that while there are a few players who engage in corrupt practices, this is not true for most of the players in the business (for more, see Box – Pirates of the ad commercials? NOT!).

In fact, Ali A. Rizvi, Founder and CEO, What’s Next Entertainment, raises a valid question that is not asked as often as it should be. “Given that the industry players are well aware of the people and organisations that cut corners and are involved in shady deals, why do they keep getting new projects? If they are so corrupt, shouldn’t they go out of business?” Rizvi says it is unfair to point the finger at production houses alone for their lack of transparency. “For a corrupt production house to thrive, agencies and advertisers have to be complicit.”

Farooqi adds that it is a fallacy to assume that the production business is flush with money, especially given the recessionary environment it is currently operating in. Earning exorbitant profits is possible either by artificially inflating costs or quoting rates below the market average. Production houses employing the latter strategy make up for the difference by compromising on quality or by delaying payments to vendors and staff. Such practices are harmful to all stakeholders; clients are given sub-standard commercials not fit for purpose, vendors run into cash flow problems and the lower rates become benchmarks for subsequent projects, further increasing cost pressures on legitimate production houses delivering high-quality work.

One suggestion to counter under and over-inflated budget estimates is to implement the international procurement practice of requesting at least three quotes for a project from different production companies. This makes the selection process more transparent and competitive because collusion between multiple parties is difficult and any estimate that is too high or too low sticks out as an anomaly. Another strategy that can help standardise production budgets is a comprehensive production brief that includes detailed storyboards specifying each shot angle, size of the talent pool, location, costumes, etc. Apart from MNCs like Unilever and P&G, it is common practice for entire production schedules to be planned without a written document stating the TVC requirements, leaving any changes discussed to be incorporated on the fly. Given how resource intensive any production project is, the more details left open to interpretation, the more room there is for disparity in budget estimates.

The digital factor

A discussion on the evolution of advertising productions is not complete without factoring in the impact of digital. For a long time, the digital boom taking over the global ad industry did not translate into increased spends in Pakistan and digital largely remained a buzzword. In the last two years however, digital ad revenues have grown significantly year-on-year; a 22% increase between FY2015-16 and 2016-17 and a staggering 46% increase between FY2016-17 and Fy2017-18 (source: Aurora Fact File 2016-17 and 2017-18). What makes this sustained growth even more remarkable is the fact that in the corresponding period, TV ad revenues increased by a mere 11%, followed by a decrease of 2% last year.

In Pakistan, due to the absence of regulations and SOPs, production houses find themselves footing the entire production bill, because despite written contracts specifying advance payments, delays are inevitable. Further complicating the situation is the absence of an association for advertising production companies like the Association of Advertising Producers in India. As a result, if one production house turns down a project on the basis that an advance has not been paid, there will be another one willing to work on 100% receivables.

These statistics make it evident that even at a time when the size of the marketing revenue pie is decreasing, digital is still managing to increase its share. Faisal Durrani, Managing Partner, Digital Invasion Films (a recently established digital-only production house) explains the reasons behind this trend. “A lot of smaller brands that never had the financial muscle to afford TV are advertising on digital. They see the value of targeted reach and audience engagement with minimal budgets. This is why, while the business volumes of conventional production houses have been hit by the recession, there are more digital video productions than ever before.”

The strategy of reallocating budgets in favour of digital is not restricted to smaller advertisers. There is a realisation on the part of established brands as well that with changing audience content consumption habits, there is no option but to focus on digital videos to stay relevant with a young audience. Durrani believes that digital video content will be driving the future growth of the business. However, while the number of briefs and digital productions are increasing, he is quick to raise a red flag – the notion that producing a DVC (Digital Video Commercial) is and should be cheaper than a TVC, especially when client expectations from both are the same. The appeal of digital videos lies in the fact that they require less planning, are less scripted and more personalised and therefore, come across as more authentic and believable. Typically, the technology, equipment and the storyboards used for digital videos are different and more cost-effective than those required for TV productions, making it possible to work with smaller budgets (see Prepare for failure on page 10).

However, the problem in Pakistan, according to Rizvi, is that “there is little understanding of how digital content can make a difference. Instead of developing engaging content that keeps audiences hooked beyond the 10-second mark, clients are dissatisfied if they don’t see the large-scale setups and sweeping shots they have come to expect from TVCs.”

While the increasing volume of business and spends on digital is promising, experts caution that growth from digital will only be possible when digital is no longer seen as “the poor man’s TV”.

The final take

Despite the challenges, a general sense of optimism pervades among heads of production houses that the business will soon climb out of the financial hole it is in today. However, for this to happen, fundamental operational changes need to take place. For one, the issue of deferred payments has to be solved. Elsewhere in the world, production houses do not start shoots unless they receive advance payment from the client/agency (depending on the contract). In Pakistan, due to the absence of regulations and SOPs, production houses find themselves footing the entire production bill, because despite written contracts specifying advance payments, delays are inevitable. Further complicating the situation is the absence of an association for advertising production companies like the Association of Advertising Producers in India. As a result, if one production house turns down a project on the basis that an advance has not been paid, there will be another one willing to work on 100% receivables. Here, the onus is on clients and agencies to not myopically focus on cost estimates alone when selecting a production house to work with. Other variables such as reputation, credibility, client portfolio, project experience and expertise should also be factored in the selection decision. Secondly, as the global trend among clients (big and small) to directly hire production houses (particularly for digital projects) instead of involving an ad agency gains traction in Pakistan, production houses will need to develop their capabilities beyond bankrolling productions. Agencies are cut out of the loop either because smaller brands are unwilling to pay hefty retainers or a digital production does not require extensive strategy and ideation, but rather a quick turnaround and people with their finger on what is hot online. Although none of the production houses interviewed for this story see themselves as substitutes to agencies, they do admit that this is a new reality that all stakeholders will have to deal with going forward. Durrani sums it up best. “The production company of the future, in addition to working for agencies, will be competing with them for clients who want less service, more non-traditional media direction and execution innovation. The greatest challenge for production companies will be their ability to hire creative talent, directors and technology experts who can conceptualise and execute Big Ideas.”

The duo in question are Irfan Aamir, Director, VCast Online (he previously headed O2 Communications and Idea Simple) and Mansoor Ahmed Ali, CEO, VCast Online (he worked in a senior capacity at the Starcom Media Vest Group as well as the Project Manager for Coke Studio). Together, they established VCast Online in January 2018.

The idea for VCast, according to Ali, stemmed from the notion of visibility economics, which purports that visibility and interaction are necessary for economic growth. This is the mandate VCast have set for themselves; to provide inspiration and ideas to audiences by highlighting individuals who are doing something that stands out and creating a platform for them to make connections.

“A friend introduced us to the science of visibility economics; his point was that it is really important for businesses and entrepreneurs, especially in the developing world, to improve their visibility, because if they are not known to their community, it will be difficult for them to compete in the long run.”

Another factor that led to the creation of VCast is the fact that business TV channels such as Business Plus and CNBC have closed down, leaving a vacuum in the market.

“In our opinion, good stories that merited coverage are not receiving sufficient media attention, unlike politics, entertainment and sport,” says Amir.

“I used to write for several newspapers and if I mentioned anyone in business by name, I was told I am giving them ‘free publicity’; that is why we decided that our focus should be on such stories.”

He adds that having this narrow focus enables VCast to differentiate itself from other online publishers and works to their advantage.

Although the start-up is a little more than a year old, VCast have published over a hundred videos, many of which have garnered a significant number of views and are being talked about.

VCast produces two categories of videos. The first is people based, where the focus is on entrepreneurs and thought leaders and individuals who have made a name for themselves, be it a tilemaker or a footballer from Lyari. The second is concept based, where the focus is on producing short videos that explain complex concepts such as Pakistan’s circular debt. The objective here is to provide audiences with information regarding how such things affect them, so “they can make informed decisions.”

Currently, VCast publishes at least two videos every week, which vary in duration between seven and nine minutes. Although there is no specific reason for this, what is important is that the content should be strong enough to retain viewers’ attention. While Millennials form an important component of the audience, people interested in business news, furthering their careers or entrepreneurship, or who “seek inspiration” are also part of the audience mix; approximately 70% are based in Pakistan and the rest in countries such as the UK, the US and Italy (quite surprisingly).

VCast’s small team, which also includes journalists (to provide content that is authentic), are able to produce content “end-to-end” – i.e they can conceptualise, shoot, edit and script videos and have a handle over animations and graphics. While finding such people did pose a challenge, VCast have managed to retain their team members, most of whom have been there from the start.

Ali adds that VCast place a lot of emphasis on ensuring that their content does not demean anyone, is gender-sensitive and steers clear of religion or politics.

“We create content that inspires, motivates and gives people ideas and even their ‘a-ha’ moment which make them say "let’s do this".”

“There is a strong market for content marketing. Brand love increased for Coke, thanks to Coke Studio. People heard the music and it created a positive association for them; there is a strong correlation between that and sales. Our clients understand this and realise that when we create high quality content for them based on genuine stories, it gives them credibility.”

Although VCast can be viewed on several social media platforms, Facebook is the primary one at this point. The content is modified to accommodate different platforms; on Instagram the posts are more photo/visual based, while videos predominate on Facebook and YouTube. VCast also plan a stronger presence on Twitter and LinkedIn once they acquire more manpower.

A self-funded start-up, VCast was created with “personal savings and credit from family and friends.” Although some efforts were made to secure external investment, the duo realised that to handle investors, they would require resources which they did not have; more importantly, they did not want an investor who would compromise their content.

Says Amir: “We walked out of an offer last July; we thought adding a reporting layer above us would compromise our content.”

However, they do plan to go for a seed round once they have a more concrete business plan with proven revenue sources. Furthermore, the start-up is now able to recover at least 50% of their costs via advertising, of which they offer two types. The first are sponsors; this allows advertisers to have their logos featured on the thumbnail of a video, as well as throughout its duration. For example, McDonald’s sponsored a video series produced by VCast and which, according to Ali, has so far received 140,000 views. The second is paid placement, which usually features a personality from an organisation and is paid for by an organisation or brand. A recent example is an interview with Ayesha Samie Cashmirie, Owner, Lush Crush.

Ali adds that VCast maintain their editorial independence even when they create sponsored content, and this makes them stand out.

“Although the sponsorship header is visible, a lot of people do not realise that it is paid content, because of the quality.”

He adds that VCast have been known to refuse offers if, in their opinion, the individuals proposed did not fulfil their criteria. He emphasises that VCast send the final version of the videos to the clients only for fact checking and do not let them control the content.

Brands that VCast have aligned with so far include Alkaram Textiles, JS Bank and TPL and the team is confident more brands will come on board given that content marketing is increasing rapidly in Pakistan.

Ali adds: “There is a strong market for content marketing. Brand love increased for Coke, thanks to Coke Studio. People heard the music and it created a positive association for them; there is a strong correlation between that and sales. Our clients understand this and realise that when we create high quality content for them based on genuine stories, it gives them credibility.”

As for future plans, the team plan to continue what they are doing. As revenues increase, they hope to widen their reach across more platforms, gain a larger audience base and increase the number of videos they publish. In the meantime, they are set to continue to pursue their “passion to publish” content that is inspiring – and devoid of masala.

Azar’s announcement, which was in English and followed by an Urdu translation by Mustafa Ali Hamadani, was important for two reasons. One, it made radio the first medium to announce the creation of Pakistan; two, the Lahore station, which a mere hour ago was part of AIR, was officially part of the Pakistan Broadcasting Service (PBS), which subsequently became known as Radio Pakistan.

Prior to Independence, AIR (established in 1926) comprised nine stations. Post independence, six remained (Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Madras, Lucknow, Tiruchirapalli) while the Dhaka, Lahore and Peshawar stations became part of Radio Pakistan, led by Z.A. Bokhari, the first Director General. On April 16, 1948, the Rawalpindi station was inaugurated, followed by the Karachi station on August 14, 1948. This station initially began broadcasting on August 5, 1947 as the Sindh Government Broadcasting Station; during its 10-day existence, it aired live coverage of landmark moments such as Mr Jinnah’s oath-taking ceremony as Governor- General, as well as dramas and music; the reason why it was shut down was because it violated the Wireless Telegraphy Act, according to which a provincial government could not operate a radio station.

Increasing The Reach

Over the next few years, more shortwave and medium-wave transmitters were purchased and put into place to increase Radio Pakistan’s reach across both wings of Pakistan, as well as overseas, through a ‘Priority programme of development’. As a result, by 1949, Radio Pakistan could be heard in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the Far East, Europe, as well as in Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. Due to its diverse audience, by 1954, Radio Pakistan’s news bulletins were broadcast in at least 15 languages, including Afghan-Persian, Arabic, Balochi, Balti, Bengali, Burmese, English, Gujarati, Iranian Kashmiri, Parhari, Pushto, Sindhi, Shina and Urdu.

Training And High-Quality Programming

In addition to news bulletins, Radio Pakistan aired dramas and feature programmes which, according to A History of Radio Pakistan by Nihal Ahmad, centred on “nation building themes”, as well as “history, culture, the freedom struggle, crime detection and social issues.” There were also programmes covering science, music, farming, education, poetry and sports. Religious programming was not limited to recitations from the Quran and included readings from the Geeta, the Tipiaka and the Bible. In fact, despite the fact that the BBC, Voice of America, All India Radio and Radio Ceylon were available to listeners, Radio Pakistan was able to hold its own. To produce high-quality programming, Radio Pakistan placed a great deal of emphasis on training their actors, producers, directors and technicians. To this end, a training institute was established as early as 1949.

Radio Stars

Given the emphasis on training, the people who worked at Radio Pakistan as newscasters, voice-over artists, writers and producers eventually went on to make their careers in cinema, theatre and television. These include film actor Mohammad Ali, television actors Neelofar Aleem, Talat Hussain, Santosh Rassal and Qazi Wajid, and prominent writers such as Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj, Rafi Peer, Syed Abid Ali, Khwaja Moinuddin, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Hasina Moin and Bano Qudsia. Other notable personalities include Omer Kureishi and Jamshed Marker, whose cricket commentaries are remembered to this day. Prominent Urdu newscasters included Shakeel Ahmed and Anwar Behzad; Anita Ghulam Ali and Edward Carapiet (who hosted the popular Hit Parade) were well-known English newscasters. Then, there were those great voices we still hear today, who either debuted or gained prominence on Radio Pakistan and include Madam Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hasan and Reshma. Another notable personality was Agha Nasir, who is considered a pioneer of Radio Pakistan and later served as Managing Director, PTV; he transitioned from radio to television with ease due to the training he received at Radio Pakistan. During an interview with Dawn, Nasir stated that: “From the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties, Radio Pakistan was at the zenith of its success, not only because there was no competitive medium or source of information, education and entertainment, but because it was run in such a perfect manner; it was at par with many international radio services.”

Enter The Commercials

When commercials began to be aired in 1961 (from the Karachi station) and subsequently from Lahore Dhaka in 1967, Ahmad points out that “there was a great rush to book commercial spots and the entire allocated advertising was booked, leading to demand for more advertising time.” In the initial days, one hour of commercials were aired with the “objective of publicising locally manufactured products”; by the mid-sixties three hours and 10 minutes of commercials were broadcast on weekdays, and three hours and 40 minutes on Sundays.

A Matter Of Media Spend

Although there are no statistics with respect to ad revenue available from the forties and fifties, according to Gallup Pakistan, by 1966 media spend reached four million rupees. Of this, print, the undisputed leader, commanded 59% of the share. (At the time, leading newspapers included Dawn, founded by Mr Jinnah on August 14, 1947; Nawa-i-Waqt, established in 1940 by Hamid Nizami; Jang established in 1939 by Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman; and Pakistan Observer founded by Hamidul Huq Choudhury in 1949, which was published from Dhaka; after the 1971 war it was called Bangladesh Observer, and ceased publication in June 2010). Such was radio’s prominence that it came second, securing 19% of total ad spend, followed by PTV (12%), the only television channel and outdoor (10%). Cinema too was a significant advertising medium, although statistics of its market share are unavailable. Since then, things have changed drastically. According to the Aurora Fact File published in the magazine’s November-December 2017 edition, radio accounts for a mere three percent of the total media spend. Of this, Radio Pakistan’s share is four percent, and two of its music-based FM channels 101 and 93 (which, like Radio Pakistan, are part of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and were established in 1993 and 2014 respectively) have a combined share of three percent. Consequently, the share of all three channels amounts to seven percent, which is relatively low compared to the revenue share of other networks and stations such as Radio Awaz Network, 106.2 and 100, which range between eight to 10%. Today, Radio Pakistan’s audience is mainly confined to people living in rural areas, who do not have access to FM channels, yet. However, the station’s contribution towards training and nurturing talent should not be forgotten as it served as the first training ground for writers, producers and actors who went on to work on television, and thus contributed to the vibrant media scene that is prevalent in today’s Pakistan. 

Mamun M. Adil is a leading advertising and communications expert at Aurora. mamun.adil@gmail.com

First published in THE DAWN OF ADVERTISING IN PAKISTAN (1947-2017), a Special Report published by DAWN on March 31, 2018.

AURORA: What brought you back to Pakistan after a long stint with Starcom in the Middle East?
FARHAN KHAN: I have been in this industry for 17 years. When I started, I had no plans to join the media industry. In 2000, I had just completed my MBA and it so happened that I knew a few people working in this industry and I was fortunate that Raihan (Merchant) asked me to join him. In those days, barely a few people were even aware of the concept of a media agency. All I knew about ad agencies was that they made the ads we saw on TV. Once I joined Pak Mediacom, I began to like the work. We were a small team of about 15 people. P&G were our client; they were the biggest client in Pakistan in the FMCG sector. Later, I joined AC Nielsen and worked there for almost three years. It was a good combination to have acquired media as well as market research experience and gain an understanding of the entire process; both are part of the brand’s marketing journey, but from two different perspectives. Then, in 2005, I had the opportunity to launch Telenor. Adcom had won the account and Imran Syed asked me to move to Islamabad. It was a great experience to run an office and work on one of the biggest launches in Pakistan.

A: When did you move to the Middle East?
FK: Starcom Dubai approached me in 2007. It was a completely new environment to work directly with the Publicis Group.

A: What accounts did you handle?
FK: I handled three to four clients as Media Director, including Almarai, which is one of the biggest dairy companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. As they were based in Saudi Arabia, I was eventually asked to move to Saudi Arabia as it was difficult to handle the account from Dubai. Then, at the end of 2016, Raihan approached me to join Starcom Pakistan, because their CEO, Farhan Qureshi, was moving to Google. It was a better opportunity and a better position, involving as it did running a team of 150 people out of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. I joined Starcom Pakistan in March 2017.

A: In your opinion, how has the media buying and planning function evolved during your 10-year absence?
FK: I was surprised to find that things were more or less the same, which is quite unfortunate for the industry.

A: What is holding it back?
FK: Several things – perhaps mostly in terms of human resources and here I blame the agencies mainly; we were unable to train people the way we should have and as a result, we are lagging behind. In fact, it was one of the reasons why Raihan asked me to come back; ideally, he should have been able to find someone from within Pakistan. It is unfortunate that we haven’t been able to train people properly across all levels.

A: What are the reasons behind this failure?
FK: At our end, we were not able to sustain the Management Trainee (MT) Programme Raihan had instituted. This programme stopped for about three to five years and as a result, we missed out on hiring fresh graduates during those years. Our policy is to train new graduates ourselves; we prefer not to hire someone with one or two years’ experience from another organisation because they will already have developed their own mindset. From the early days, Pak Mediacom was recognised as an institute of media planning and buying. Apart from the on-ground experience, the training is very academic. We have 15 training modules and our MTs are required to pass a proper examination.

A: From which academic backgrounds do you select your MTs?
FK: We look for backgrounds in science, marketing, sales and finance. They come from CBM, IBA, Hamdard, LUMS, Szabist – all the universities. We do not have a policy to hire graduates from only IBA or LUMS. In my opinion, graduates from smaller institutions (in terms of size, not quality) stick with us for longer. IBA and LUMS graduates tend to get more opportunities and this distracts them. We look for the right attitude. If the attitude is, “I am here to explore and enjoy myself and move on if I don’t like it,” rather than “I am here to learn,” we prefer not to take them on as MTs.

From an overall perspective, I believe the broadcasters and publishers have not evolved in the way they should have. In terms of digital media, Pakistan is three to four years behind the Middle East and a further two or three years behind the rest of the world. Google and Facebook are interested in markets like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and in the next five to 10 years, the money will come to these markets. Digital penetration in the West is at 70 to 80%; in Pakistan, it is at 30%. As a nation, we don’t spend money on education, but we do spend on smartphones.

A: What specific training do you provide?
FK: From media planning to buying, operations and finance. It is a rotational six-month programme and all MTs interact with teams in every department after which there is a performance evaluation. If they qualify, we offer them a job. We are the only organisation in the industry to offer Rs 50,000 as a salary in the MT programme. Once they are confirmed, they can expect a further 10 to 15% increase. This is one of the reasons why people join us. We offer good money and the intention is to get good resources. Although today we have 40 MTs on board working in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, there is a 25 to 30% resource gap between middle management and associate director and director levels. This is what I am struggling with because if I don’t close the gap, I cannot groom successors for management level jobs or even for my own. Another challenge is that due to the vacuum in resources, after a year or so, my MTs are hired by other agencies at higher salaries. But I am continuing with the programme because most of them do stick with me.

A: What other factors were responsible for holding back the development of this industry?
FK: From an overall perspective, I believe the broadcasters and publishers have not evolved in the way they should have. In terms of digital media, Pakistan is three to four years behind the Middle East and a further two or three years behind the rest of the world. Granted, there were factors beyond the control of the industry, such as the YouTube ban, which lasted about three years and resulted in the industry lagging behind the rest of the world. The good news is that we are evolving in digital very quickly and the three- or four-year gap will be overcome in the next one or two years. The numbers speak for themselves. We have a population of over 200 million; the total population of the GCC countries is 100 million. Google and Facebook are interested in markets like Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and in the next five to 10 years, the money will come to these markets. Digital penetration in the West is at 70 to 80%; in Pakistan, it is at 30%. As a nation, we don’t spend money on education, but we do spend on smartphones.

A: Apart from the YouTube ban, what were the other issues?
FK: Most TV channels focus on news and the entertainment channels have limited themselves to dramas and sports; yet, there are a lot of other entertainment genres such as music. We used to have two or three music channels; now, even those are gone. We have been running Coke Studio for the 11th season and there is a big appetite for music in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the big media groups are not doing anything about music; this is just one example.

A: How does it affect the media buying industry?
FK: The more ways I have of spending money, the more I will be able to convince my clients to spend on different genres. Today, if I talk to P&G or Coca-Cola, dramas and news are the only two highly-rated genres available in Pakistan. If I have music, then I will have a third option. I am not saying that I will invest the same amount on music, but at least I will invest some money. Cinema has made a comeback only in the last two or three years; why did we not do this 10 years ago? Today, the TV networks are investing in film and that is both a good and a bad thing. Good, because they are investing in film; bad, because I don’t know for how long they will be able to sustain such investments in the future. We have not invested in theatre for the last 10 to 15 years. The industry has not tried to evolve itself holistically; in the West, they work on all these genres. The outcome is that what inventory publishers and TV networks offer me is not enough. Eighty to 90% of the digital spend goes to Google, Facebook or even to international publishers for that matter, and only five to 10% goes to the local publisher. My question is – why aren’t local publishers looking to take a higher share of this? Why aren’t they investing in providing media agencies with more opportunities to spend on them?

A: Starcom Pakistan seems to be putting a great deal of emphasis on digital.
FK: Yes we are, but that doesn’t mean that TV will stop being effective. That is a misperception people have. When I returned to Pakistan, I met a lot of people who were under the impression that eventually there will only be digital and TV and print will disappear; this is not possible. Yes, some of TV’s budgets will go to digital, but TV will remain the largest reach platform in Pakistan as well as globally. Digital’s penetration in Pakistan is 30% compared to TV’s 90% penetration.

The hybrid planner concept is a global Starcom one. It will not only have a positive effect on the agency in terms of cost-saving, it will have a positive effect on our human resource because in the near future, agencies will not be hiring a TV planner or a digital planner; they will expect the same person to be able to do both. It is extremely important for anyone who wants to make a career in this industry that he or she prepares themselves for this.

A: Starcom Pakistan is credited with having launched the first programmatic campaign in Pakistan for Telenor. This suggests you are investing significantly in technology.
FK: The future of media planning and buying is about resources, data and technology. If you have these aligned in the next five to 10 years, you will be able to survive; any agency (in Pakistan or globally) that does not have these three elements aligned will not be able to survive. I am not talking about growth; it is about survival.

A: Yet, not many agencies in Pakistan seem to be anywhere ready to do this.
FK: The local agencies are not doing anything about this. The global and the affiliated agencies are, because they understand this is critical to surviving. Resources are critical because that is how you run an agency. Data is critical in achieving planning efficiencies and meeting the client’s business objectives. We are the only agency in Pakistan to have partnered with Oracle’s data management platform BlueKai; this has given us access to data that enables us to precisely target the audiences we want to reach with regard to specific products and offers. For programmatic, we have invested in Google’s DBM (Double Click Bit Manager) platform.

A: Programmatic has come in for a certain amount of flak. People sometimes click an ad by mistake, after which they are bombarded with similar ads no matter where they are in the digital space.
FK: Yes, it is an issue because with programmatic, I am not buying a specific medium or platform; I am buying people’s interests and their behaviour on digital. I select these interests at the start of a campaign and then the system automatically delivers my ads. So, yes, it is possible that the system can identify someone as having an interest in a specific product when in fact, he or she does not.

A: The problem goes further; there has been a great deal of debate about ads landing on inappropriate sites.
FK: Yes, this is a problem and I am not defending it, but it accounts for about 0.5% or 0.3% of the total inventory going out. However, solutions to this issue are being developed. A global third-party company called Vidooly has developed a technology capable of checking the content of large numbers of websites and white-listing those that are free of unacceptable content. In Pakistan, we have white-listed about 7,000 websites ourselves and we did it manually, because the technology is not available here. It is important to remember that programmatic provides greater levels of efficiencies in terms of inventory, as well as in terms of planning and buying.

A: You have identified HR, data and technology as the three pillars that will define an agency in the future. What other changes do you foresee?
FK: Another important change we are implementing since last year is to start training our planners to become hybrid planners – planners who are equally proficient in both conventional as well as digital media. I will not be able to survive as an agency if I have to hire two parallel teams. The vision is that in the next one year or so, the same person will be talking to my client about conventional as well as digital media. The hybrid planner concept is a global Starcom one. It will not only have a positive effect on the agency in terms of cost-saving, it will have a positive effect on our human resource because in the near future, agencies will not be hiring a TV planner or a digital planner; they will expect the same person to be able to do both. It is extremely important for anyone who wants to make a career in this industry that he or she prepares themselves for this. A further change is the fact that when the concept of media planning and buying took hold 10 or 15 years ago, media departments were taken out of the advertising agency and became separate media agencies. Today, what clients expect from their media agency has grown three to fourfold. Today, we have to be communication consultants because clients expect us to understand the implications behind their research, understand the concept behind the creative campaign and act as their partners in the brand communication effort. I can no longer limit my agency’s expertise to media planning and buying. This will no longer be workable in the future.

Farhan Khan was in conversation with Mariam Ali Baig. For feedback: aurora@dawn.com

It was a great party! I know, because my daughter hummed the lyrics of Baby Shark all the way home, giddy from the euphoric dancing and plentiful chocolate cake.

Baby Shark features two young children – a boy and a girl, singing simple lyrics about a shark family going on a hunt. Set against basic animations of an underwater scene, this catchy tune has had 3.3 billion views to date and the trend is just catching on.

The song first gained popularity in Indonesia, in 2017 and later spread to other South East Asian countries. Fast forward to 2018 and a dance version of the song, which was uploaded to YouTube in June 2016, has become the 34th most viewed video on YouTube. Baby Shark is now played at parties and weddings and is fast becoming the Gangnam Style of 2018.

James Cordon, a British comedian and the host for The Late Late Show with James Cordon, humorously called Baby Shark a “modern classic” and a song that “defines this generation”.

If this wasn’t enough, the ‘Baby Shark Challenge’ was launched on the internet and people are now posting videos of themselves with shark masks, doing the signature moves with the song in the background. Some are taking it on in the same style as the the ‘Kiki Challenge’, where they step out of moving vehicles to dance to the song, while others have taken it more in the spirit of ‘flash mob’ style dancing, though with fewer people and less exotic locations. Regardless, the song is getting hot, and the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Not one to ignore such trends, James Cordon, a British comedian and the host for The Late Late Show with James Cordon, humorously called Baby Shark a “modern classic” and a song that “defines this generation”. He recreated an adult version of the song on his show. Singing along with Sophie Turner, who performs the voice of ‘Mommy Shark’ and Josh Groban who plays the voice of ‘Daddy Shark’, the trio give the song a jazzy rendition, complete with a choir and dancers wearing…? You guessed it! Shark masks! The performance received a standing ovation, and I have to say it made me look at the song in a completely new light. At least, until the next kiddie birthday party I go to.

For those of you who haven’t heard Baby Shark and think you will escape unscathed, there is no point in resisting; it will slowly but surely creep through your social media pages and become lodged in your head and turn into the annoying tune that you find yourself humming in the shower or in moments of deep reflection. Just do yourself a favour and learn the darned lyrics, so you don’t get told off by the kids around you for getting the words wrong.

Sheherzad Kaleem is a documentary filmmaker based in Dubai. sheherzadk@gmail.com

If there is one point on which Pakistan’s largely divisive society agrees on, it is that our media has crossed all boundaries of sense and decorum. Pose the question of how do they rate our media to a wage earner, a professional or even a marketer and the chances are that they will all respond with a shake of their head, a slight touch of umbrage in their voice and say, “hamara media awara hai” (our media has gone wild). The media, they are talking about is clearly the news channels.

A look at the ratings for the period from January to June 2014 seems to back up the hypothesis that our public is not interested in what the news channels have to offer. The leading entertainment channels received average ratings of about one percent while for news channels the highest rating was half that. Considering the current security situation as well as the ongoing political crisis, one could assume that people would be constantly tuning in to the news channels to keep up with events. We have all seen the news updates relayed by family and friends by SMS, calls or social media warning us about a strike call, bomb blast or some other untoward incident. The expression ‘news dekho’ (watch the news) is commonplace.

The entertainment channels do not offer the public the opportunity to see their elected representatives speak their minds or questioned in a manner akin to interrogation, although the talk shows provide entertainment of sorts, as politicians lose their composure and resort to name calling or even physical attacks.

So it seems that the people have spoken; tired of the substandard content the news channels produce, they are choosing to watch dramas and sitcoms instead of news bulletins and talk shows. One reason (which we cannot ignore) why news lags behind entertainment could be the fact that the reach of the Peoplemeters panel is not nationwide. It covers major cities, such as Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, with most of the panelists located in Karachi. Given that media habits in cities and towns are not homogenous, a case could be made that these ratings are not reflective of the larger picture and only mirror the preference of the larger cities. Where the truth lies is debatable, but regardless of what kind of channels people tune in to, the verdict is somewhat unanimous that our news channels leave much to be desired.

In a market where the medium is definitely not the message, the media circus, most audiences are fed up with, is likely to continue, with marketers acting as the ringmasters. So, please stay in your seats, the show must go on!

Yet, ask an average marketer to select the channels he wants to advertise on and you can bet his reply will be the news channels. In fact, when it comes to advertising, the news channels hold sway over the psyche of our marketers; a state of mind that is reflected in the breakup of commercial airtime (CAT) for the period of January to June 2014.

Although the entertainment channels consistently outperformed the news channels, advertisers allocated a larger percentage of their spend to news programming. In the same period, the average gap between news CAT versus entertainment CAT was four percent. The figure may not seem significant, but factor in the higher tariff rates of the news channels, and the dissonance between what viewers watch and where marketers advertise is clear.

The next question (one that is frequently brought up) is how to improve standards? The media needs to be reined in as well as improved, but who is going to do it? To answer this question, we need to examine how the media-audience-advertiser relationship works worldwide.

Channels around the world operate on a subscription basis; viewers pay the channels directly and the revenue obtained can then be used to improve the quality of content. If a viewer does not like a channel’s content, he simply unsubscribes. Channels also obtain revenue from advertising, with ad placement based on past ratings or potential future ratings. In the US, the ratings are guaranteed by the networks to advertisers at the time of purchase and commercial airtime is usually purchased at the start of the year in a process called the upfront buy. This arrangement means that the networks have money in hand to spend on programming and the advantage for advertisers is that the ratings are guaranteed. The ecosystem works with checks and balances and viewers can exert influence in two ways; they can choose not to watch content they do not like and thus affect the ratings, and they can also send a stronger message by unsubscribing.

The system in Pakistan is different. Given that viewers do not pay the channels, the channels rely on advertising for revenue and the stated sole basis for advertising allocation to channels is ratings. Technically this means the public does have a say regarding which channels get advertisements. However, in the same way that our stock exchange is subject to speculation and is not a true economic barometer, the allocation of ad revenue to channels is not solely based on ratings. This scenario ultimately means that marketers are the sole group of people who can affect the quality of the content the news channels are airing.

Myopic thinking plagues our country in many ways and the brand custodians who are content to associate their products with yellow journalism and unethical practices are a prime example.

Looking at the enormous amount of ad revenue the news channels have earned over the years, one would have expected them to have invested some of it into better content. However, when marketers are content to air their ads on channels that use pirated songs and farcical editorial matter, not to mention absurd on-screen graphics, there is no compelling reason for the news moghuls to contemplate a change. The real villains of the piece are sadly the same people who talk a great deal about ethics and corporate social responsibility – the marketers; while privately criticising the circus the media has turned into.

Yet, when it comes to where to advertise, the same news channels with their insensitivity and sensationalism become the obvious choice for brands. The rather flawed argument can be made that they air ads and it is not their place to influence content. This reasoning rang hollow when it was used by some multinationals to justify advertising on banned Indian channels or those airing pirated movies a few years ago.

Myopic thinking plagues our country in many ways and the brand custodians who are content to associate their products with yellow journalism and unethical practices are a prime example. Worldwide, if there is a controversy related to a channel or programme, the brands pull out quickly and disassociate themselves from the matter, as they know that the public will club their brand with the content. The rule is simple; you sponsor something, you endorse it. Sure, some brands will relish the hype and keep advertising, but most will look for a way out. In Pakistan, the opposite happens, brands are eager to sponsor controversial content.

In a market where the medium is definitely not the message, the media circus, most audiences are fed up with, is likely to continue, with marketers acting as the ringmasters. So, please stay in your seats, the show must go on!

Tyrone Tellis is a marketing professional working in Pakistan. tyrone.tellis@gmail.com

When it comes to the exponentially shrinking world of digital marketing, nothing underscores this more than culture.

Take 9Gag for instance. This behemoth of memes consists of content that is created in the English language with predominantly Western influences, yet one glance at the comments under any one of those entries will net the reader thoughts and opinions from around the world. Australia, Cameroon, China, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, you name it and they are there. All of them with a complete understanding of the pun, joke or intent of the post.

If someone from another planet were to visit Earth and only had access to 9Gag, Reddit or similar pop culture sharing sites, they would assume there were no such things as geographic boundaries.

Although this all sounds awesome for branding at a global level – think Kenneth Cole, UN, iPhone – this isn’t true in terms of localised marketing. There is still a multibillion dollar FMCG, healthcare, public services and entertainment market of local, culturally enthused consumers, who needs to be targeted. Coca-Cola knows this, so does McDonalds, as do many other global brands who go local.

Why is it, then, that unlike Brazil, China, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other markets with a large non-English market, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE, Qatar and others including the mega-economy of India have not harnessed or invested in agencies that specialise in deep dive digital marketing in Urdu, Punjabi, Pushto, Bengali, Hindi, and Arabic?

Where digital agencies – or agencies with a digital arm – seem to thrive are clever and effective digital campaigns in English, with English copywriters and English language content creators now a dime a dozen. In fact, a call on Twitter recently for content bloggers netted us a large number of people who claimed English prowess from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and even Multan and Hyderabad. Yet, when the same people were asked for Urdu language content, not one stood out.

In a country of 180 million people where a significant majority only speaks Urdu and/or their regional language, we don’t have a single expert agency dealing with such language-focused campaigns. The same applies to India. This billion-plus populated country with immense digital talent and over a thousand languages still only manages to excel in Hindi or English if one is to go by the ads on TV or the internet that we see. And I haven’t even come to the 300 million strong Middle East yet.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are still the stronghold of public influence, barring TV, in this part of Asia, with Twitter becoming a behemoth of public influence for good or bad. Yet, apart from a couple of campaigns by Emirates NBD in Arabic, I haven’t seen Urdu or Hindi promoted tweets or accounts. Or InMails. Or other great ads across platforms.

Twitter has been available in the major local languages around the world for a while, and it is available in a beta version of Urdu while translations are being tested. One look at Twitter in Urdu, Hindi and Arabic will demonstrate to a brand manager that their audiences are speaking in a variety of languages, not just the one they are an expert in.

Where is the discrepancy? Surely we have a collective mind among us marketers to harness our network of excellent Urdu, Hindi, and Arabic writers? Surely, we have brands smart enough to understand that investing in alternative languages will net them the profits they have marginalised by assuming the national language works? Surely, a Head & Shoulders promotion in Punjabi or a QMobile campaign on Twitter in Urdu would go a long way?

Today, no matter how well a campaign for Rooh Afza does in English, the public will still sing Rahat-e-Jaan in Urdu when the brand’s name is mentioned. THAT is the power of local language.

Harness it!

Many brand managers may argue that these platforms predominantly cater to an English language audience. That is a fallacy. One merely needs to see the millions of posts by people from the countries just mentioned, who share content they have created in their language.

Political, religious, celebrity-focused, motivational and funny, these pieces of content number in the millions, and we have all seen them on platforms where the primary communication language used is English.

Digging even deeper, it becomes apparent that the places where ethnic language campaigns have been effective are on platforms that actually use the local language. Facebook is predominantly used in Portuguese in Brazil, Spanish in Mexico (which by the way shares its border with the English language focused home of Facebook), French in France and Francophone Africa, and so on.

Twitter has been available in the major local languages around the world for a while, and it is available in a beta version of Urdu while translations are being tested. One look at Twitter in Urdu, Hindi and Arabic will demonstrate to a brand manager that their audiences are speaking in a variety of languages, not just the one they are an expert in.

My favourite Pakistani brand is close to getting there. Nando’s Pakistan has one of the most alert digital teams, quick to harness pop culture references the moment a situation arises. The only hitch, I would say, is that while they publish brilliant, clever Urdu content, it is in Roman Urdu.

While I can go on and on about the benefits of testing this vast market, there are some people who are blazing ahead where no ‘strategist’ has tread before. The UAE’s Du mobile for example conducts digital campaigns not only in English, but in Arabic, Hindu, Malayalam, Tagalog and Urdu among other languages. Etihad and Qatar Airways are slowly getting there with their content quickly focusing on multiple languages based on their destination.

Siemens conducts the majority of its primary B2C campaigns on Twitter and Facebook in Portuguese in Brazil and in Mandarin in China. I highlight Siemens here because by business nature it is a German B2B company, yet it gets Brazilian B2C right. Someone in Munich is listening to the winds of social change.

My favourite Pakistani brand is close to getting there. Nando’s Pakistan has one of the most alert digital teams, quick to harness pop culture references the moment a situation arises. The only hitch, I would say, is that while they publish brilliant, clever Urdu content, it is in Roman Urdu.

What do you think fellow marketers? Should we be investing in ethnic digital marketing? Should we rock the boat?

Yes? No? I would be glad to know your thoughts on this.

Anthony J. Permal is a marketing specialist based in Dubai. @anthonypermal or @marketingdude

No news, contrary to popular belief, is NOT good news! Pakistan is a happening place and people want to know what is happening. All the time.

The media, especially television, capitalises on this hunger and feeds it with its coverage. It whets our appetite by the dramatic presentation of content, and not necessarily restricted to the hourly news bulletin.

The breaking news syndrome, the triple layer of tickers and half hour updates are signs of the consumptive media and it does not stop there. It spills over to talk shows, which are ostensibly for news analysis. It is quite another matter that they usually degenerate into slanging matches between opinionated hosts and guests with divergent views, thereby totally debasing the concept of diversity and plurality of views.

News bulletins, supposed to be the raison d’être for the many news channels that mushroomed after former President Musharraf ‘freed’ the media, thereby offering audiences more choice have, however, morphed into something else. The news generally has a slant, a very obvious one. It becomes a mix of reportage, satire and comic relief, instead of the serious business it should be.

To be fair, people who are concerned about journalistic values have sounded a note of caution at this trend. Yet it continues unabated. Why? You guessed it. Advertising!

After all, money does make the mare go, and the money thrown at the media is done indiscriminately and without regard to any standard or code of conduct. It is a mix of whipping up the appetite of audiences for a certain kind of content and then placing the advertising there, as it is sure to get the eyeballs.

However, accepting this trend has meant that advertising has not remained confined within the domain of traditional placement – before, in between, and after news bulletins and programmes. It has pushed the boundaries, and set in place the dangerous trend of ‘sponsored news.’ Innocuous as this may seem, it has the potential of exerting influence over the news content, thereby opening up a Pandora’s Box of conflict of interest issues.

Thus we get: “This news bulletin is sponsored/brought to you by” announcements before the airing of the news bulletin on most private TV channels. When asked to comment, veteran advertiser and media person, Javed Jabbar, who was also a member of the Media Commission appointed to look into the ethical aspects of advertising during the 2013 elections, had this to say:

“Channels need money to survive and news in Pakistan is the most widely watched programme.”

Professor Shahida Kazi

“Advertiser sponsorship of news bulletins on TV channels aptly symbolises how the sanctity of hard facts, pure news and accurate information has become polluted by considerations of profit at the expense of the public interest, factors which affect the selection, duration and presentation tone of news content.”

Pakistan is not a unique model of privately owned media that needs advertising to survive.

We took a sampling of some countries where private media functions. In the US, for example, advertising runs before, mid-break and at the end of the news bulletin. Robert Michael Yuna, an electronic media specialist, with experience in training journalists in Pakistan, India and Nigeria, and of the media in the US and Canada had this to say:

“It may not be ideal, but privately owned TV channels are always looking for revenue to pay the rent. In Canada, local news programmes on public TV channels are sponsored in one way or another.”

In Hong Kong, there was less advertising in between the news bulletin in the English language channels compared to those in Chinese.

In the UK, the BBC presents a unique model of a channel that receives government funding but is not government controlled. The national edition carries no advertising while the international one does; however the news is not sponsored.

PEMRA’s Code of Conduct states that “all advertisements must be clearly distinguishable as such and be separate from the programmes and should not in any manner take the form of news or documentary.”

Coming back to the Pakistani context, there is a simple driving force behind this trend. As Professor Shahida Kazi, Dean of Media Sciences, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University says:

“Channels need money to survive and news in Pakistan is the most widely watched programme.”

This does not mean that the people responsible for bringing in the money to run the channels are not aware of the lines drawn between content and marketing.

According to Shahrukh Hasan, Group MD, Jang Group, “There is no conflict of interest if the news bulletin segment is sponsored. However, the content that is not produced by the channel itself must be clearly flagged as an advertisement, advertorial or paid programme. For instance news segments like business news and weather reports are sponsored even on BBC and CNN.”

And according to Faisal Sherjan, Head of Strategy, Planning and New Business Development, Geo TV, “Sponsorship of news is something of a Subcontinental anomaly.”

It is almost impossible for news organisations to self regulate. The commercial desire would be too great. It has to be done by the regulator. In the UK, sponsoring the news is not allowed and none of the news channels from Pakistan distributed in the UK have their news sponsored.

It seems, therefore, that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is not doing its job. A rule whereby news cannot be sponsored should have been part of the licensing terms. PEMRA’s Code of Conduct states that “all advertisements must be clearly distinguishable as such and be separate from the programmes and should not in any manner take the form of news or documentary.”

Whether or not a subscription model is introduced in Pakistan, media owners along with the advertising fraternity need to thrash out these issues in order to enable the networks to continue to earn their revenues while learning about the importance of upholding ethical and professional standards.

This is all very well. But the only distinction made is between regular advertising and advertorials, and journalists who care about the quality and ethics of their profession are of the opinion that this is must be addressed.

According to senior journalist, Zubeida Mustafa, “There have been cases of governments planting news without owning it in the US and the UK. It also happens in Pakistan. It is a serious matter because the ‘scoop’ appears to be genuine.”

Although this is not a new or unique issue for news channels, the most interesting insight came from India, where Samarth Pathak, a journalist and advocacy expert, did a quick scan of the channels and came up with a list of channels where the news bulletins were sponsored. Newshour on Times Now is sponsored by Amity University, Luminous Group, Samsonite and Xolo. Aap Ki Adalat on India TV is sponsored by Hero Motocorp and Shakti Pumps, while India TV’s Superfast 200 bulletin is supported by Emami, Ranbaxy, Rupa Hosiery and Tata Motors.

However, introspection is taking place in India and according to Pathak, “Independent journalists and outlets, such as TheHoot.org and Media Laundry, have often talked about these issues in the open. Also, our Press Council, under Justice Katju, was quite vocal in airing its concerns, but unfortunately the Council had no teeth.”

Maybe it is time we paid heed to Shabeeh Ikram, former Chairman, Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS), who says, “In the West, news channels are usually subscription based and therefore not fully dependent on ad revenue. This is not the case in Pakistan; therefore news channels require massive advertising revenue which leads to headline news being sponsored. In my view news should not be sponsored, especially the headlines.”

Whether or not a subscription model is introduced in Pakistan, media owners along with the advertising fraternity need to thrash out these issues in order to enable the networks to continue to earn their revenues while learning about the importance of upholding ethical and professional standards.

Afia Salam is a freelance journalist. afiasalam@gmail.com

Once upon a time, watching Pakistani television meant at best four to five hours of programming a day, including two news bulletins, azaan breaks and a hadith telop. Apart from that, entertainment covered an English comedy programme, English cartoons, a late night English drama serial and an Urdu drama serial, comedy programme or variety show.

The comedy was sharp and witty, often a satirical review of life as we knew it. Shows like 50-50 and Studio Dhai written by Anwar Maqsood. Surprisingly, Zia’s regime did not kill the satire pioneered by Shoaib Hashmi in the 70s. Anyone remember the reruns of Taal Matol? Regressive Islamisation and a clampdown on speech simply made the writers and actors smarter. Perhaps Zia and his cohorts had a funny bone underneath their starched sherwanis? Or they decided to turn a blind eye.

“Daikhti aankhoun aur suntay kaanon, aapko Tariq Aziz ka salaam” heralded the start of the one and only variety show, called Neelam Ghar. It was a mix of entertainment segments, quizzes and game show elements. It also gave birth to that time honoured line thrown at someone who comes up with a smart answer or a clever solution – “Aur water cooler aap ka hua”. Tariq Aziz’s solemnity was a far cry from the more flamboyant Zia Mohyeddin in the 70s. But Neelam Ghar was still firmly entrenched in the realm of intelligent television.

Then there were the dramas. Waris, written by Amjad Islam Amjad, was a riveting saga of feuding feudals. There was a twist in every episode, vicious intrigues and on some level it was startlingly real. Haseena Moin’s feisty and independent heroines (often clad in smart Tee Jays outfits without a dupatta in sight) went on to carve their own paths in life by embarking on ambitious careers and choosing their own mates. Fatima Surraya Bajia on the other hand played it safe with stories of large families, cousins marrying cousins, most of her more famous 80s dramas were adaptations of A.R Khatoon’s novels, set in the 40s and 50s.

Switch on the television today and you understand why it’s called the idiot box. Twenty-four hours of programming and most of it awful. Comedy is woefully absent. Apart from 4 Man Show and Banana News Network, wit and satire appear to have died a painful death. Compared to the shows of three or four decades ago, Hum Sab Umeed Say Hain (HSUSH) is weak and banks on cheap shots. If you are lucky you will catch a mildly amusing moment but it will not be half as memorable as the skits on 50-50 or Taal Matol. You are not going to find reruns of HSUSH on TV or the DVDs in shops anytime soon. Nobody relates the story of an old show over dinner with friends dissolving in laughter.

Forgettable, disposable television.

Instead of the erudite Zia Mohyeddin in his brocade jackets or the sombre Tariq Aziz in his awami suit, we are blessed by Aamir Liaquat, his manic, beaming visage and base sense of humour. Instead of Amjad Islam Amjad, an MA in Urdu literature, poet and college lecturer or Haseena Moin, an MA in History, pioneer of Radio Pakistan and school principal, we have a host of bitter and tired housewives or spinsters spinning tales of worn out, brow-beaten heroines submitting happily to the choke-hold of conservative society.

The Turkish dramas arrived two years ago and sent everyone into a tailspin. Writers, directors and actors were up in arms. Op-eds were written about how the Turks were ‘damaging’ our culture. In truth, the only thing they damaged was the complacency our writers were basking in. The Turkish dramas had intelligent and strong women as protagonists, women who were not afraid to challenge the status quo and carve out their own paths. Archaic conventions were set aside and a modern outlook was encouraged.

Whereas the Pakistani drama, Roag, showed a girl who had been sexually abused as a child and who then marries her abuser due to a cruel twist of fate, the Turkish drama Fatma Gul depicted a young victim of rape who succeeds against all odds to get her rapists imprisoned, falls in love, marries and has a family of her own. You would think the success of the more progressive Turkish drama would have given our local producers some food for thought. But no. They have persisted in doling out the same trash.

If the programming was just bad it wouldn’t be a cause for concern. What is troubling is the persistence with which regressive storylines are pursued with such fervour. Why are we catering to the lowest common denominator, where base humour and submissive women are the order of the day?

We have certainly come a long way from the days of Tanhaiyaan’s Zara who started her own business, wore saris with aplomb and had a romantic relationship based on friendship and equality. Now instead, working women are derided and deemed home breakers. Chiffon saris are worn by villainous tramps. Heroes who enjoyed playful banter with their better halves have been replaced by men who hark back to 19th century norms. The more a woman suffers the more virtuous she is deemed.

Isn’t it ironic that democracy and freedom of speech have led to regressive values and a stifling of the imagination? Isn’t it ironic that the greatest enemy of female empowerment are women themselves?

The writers who resent independent women for what they never had! The actresses who embrace these roles with aplomb for a fat pay cheque despite the fact that the lives they depict are light years away from the lives they lead? Or producers and channel heads who display such gross irresponsibility in perpetuating these myths?

Channel heads will turn around and say that this is what the public demands. No. This is not what the public demands and neither is it true that they do not accept sophisticated storylines. This is the public who laps up Turkish dramas, who loves song and dance advertisements and embraced the film Waar. This is the public who wears western influenced fashion and wants to eat home-cooked pasta and Chinese food. Television audiences are like babies, they get used to the food you give them. Try serving up fare that is a little more sophisticated and intelligent and they will like that too, over time. The dumbing down of Pakistan is not just a question of bad entertainment. It’s a question of society becoming more conservative and suffocating. Change this and you might find an overall more wholesome outlook to life. Where women do not hesitate to educate themselves and become more outspoken. Where men seek equal partners and not glorified maids. Where societal ills are discussed and dealt with.

S. Hyder works at an advertising agency in Pakistan.

• "I still remember how I felt better when people who used to find me dark or less attractive in the real world appreciated me for my six-filtered photo on social media."

A few months ago popular media was overwhelmed with reports of ‘Facebook misery’ among youngsters and teenagers. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) analysed the potential psychological issues associated with social networking sites and stated that social media has great psycho-social effect, hitting us hardest where we feel weak or less privileged.

For example, a shy person may feel distressed after seeing photos of groups of friends hanging out together on a beach or at a restaurant, or someone in a difficult relationship may feel miserable after going through loved-dovey photographs of couples.

According to Beenish Nafees, Health Outcomes Consultant/Psychologist, Nafees Consulting Limited, UK, people who spend lots of time on social websites are more prone to loneliness and isolation.

Explaining that while there is no formal definition or clear diagnosis of ‘social media depression’ currently, Nafees stresses that comparisons and reactions, which are an inevitable outcome of social media activity, play an important role in spreading anxiety and lowering self-esteem.

People tend to “show off” on social media which can trigger envy and/or jealousy in others. Viewers may consequently feel that everyone else but them is probably satisfied with their lives when that may simply not be true.

Meanwhile, the reactions received on our own posts serve as validation and increase our dependence on others’ opinions. Not receiving what we perceive to be an adequate number of ‘Likes’ on posts can be disheartening; not getting enough ‘Likes’ on a picture of oneself can shatter self-confidence.

I still remember how I felt better when people who used to find me dark or less attractive in the real world appreciated me for my six-filtered photo on social media. It was surely a big win for me at the time to have the approval of 400 ‘friends’, but now seems so artificial.

However, as this is a subject still being researched, there is some debate as to whether social media causes depression or people with depressive tendencies are more drawn towards it; until a consensus is reached it is imperative to be responsible, especially in the case of children who are engaging online with increasing independence.

"I still remember how I felt better when people who used to find me dark or less attractive in the real world appreciated me for my six-filtered photo on social media."

Parents must constantly communicate with children, familiarise themselves with their online habits, set rules, and most importantly, set a good example. For instance, regularly ‘checking in’ at various locations, or posting pictures of food you’re about to eat sends the message that showing off is far more important than enjoying the moment.

For mature people like you and I, two simple rules can be applied to restrain the menace of melancholy caused by social media.

1. Try to give yourself a rest. If you are constantly scrolling through your phone, tablet, laptop to stay on top of social updates, then it’s time to take a break from devices and do something else, like reading a book or newspaper. Get involved in a physical activity – table-tennis doesn’t require a lot of space or equipment. And if you really need a hit of socialising, try actually talking to someone in real life (IRL).

2. Try not to obsess over what people say. A ‘Like’ on your selfie will not make you any more adorable to the people who actually care about you. Similarly, a comment that disagrees with your tweet is not necessarily a personal attack on you.

Being on social media should be a positive experience. If you’re absorbing too much negativity, constantly comparing yourself to friends or feeling the sting of rebuff, then maybe it’s time to disconnect for a while.

Shabana Azmi once said, “I think Shyam Benegal with Ankur (1974) really made it possible for what was called parallel cinema to happen [in Bollywood]... Ankur became a very successful film and paved the way for other filmmakers to be able to make such films.”

At the time that Ankur was released, Bollywood was dominated by violence-ridden films, most of which featured Amitabh Bachchan as the angry young man; the triumvirate of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand was considered a thing of the past (and perhaps with it the Golden Age of Hindi cinema) and India’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna ‘an undisputed romantic icon’ had been forced to abdicate his throne to Amitabh Bachchan, ‘a one man army’.

Since then, Bollywood has continued to churn out one formulaic film after another and although their production values have improved drastically, as have their storytelling techniques, it would be fair to say that the key ingredients of the biggest hits of all time continue to remain romance, violence and music.

In contrast, one could argue that ‘art films’ have evolved (they are now referred to as ‘alternative cinema’) and if you were to compare the films released in the late 1970s and 1980s (such as Bhumika, Bazaar, Garam Hawa and Nishant) to those made since the early noughties, such as Zubeida, My Brother Nikhil and Dhobhi Ghaat, you are bound to notice that the cast of the former was, to a large extent, limited to stars such as Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Deepti Naval, Om Puri as well as the late Smita Patel and Farooque Sheikh.

Furthermore, while mainstream actors like Rekha and Dimple Kapadia did experiment with films such as Umrao Jaan (1980) and Rudaali (1992), they were but two among a handful of exceptions, as were filmmakers such as Hrikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar who tried to bridge the gap between art and commercial films.

In contrast, today’s ‘offbeat’ films have considerable star cachet; actors such as Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, many of whom are considered A-list actors in terms of their box office clout, have tried their hand at alternative cinema, and have worked with a growing base of filmmakers willing to explore subjects that are not run-of-the-mill. Many of their films have not only won awards, they have for the most part, been able to more than recover their production costs at the box office, mainly because audiences have now matured and do want to watch more experimental cinema.

Keeping this in mind, perhaps it is not surprising that two of the 10 Pakistani feature films released this year, Moor and Manto can also be termed non-mainstream fare; while they may not have done as well as the bawdy Jawani Phir Nahi Aani, the fact that they were critically acclaimed in Pakistan and overseas goes to show that audiences in Pakistan are also maturing, and perhaps that is the reason why filmmakers are also willing to explore non-mainstream subjects. The forthcoming Mah-e-Meer, which is believed to centre on the life of the poet Mir Taqi Mir, and features Fahad Mustafa, Sanam Saeed and Iman Ali also substantiates this. Keeping this in mind, perhaps it is then safe to say that there is commercial potential for Pakistani filmmakers to explore offbeat subjects and produce work that is as cerebral as it is engrossing. The question remains, will they take up the challenge or continue to go down the well-travelled road of commercial cinema?

Mamun M. Adil is Manager, Business Development and Research, DAWN. mamun.adil@gmail.com

When Salman Khan made a film with the song Munni badnaam huwi, it made Rs 1.5 billion; then he put another munni in Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the film made five billion rupees. Can no one see that we don’t need item numbers in films? That we can make films that everyone will watch without resorting to these tactics,” says ace ad film director turned filmmaker Jamshed Mehmood, better known as Jami. 

It is still early days as Pakistani cinema shifts gears and reloads its new and improved avatar. The number of Pakistani films released continues to increase every year, and 2015 saw two ad filmmakers, Jami (Moor) and Asad ul Haq (Dekh Magar Pyar Se) try their luck on the big screen.

Close on their heels is fellow ad filmmaker Asim Raza, who is putting the final touches to Ho Mann Jahaan (expected to release early 2016). In fact, TV is providing a steady stream of directors who are crossing over to the big screen. Nadeem Baig (Jawani Phir Nahi Ani) Yasir Nawaz (Wrong Number), Shehzad Kashmiri and Momina Duraid (Bin Roye), Wajahat Rauf (Karachi se Lahore) and Sarmad Khoosat (Manto) have all had promising outings at the box office in 2015.

Incidentally, thus far the foray into cinema by TV drama directors have proved more successful at the box office compared to the TVC directors. So while Moor, which was Jami’s second outing after Operation 021, opened to critical acclaim, he admits that the venture will need to recover another Rs 30 million to break even. Haq’s Dekh Magar Pyar Se sank without a trace.  

The box office has spoken and clearly embraced what Haq terms, “Pakistani copies of B-grade and C-grade Bollywood films,” yet both directors are adamant about the need for Pakistani cinema to carve its own identity and not bow to Bollywood-inspired box office demands.

“You need a certain mindset to go after the box office. You have to do the song in a clichéd way and tick all the right boxes and stick to a formula. I am not against this, but why can’t Pakistani cinema take another route and offer something different from Bollywood?” asks Haq who admits that he did not consider the box office while directing his maiden venture.

“I did not keep an eye on the box office, although maybe for my next venture I will be more conscious of it.”

Jami, who spent years shooting TV commercials to satiate his burning desire to shoot a feature film, has a degree in filmmaking from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has, in his own words, been biding his time making commercials and waiting for the right moment to realise his dream of producing and directing feature films. He is also extremely vocal about steering clear of the formula.

“We have to start where India is right now. Bollywood is waking up and films such as Lunchbox and Jazba are making money. People are becoming tired of films without stories and with item numbers, so if we go down the same path, it is going to backfire.”

Speaking of one of his pet peeves, the item number, Jami says that “when you put an item number in your film, you are using women to make money. There is no difference between a red light area and these item numbers. The difference is that the pimp looks bad, while the director looks like a cool dude. Gujjar films were doing the same thing, it’s just that the lighting was bad and the girl was fat while today the girl is slim. To my mind we are headed towards another disaster.”

Jami believes that films such as Lunchbox, which have strong storylines and performances (they are classified as parallel cinema) not only win critical acclaim, they also make money, and should serve as the model Pakistani cinema should follow.

“When you put an item number in your film, you are using women to make money. There is no difference between a red light area and these item numbers. The difference is that the pimp looks bad, while the director looks like a cool dude.”

In contrast, Haq is still unsure about the direction Pakistani films could take, although he has high hopes about what he calls ‘drama-style’ films.

“Why aren’t we going the drama route? Pakistanis are very successful at making TV dramas so why can’t we base our films on those? We have the writers and it is something we do well. Why can’t we tighten those scripts, add songs and make them work?”

Undeterred by the far from satisfactory financial outcome of their ventures, both Jami and Haq have moved onto their next film project. Jami is in the process of completing Downward Dog and has started work on two other film projects. Haq is vetting scripts for his next feature film.

Ironically, although commercials are Jami’s bread and butter and his claim to fame, commercialism does not sit well with him. His company Azad Films takes principled stands, such as not working for soft drinks brands or products such as margarine. He is also averse to product placement in films, but concedes that given financial limitations he would consider it, “if it is done like the Aston Martin in Skyfall, which was not in your face.”

Haq who received flak for blatant product placement in Dekh Magar Pyar Se argues that “you need lots of money to make films and you need brand partners. Maybe people think product placement is too in their face, but isn’t that the case with most of the Pakistani films that have been released? There is little money in the business and product placements help people get the seed money, which is better than sourcing your finances from shady sources.”

Jami says that his years making commercials taught him what not to do while making a feature film. He, however, acknowledges that his 17 years making commercials helped him build his reputation which came in handy when he launched Moor.

“Even when I announced I was making a film in which there would be no product placement or foreign investment, a lot of people were willing to work for us. At any given time, we had a crew of 200 people and this was solely because of the reputation I made in advertising.”

"Maybe people think product placement is too in their face, but isn't that the case with most of the Pakistani films that have been released? There is little money in the business and product placements help people get the seed money, which is better than sourcing your finances from shady sources.”

Haq, whose first love and vocation remains advertising, found the personal nature of making a feature film disconcerting.

“A film is your baby. You write and you direct it. I don’t know how you can double or triple check whether what you did what was right. Who do you run your ideas by? You just close your eyes and do whatever you want to do. In contrast, when I shoot a commercial, I have an entire boardroom giving me feedback before it goes on-air. So when I directed Dekh Magar Pyar Se I did what I liked, although I don’t think the audience was ready for it.”

Jami compares the scale of involvement in filmmaking with the short term nature of shooting commercials. 

“For the film we had to undertake acting workshops and rehearsals. We were dealing with continuity issues for months, shooting for days on end in below freezing temperatures and making sure that the character arc, the objectives of the story and the nuances of acting were kept at the forefront. You do not need to do this for a commercial. You meet a day before to discuss clothes and the next day is the shoot and then everyone goes their own way.”

In contrast to Jami, Haq believes his background in advertising helped him add value to his film, especially when coordinating the final look. 

Dekh Magar Pyar Se used special effects throughout as the scenery went from red to green and then to blue and yellow, while the music was scored with a European mindset. “You bring such elements to a film if you have made commercials. And because of my background in advertising, we shot according to schedule and didn’t deviate a day.”

TV commercials continue to sustain both directors and their respective company set ups and now their ventures into film. For Jami, the TVC business is the noose that stops him eating, living and breathing cinema.

“TV drama directors have nothing to lose when they make a film because they are normally backed by a big production company. Ad directors have an office to run, and many like to live on a large scale. When you need Rs 2,000,000 a month to run your office and support you lifestyle how will you make a film?

Shahrezad Samiuddin is a pop culture junkie and a scriptwriter.

• Social media gives us an opportunity to project ourselves in a way that makes us more ‘likeable’. Hence the selfies and the quest for more likes and retweets.
• What if social media is triggering reverse evolution, showing that humans cannot exist as individuals and can only survive and flourish in the presence of a leader; someone who will tell them what to say and not say.

Social media has changed the world. Everywhere we go, we see people staring at their devices, laughing, smiling and sometimes even crying. From a waiting area at an airport to the living room of their homes, people sit together, but they are with someone else. According to a global digital snapshot, out of a total population of 7.3 billion, 2.3 billion people are active on social media. Advocates of the medium hold that social media has made the world a global village. People have found new friends, connected with old ones – and we have all become more social.

Is that true? Has the world connected on an emotional level or is it merely a physical connection. Has social media brought the world closer or has it been a catalyst in dividing the world. Has the world not become more hateful in recent times? Is this a coincidence or is there a link between global hatred and social media?

The day I started writing this blog, the following topics were trending. The Panama Papers, moulvis throwing chappals at a helicopter, Junaid Jamshed being beaten up, Qandeel Baloch being grilled by Mubashir Luqman. (As you read this, browse and see what is trending now and you will get the point even before I make my case.) There were a few positive topics trending as well, such as Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy winning an Oscar, but then I started to read the comments and I decided to write this article.

I started my social media journey on platforms like Orkut and My Space about 15 years ago, but my addiction began when I joined Facebook in 2006. This was the same time I started my business and being an antisocial introvert, I discovered that I could connect with prospective clients and showcase myself as a brand by simply sitting in my office. I could give my expert opinion on a broad range of subjects and establish myself as someone with an in-depth knowledge of advertising. Then Twitter came along and with it the realisation that giving opinions is the new normal. If you don’t have an opinion you have no reason to exist – at least on social media.

Social media gives us an opportunity to project ourselves in a way that makes us more ‘likeable’. Hence the selfies and the quest for more likes and retweets.

The top metric marketers use to judge social media performance is engagement. How many people have commented, liked, retweeted or shared a post. That’s how we judge ourselves too on social media. We like it when we see the reactions and the retweets. It puts pressure on us to give opinions which will generate more ‘engagement’. Hence, we have become experts on religion, politics, sports, morals and whatever subject is trending. The irony, of course, is that most of us are not experts on most of these things. Social media gives us an opportunity to project ourselves in a way that makes us more ‘likeable’. Hence the selfies and the quest for more likes and retweets. Everyone is in a race to prove that they are better than how they are perceived in real life. So, whereas people may be wary about giving their opinions in real life, on social media they feel obliged to do so, especially as there is no fear of being challenged face to face and proven wrong. The engagement that has marketers excited about social media mainly comes through the nonsensical debates we all love to participate in. To prove someone wrong is believed to be the best way to prove that we are better than the other person. So, if half of social media put up a French flag to express solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks, the other half blames them for not putting up a flag for those attacks which happened in Pakistan. The two sides argue for a few days but it doesn’t end, it only changes when another topic starts trending. Although our elders taught us that debates are healthy, there is hardly ever a bright side to discussions on social media. Most turn into ugly verbal brawls, ending up in abusive comments and hateful rhetoric.

I created Marketing Next (the largest marketing forum on Facebook, with approximately 15,000 members) with the objective of engendering healthy discussions on marketing related topics. Instead it became a hostile platform and the favourite place for marketers to bash someone else’s work. We feared we would lose members and the group would fade out. So we curtailed the bashing and started to steer the group towards more positive discussions. In a week the engagement analytics fell dramatically, members started opting out and we started receiving complaints that it had become boring. We reverted back to insults and bashing and we are happy to report the analytics show great improvement.

This trend holds true globally. Case in point, read the stories trending today and their attending comments. There is always more hate than love. The hypothesis experts infer is that people are not real on social media, but in fact are pseudo intellectuals. But what if people are real on social media and are only pretending to be nice in real life?

What if social media is triggering reverse evolution, showing that humans cannot exist as individuals and can only survive and flourish in the presence of a leader; someone who will tell them what to say and not say.

Our animal instincts are curtailed by the presence of people, and more importantly authority. There is no authority to scare you off from accusing someone of being an infidel or a traitor or worse, on social media, whereas in real life you may not ‘dare’ to call someone that to their face. What if this crudeness is real and everything else is fake? What if humans were meant to have figures of authority and would obliterate each other in their absence? Hence, the creation of over 2,000 religions and gods to tell us what to do and how to behave. What if social media is triggering reverse evolution, showing that humans cannot exist as individuals and can only survive and flourish in the presence of a leader; someone who will tell them what to say and not say.

Someone like Harlan Ellison who said; “You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

• Some may argue that intrusion never left the advertising world, and that it is inherent in it because brands fear that if they make the first move and abandon intrusive advertising for what looks like a #TooGoodToBeTrue lower-key approach, their business will nosedive, leaving the field open to their competitors’ intrusive advertising.
• Step #1: Drop the annoying in-video ads or (the consumer) will shoot (you)!
• Step #2: Make seven-second long, high- impact video ads for Facebook and YouTube
• Step #3: Don’t let poor metrics misguide you!

Remember the time when there used to be only two TV channels with simultaneous ad breaks? When you could not avoid watching the ads that came between you and your entertainment? A time when the only way to avoid the ads was to look away or run out of the room to grab a glass of water? Awesome time for advertisers yes; frustrating for audiences!

Then came the illusion of choice; as the number of channels increased, you could play ‘catch me if you can’ every time there was an ad break on a channel. A little less frustrating, but still. Then after the digital video recorders (DVRs), YouTube and Smart TVs, everyone thought there was no way ads could ever come between them and their programme. It was in this new and liberated media environment that advertising reached critical mass both online and offline, while audiences kept finding ways to avoid it. With the increase in channels, content choices and ad blocking software, marketers no longer had the luxury of captive audiences and advertisers – agencies and media platforms joined forces in a quest to make advertising more persuasive and engaging. Instead, we created a more pervasive ecosystem of ad delivery. In our quest to break through and grab consumers’ attention, we developed more intrusive ads instead of more engaging ones.

Some may argue that intrusion never left the advertising world, and that it is inherent in it because brands fear that if they make the first move and abandon intrusive advertising for what looks like a #TooGoodToBeTrue lower-key approach, their business will nosedive, leaving the field open to their competitors’ intrusive advertising.

This reminds me of a scene from Mission Impossible II when Dr Nekhorvich says: “Well, Dimitri, every search for a hero must begin with something every hero needs, a villain. So in the search for our hero, Bellerophon, we have created a more effective monster: Chimera.” I wish things were that cool in our case; sadly, there is no Mission Impossible force to save the day for advertisers. We have to do it ourselves.

Some may argue that intrusion never left the advertising world, and that it is inherent in it because brands fear that if they make the first move and abandon intrusive advertising for what looks like a #TooGoodToBeTrue lower-key approach, their business will nosedive, leaving the field open to their competitors’ intrusive advertising.

So let’s take a closer look at our Chimera. If this sounds too dramatic, it is because there is nothing as evil in advertising as unskippable in-video advertising.

In-video ads started on YouTube as skippable (although you still had to watch the first five seconds). Then early this year, Facebook started placing ads in the middle of their videos. Although this benefits video content producers on social media, it has ruined the online video experience for audiences; according to a global survey by HubSpot, over 61% of respondents said in-video ads are irritating.

So marketers, please enlighten us. Would it be wrong to say that a vast majority of the video ads appearing on Facebook and YouTube are seen for a few seconds only? Having seen tons of post-analysis for digital video-led campaigns, I can say with authority that when the ‘skip ad’ option is available, only 15% of audiences actually watch the ad; and it was because of this that we began to force them to watch unskippable ads, in the same way we used to in the golden era of TV advertising.

For me, the future of online advertising is looking more and more tenuous. Is there a way brands can achieve what they intend while at the same time content producers and ad agencies can make money without creating annoying ad experiences? There has to be a way; surely we can do better than make people hate ads even more? Was this... inevitable?

I don’t think so. And no, I am not going the #contentisking route either. Of course it is, but you still need to advertise to feel ‘safe’ believing you did everything you could. Here is my sinfully naïve-sounding solution.

Step #1: Drop the annoying in-video ads or (the consumer) will shoot (you)!

This is worse than cold calling. Do you know who watches those ads you put in the middle of a video? No one. They mute the ad, look away while it plays, or simply scroll away from the video altogether. You have seen the post-campaign analysis, you know the truth. And I know why you chose to do it in the first place – I feel your pain. All that money promoting video ads and all you get is a ‘skip’! There is another way, my misguided marketer – stop being suicidal and listen up.

Step #2: Make seven-second long, high- impact video ads for Facebook and YouTube

This is the Bellerophon to our Chimera... and before media planners start praising me while creative folk insult me, hear me out. Agencies have long been advising brands to make shorter, crisper advertising for major sport events like the ICC T20 World Cup or PSL. Media planners hold that 15- to 20- seconds is the ideal copy duration and clients are often demonised for asking for five- or 10-second adaptations, while still trying to fit in the entire TVC message. Much to the annoyance of every creative director, the five- or seven-second adaptation always outruns their 90-second version ad in frequency. So why not make fantastic five- to seven-second video ads, rather than hope that the first two seconds of a TVC will make sense? Not that there aren’t platforms where standalone long ads still work, but we really need to stop wasting money on digital eyeballs that just don’t add up.

Step #3: Don’t let poor metrics misguide you!

The digital advertising ecosystem has developed faster than the tools that are required to measure its impact. This lag is a bane on what promised to be the most targetable and measurable medium in the history of marketing.

In October 2008, the McKinsey Quarterly wrote, “the inability to make accurate measurements of digital advertising’s effectiveness across channels and consumer touchpoints will continue to promote the misallocation of media budgets and impede the industry’s growth.”

Don’t be overawed by nascent technologies and inconsistent metrics. Everything is not ‘awesome’ just because your agency says so. Instead of looking at ad duration as a limitation, let’s make five- to seven-second ads that deliver the core message and encourage audiences to opt to watch the full-length version. This will give audiences a choice – and choice has been scientifically proven to be more effective than intrusive advertising. Dr Robert Cialdini (aka the ‘Godfather of Influence’) points out in his book The Psychology of Persuasion that “people want to act consistently with their prior choices. When consumers feel they made a choice to opt in, they will take the content of your ad more seriously.”

I know creative teams are capable of taking on this challenge; what I am more sceptical about is whether clients are capable of seeing online video advertising for what it has become; a self-defeating cycle.

So who will be the first to blink and break from the norm? Who is ready to take the plunge and become a helpful brand instead of standing their ground as just another annoying one?

Umair Saeed is COO, Blitz Advertising. umair.saeed@blitz.pk

• We cannot be the judge, the jury and the executioners. If we do that, then we are no different from the mob that kills on instinct, or the bystander who enjoys a public execution.

“A crowd is only impressed by excessive sentiments. Exaggerate, affirm, resort to repetition, and never attempt to prove anything by reasoning.”
― Jon Ronson, So You've Been Publicly Shamed

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s recent tweets have been viciously dissected and intensely debated in hundreds of conversations – offline and online. For those who might still be clueless about what happened, her sister went to the ER, where she was seen to by a doctor, who later sent her a Facebook friend request. Chinoy took to social media, called it harassment and threatened to report him to the hospital’s management. Supposedly, he was fired from his job after this. Without fact checking or verifying any information, the public went into a frenzy condemning her, rallying for him, condemning him, rallying for her, all the while calling each other out. It was an all-out war zone, in digital terms.

Not long ago, pictures of Mahira Khan, wearing a white summer dress that showed some skin, smoking a cigarette and hanging out with Ranbir Kapoor, were splashed across the internet. The public did not disappoint then either. The gloves came off and the claws came out. Tongues wagged in harmony, questioning her morals, her religion, calling her all sorts of names; some even went to the extent of labelling her an Indian agent.

Read: Trolling – Pakistan's national pastime

And then there is the nation’s favourite de facto punching bag – Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban. After recovering she has become an influential public speaker who works for women’s education and other social causes. When the nation has no one else to hate, they satisfy their vengeful cravings by rubbing their hands together in glee, and turning to her with venom. After all, we love to hate women who are young and successful.

Read: Is social media triggering reverse evolution?

The democratisation of social media and finding and using our voice is still a relatively new phenomenon in Pakistan. We write first and think later (if we think at all); we ‘like’ without reading; ‘share’ without understanding; and ‘comment’ without investigating. In trying to keep up with the speed of the digital world, we do not allow ourselves to think about how our actions or words can impact others in ways that can be extremely damaging to them.

Let’s face it; we are a judgmental nation, and that characteristic is not limited to any social class or demographic. You and I have both judged people for what they eat, how they dress, or who they support. We don’t stop to ask questions or hear different perspectives.

In the case of Chinoy’s tweets, a lot of debate and name-calling began before any facts were shared or verified. People concocted their own versions of the story to push their opinions. Her qualifications and credentials as a documentary filmmaker were questioned, as were her ethics. Factually incorrect articles were dug up from the deepest depths of the internet to malign her. All her life’s work was pitted against her tweets to this incident. She was cornered.

As for the doctor, yes, what he did was unethical and unprofessional, but perhaps he was a new doctor still under training. Was he enamoured by the fact that he was treating Chinoy’s sister? Did he send repeated requests? The answers to these questions will not absolve him, but will only make us look at the situation in a more humane way. My point is, let’s wait for facts before we jump into the swamp.

We cannot be the judge, the jury and the executioners. If we do that, then we are no different from the mob that kills on instinct, or the bystander who enjoys a public execution.

We need to speak out on social issues and we cannot afford to be silent, but where systems and protocols exist, we need to let them play out. We need to exercise patience and responsible behaviour. We cannot be the judge, the jury and the executioners. If we do that, then we are no different from the mob that kills on instinct, or the bystander who enjoys a public execution. Bringing someone down should not be a source of entertainment and we should remember that exercising restraint does not mean silencing ourselves or not voicing our opinions. It means being respectful and not jumping to conclusions.

I’d like to end end with another quote by Jon Ronson from his book So You've Been Publicly Shamed – please read it if you haven’t already: “The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people. Let's not turn it into a world where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless.”

Sheherzad Kaleem is a documentary filmmaker based in Dubai. sheherzadk@gmail.com

• <strong>SBCC in Pakistan</strong>
• <strong>Content and contentment</strong>

The images of weeping women still have not been replaced. We have yet to see a narrative on working women; be it as a brick kiln or factory worker or even a corporate employee.

• <strong>Ratings</strong>
• <strong>Model for the future</strong>

Her name was Maria and her rags-to-riches Peruvian life story in the telenovela Simplemente Maria (1969) launched the era of what can be termed as ‘entertainment-education TV soap operas’.

Miguel Sabido, a Mexican producer inspired by the impact of the telenovela devised a methodology to make similar soaps for social change and national development. Although Simplemente Maria led to a surge in the sales of Singer sewing machines, Ven Conmigo, one of the six soap operas developed by Sabido, led to a million people enrolling for adult literacy classes, a 63% increase over the previous year. Ever since, the entertainment-education strategy has become ubiquitous in Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) programmes the world over.

As stated by Arvind Singhal and Everett M. Rogers in their study Pro-Social Television for Development in India, parasocial interaction is a seemingly interpersonal connection between audiences and the TV performer, as if she or he was a real person. Audiences perceive this relationship as if it were a face-to-face encounter and become genuinely involved with the character(s). In the case of Hum Log, (1984-85), the initial episodes focused on family planning issues within the Indian joint-family system. The numerous feedback letters the channel received prompted the scriptwriters to rewrite the storylines to focus on equality and family harmony; this eventually resulted in record ratings.

SBCC in Pakistan

What differentiates a regular social drama from an entertainment-education one is that in the latter, the objectives are defined and embedded within the content. There are specific roles constructed on positive, negative and transitioning behaviours. Prosocial TV content means creating storylines and characters that depict socially desirable norms. Pakistan has not been far behind in terms of Social Behaviour Change Communication.

The democratic era that began in 1988 brought in political support for population welfare programmes in Pakistan, and the Ministry of Population Welfare rolled out many family planning initiatives at the grass-root level and in the mass media. The Centre for Communication Programmes (CCP) in Pakistan, under the umbrella of the John Hopkins University (JHU), has been spearheading health-related behavioural change communication in collaboration with state institutions and private entities since 1991. Their most notable early initiatives on PTV were Aahat (1991) and Nijaat (1993); hugely popular dramas that tackled inter-spousal communication, unmet needs of family planning and maternal health.

Under the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN), CCP developed the serials Paiman (2008) on PTV and Angoori (2010) on ATV. Now under the Maternal and Child Healthcare (MCH) project, CCP has launched a music video, Hum roshan to kal roshan, featuring pop stars Ali Zafar and Sanam Marvi and a TV serial called Sammi (scheduled for 2017 on HumTV).

A new entrant into the entertainment-education arena is the Kashf Foundation which launched a women empowerment serial Rehaai (2013) and child abuse drama Udaari (2016) on Hum TV.

Content and contentment

So how is the content for these new Pakistani entertainment-education serials developed?

Atif Ikram Butt, ED, CCP Pakistan, noted that “every drama is different in its construction, but the underlying strategy has been entertainment-education, where the emphasis is on social transformation theories and behaviour transitioning.”

According to Zainab Saeed, Manager Strategic Communication, Kashf Foundation, “complex behaviour is learned gradually through the duplication of small acts and simpler behaviour. Creating positive role-models and improved behaviour and actions can play a big role in change. Both our serials are based on real narratives, and the purpose behind each one is to raise awareness on social issues that are generally not talked about.”

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"Creating positive role-models and improved behaviour and actions can play a big role in change."

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She adds that “the fact that Rehaai and Udaari sparked a debate on social media and other forums testifies to the impact of such programmes.”

Characters and storylines

PTV’s Nijaat had multiple storylines within the setting of a rural, lower socioeconomic area. A nurse running a family clinic and a woman with frequent pregnancies were at the heart of the serial. It captured the issues of the time, including the Dubai-returned men, runaway children and the off-loading children in madressahs due to poverty. In the new era TV serials, there are distinctive positive deviances and visibly transitional roles. The character of Sheedan in Udaari who takes pride in being a marasan (local musician who sings at weddings) and supports her daughter in her professional singing endeavours is a positive deviance in the story.

The transformation of Zebo and Meera into survivors who testify in court is a breakthrough in Pakistani TV history. Noticeably, the faces of the survivors are not veiled or wearing a chaddar when they record their testimonies (as opposed to what actually happens in real life). It was an ambitious and a bold move, although one that may have made this critical act unbelievable for audiences, thus pushing it into the ‘fantasy and fiction’ category. Then, the deceptively innocent-looking perpetrator was turned into a caricature in the final crucial episodes, with his wadera-style get-up and bizarre facial tics. We had Marina Khan’s tail-hair strand hanging from her short haircut in Nijaat creating a buzz back in the day, yet this was secondary to her role.

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The images of weeping women still have not been replaced. We have yet to see a narrative on working women; be it as a brick kiln or factory worker or even a corporate employee.

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Ratings

It is unusual for social dramas to garner high ratings, but we have seen exceptions with Rehaai and Udaari. Hum TV already enjoys good ratings among entertainment channels (source: Kantar Medialogic Annual Report 2014-15). In the case of Udaari, Hum TV achieved the highest ratings during specific time brackets within the eight to 10:00 p.m. slot and more remarkably, their ratings surpassed even those of other Hum TV serials, notably the popular drama Mann Mayal.

Udaari had the highest rated episode among the top 10 entertainment programmes in the month of August 2016, and jumped to the second position among leading channels in the seven to 11:00 p.m. slot (source: Kantar Medialogic August 2016 Report).

So is television important for healthcare communication? In its 360 Degree Media Report, 2015, the CCP Pakistan noted that Sukkur has the highest number of Lady Health Workers (LHW) compared to Sanghar, Mirpur Khas, Umerkot and Matiari, yet out of the main sources of information on health issues, people of reproductive age there rely on TV more than on LHW or midwives.

Model for the future

So have we (thanks to the collaboration of an NGO and a TV channel) come up with a replicable model where both pro-development goals and high ratings can be achieved? Perhaps we have stumbled upon a Simplemente Maria template that works in the cluttered media space? Are we onto a breakthrough in behaviour change communication in the Pakistani media context?

We will have to see how this trend pans out and there are too few case studies at the moment to make a call. It hinges on the compromises that TV producers and pro-development agencies have to make. We still have not seen regional language dubbing and airing on regional channels of any of these successful serials.

(Un)luckily media buying houses are still focused on time slots as opposed to content when pitching to advertisers, so there is still room to experiment and even with the proliferation of paid cable TV services, PTV still has the widest reach and there is an opportunity to rerun these soap operas during different time slots to address other demographic groups.

Udaari, Rehaai and the forthcoming Sammi have aimed to break the monotonous themes of saas-bahu and second marriage family dynamics, but the images of weeping women still have not been replaced. We have yet to see a narrative on working women; be it as a brick kiln or factory worker or even a corporate employee.

Sadya Siddiqui has expertise in Marketing Communications and is pursuing an M.Sc in Poverty Reduction, SOAS, London.
sadyasiddiqui@gmail.com

]]> Media https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141721 Sat, 21 Oct 2017 10:06:23 +0500 none@none.com (Sadya Siddiqui) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142388/trolling-pakistans-national-pastime <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">&quot;As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore?&quot;</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>The internet is increasingly becoming a scary place. Where trolling was once joked about, today it stands as a deadly force, spreading its tentacles far and wide, inciting propaganda, hatred and intolerance. </p><p class=''>Take the recently ‘leaked’ images of Mahira Khan taking a ciggie break with Ranbir Kapoor in New York for instance. The pictures were everywhere – re-shared and re-tweeted with abandon. Trolls sat behind their screens, rubbing their slimy palms while waxing poetic on how ‘<em>besharam</em>’ and wicked Khan was to wear ‘revealing’ clothes (shriek) and smoke (<em>hai hai</em>!), that too with that stud muffin, Ranbir Kapoor (how dare she!).</p><p class=''>While a number of Khan’s fans, including her co-stars and celebrity friends, spoke out in support of the actor, there were an equal number of Pakistanis who were tickled pink – Yay! Another public figure to rip apart! Woohoo! See? Stars aren’t demi-gods after all! Let’s indulge in some mud-slinging, shall we? Let’s slander a young woman for no rhyme or reason, let’s… JUDGE? Ooh, delicious. </p><p class=''>The amount of slut-shaming Pakistani women – particularly those in the spotlight – face online is shocking; there is a slew of derogatory terms that both men and women toss around while commenting on a star’s post while, say, they are in the loo. Let’s crap over the her post, they say, let me bless that smug little twerp’s page with a string of verbal diarrhoea and <em>gaalam galoch</em>, because, well, HOW DARE SHE! HOW DARE SHE.</p><p class=''>I remember in the 90s, being a divorcee in Lahore was akin to being a leper. Being a single mother with kids, my mother faced immense, in-your-face backlash by Lahori society. In fact, it was women, particularly well-educated, privileged acquaintances and friends of my mother who had a field day judging her for a lifestyle choice that was HERS and hers alone. While my mother had (and has) a thicker skin than I do, I remember how much I’d be driven to despair when an aunty would make a callous remark on my mother’s face, or at me (in private). Back then, I was too young to understand how to combat trolling – in-the-flesh trolling. All I knew was that I wanted to defend my mother and kung-fu the hell out of the judgment. Today, at almost 35, I cannot begin to comprehend what my mother went through at my age, and my intolerance for mindless, cruel judgment runs very deep. I cannot stand holier-than-thous – I find them hypocritical and self-righteous in their hypercritical religiosity.</p><hr> <h4 id="toc_0">&quot;As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore?&quot;</h4> <hr> <p class=''>But coming back to Khan, the actor is an incredibly private person – I recall once when she was interviewed on a local TV channel last year (on Dunya TV), she was visibly uncomfortable when the host spoke about her being a single mother. Even in person, she’s only an open book vis-à-vis her projects and her dreams – she won’t divulge details of her personal life to make headlines. Khan isn’t ‘that’ type of star. In fact, the more Khan has resisted the spotlight, the more it has hungered for her. </p><p class=''>And while some would argue that having one’s personal life dissected in public is part and parcel of being in the glare, on centre stage – I don’t agree. As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore? Why is the feverish focal point on the person, and not the product of their labour? You see it everywhere, on sickening channels like E!, on websites such as the DailyMail, and more. </p><p class=''>What gives us the right as individuals to judge and disparage someone’s life for choices that aren’t and were never ours in the first place? Perhaps cricket isn’t our national sport anymore – maybe we as a nation are morphing into atrociously ugly trolls in a big, juicy game of ‘Let’s Get Judgy!’</p><p class=''>A woman gets a divorce, a woman raises her children on her own, a woman wears a white summer dress and smokes with a co-star, a woman lives, breathes, survives and thrives all on her own… and guess what? Life goes on. </p><p class=''><em>The author is a journalist based in Lahore. sonjarehman@gmail.com</em></p>

• "As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore?"

The internet is increasingly becoming a scary place. Where trolling was once joked about, today it stands as a deadly force, spreading its tentacles far and wide, inciting propaganda, hatred and intolerance.

Take the recently ‘leaked’ images of Mahira Khan taking a ciggie break with Ranbir Kapoor in New York for instance. The pictures were everywhere – re-shared and re-tweeted with abandon. Trolls sat behind their screens, rubbing their slimy palms while waxing poetic on how ‘besharam’ and wicked Khan was to wear ‘revealing’ clothes (shriek) and smoke (hai hai!), that too with that stud muffin, Ranbir Kapoor (how dare she!).

While a number of Khan’s fans, including her co-stars and celebrity friends, spoke out in support of the actor, there were an equal number of Pakistanis who were tickled pink – Yay! Another public figure to rip apart! Woohoo! See? Stars aren’t demi-gods after all! Let’s indulge in some mud-slinging, shall we? Let’s slander a young woman for no rhyme or reason, let’s… JUDGE? Ooh, delicious.

The amount of slut-shaming Pakistani women – particularly those in the spotlight – face online is shocking; there is a slew of derogatory terms that both men and women toss around while commenting on a star’s post while, say, they are in the loo. Let’s crap over the her post, they say, let me bless that smug little twerp’s page with a string of verbal diarrhoea and gaalam galoch, because, well, HOW DARE SHE! HOW DARE SHE.

I remember in the 90s, being a divorcee in Lahore was akin to being a leper. Being a single mother with kids, my mother faced immense, in-your-face backlash by Lahori society. In fact, it was women, particularly well-educated, privileged acquaintances and friends of my mother who had a field day judging her for a lifestyle choice that was HERS and hers alone. While my mother had (and has) a thicker skin than I do, I remember how much I’d be driven to despair when an aunty would make a callous remark on my mother’s face, or at me (in private). Back then, I was too young to understand how to combat trolling – in-the-flesh trolling. All I knew was that I wanted to defend my mother and kung-fu the hell out of the judgment. Today, at almost 35, I cannot begin to comprehend what my mother went through at my age, and my intolerance for mindless, cruel judgment runs very deep. I cannot stand holier-than-thous – I find them hypocritical and self-righteous in their hypercritical religiosity.

---

"As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore?"

---

But coming back to Khan, the actor is an incredibly private person – I recall once when she was interviewed on a local TV channel last year (on Dunya TV), she was visibly uncomfortable when the host spoke about her being a single mother. Even in person, she’s only an open book vis-à-vis her projects and her dreams – she won’t divulge details of her personal life to make headlines. Khan isn’t ‘that’ type of star. In fact, the more Khan has resisted the spotlight, the more it has hungered for her.

And while some would argue that having one’s personal life dissected in public is part and parcel of being in the glare, on centre stage – I don’t agree. As a journalist, I find this new-age, undying wave of ‘LET’S-EXPOSE!’ media utterly ridiculous. Why is the artist’s art not being spoken and written about anymore? Why is the feverish focal point on the person, and not the product of their labour? You see it everywhere, on sickening channels like E!, on websites such as the DailyMail, and more.

What gives us the right as individuals to judge and disparage someone’s life for choices that aren’t and were never ours in the first place? Perhaps cricket isn’t our national sport anymore – maybe we as a nation are morphing into atrociously ugly trolls in a big, juicy game of ‘Let’s Get Judgy!’

A woman gets a divorce, a woman raises her children on her own, a woman wears a white summer dress and smokes with a co-star, a woman lives, breathes, survives and thrives all on her own… and guess what? Life goes on.

The author is a journalist based in Lahore. sonjarehman@gmail.com

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142388 Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:17:06 +0500 none@none.com (Sonya Rehman) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142370/youve-got-hate-mail <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender.</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>Barely three months ago, no one had heard of the Sarahah app but now it seems that everyone is talking about it; the app recently passed the ‘drive-a-teen-to-suicide’ test with flying colours. </p><p class=''>Sarahah is an anonymous messaging app. Once a user registers, they receive a customised link that they can share with their friends; anyone who has link can send them anonymous messages. The recipient has no way of knowing who posted the message and nor can they respond to it. Sarahah was originally a website created by the Saudi Arabian developer, Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, and its primary purpose was to allow employees to post anonymous feedback about their employers; it was a whistleblower of sorts. </p><p class=''>Later on, Tawfiq thought that this concept could be used by friends and acquaintances to give feedback to each other anonymously. While popular in the Middle East and Africa, a little more was needed for it to take off in the West. On June 13, the Sarahah app was released on the Apple and Google Play Stores; it soon became one of the top three free apps on both platforms. This surge in popularity was aided by the app’s Snapchat integration, which made it far easier for teens to use. </p><p class=''>Anonymous users can be trouble, but we never learn. Soon enough, Sarahah became a tool for cyber bullying and harassment. Sarahah calls their users ‘honest people’. The problem is, anyone allowed anonymity finds it easy to be honest, often brutally so. One only needs to take a look at comments on platforms such as YouTube to gauge how demeaning, misogynistic, and downright diabolical internet users can be. </p><hr> <h3 id="toc_0">Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender.</h3> <hr> <p class=''>Sarahah has another problem: its mobile app uploads users’ address book to the internet. Ultimately, this can allow one to deduce the sender of a particular message, and the whole promise of anonymity can fall apart. </p><p class=''>Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender. Originating in Saudi Arabia, the app has gained popularity worldwide and is doing particularly well in India. People have received death and rape threats over it and there is no way of knowing if this is trolling or the real deal. </p><p class=''>A shocking example of the misuse of anonymity came to light when an Indian user tweeted a screenshot of the anonymous rape threat she received on Sarahah. The user spoke about her experience and said, “I’m horrified. And I’d like people to not tell me it was my fault for downloading the app.”</p><p class=''>Apparently, the notoriety of the app has not gone unnoticed by the founder, who says the app has taken several precautions against cyber bullying. It now has a feature that filters keywords and prevents certain messages from being sent; it also added a tool to allow users to block accounts.</p><p class=''>&quot;We&#39;re taking this as a serious issue, and focused on [building] new features,&quot; he says. &quot;As of August 2017, the app has more than 62 million users...we&#39;re getting close – day by day – to one billion messages sent,&quot; Tawfiq told CNN Tech.</p><p class=''>If there is a takeaway from this situation, it is this: the internet cannot be regulated. Here is the least we can do to avoid getting embroiled in the seedy underbelly of humanity: </p><ol> <li><p class=''> Carefully go through the privacy settings of an app, its online reputation, and most importantly, the kind of content the service invites, before you decide to join it.</p></li> <li><p class=''> Not every new app, platform, fad or website is worth joining. </p></li> <li><p class=''> Use a VPN if possible, so that even if a service tries to mine your data and secretly sell it, it can be prevented.</p></li> <li><p class=''> Monitor the apps your children are using and forbid their use based on factors discussed above.</p></li> </ol> <p class=''><em>Talha bin Hamid is an accountant by day and an opinionated observer of pop culture, an avid reader, a gamer and an all-around nerd by night.</em></p>

• Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender.

Barely three months ago, no one had heard of the Sarahah app but now it seems that everyone is talking about it; the app recently passed the ‘drive-a-teen-to-suicide’ test with flying colours.

Sarahah is an anonymous messaging app. Once a user registers, they receive a customised link that they can share with their friends; anyone who has link can send them anonymous messages. The recipient has no way of knowing who posted the message and nor can they respond to it. Sarahah was originally a website created by the Saudi Arabian developer, Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, and its primary purpose was to allow employees to post anonymous feedback about their employers; it was a whistleblower of sorts.

Later on, Tawfiq thought that this concept could be used by friends and acquaintances to give feedback to each other anonymously. While popular in the Middle East and Africa, a little more was needed for it to take off in the West. On June 13, the Sarahah app was released on the Apple and Google Play Stores; it soon became one of the top three free apps on both platforms. This surge in popularity was aided by the app’s Snapchat integration, which made it far easier for teens to use.

Anonymous users can be trouble, but we never learn. Soon enough, Sarahah became a tool for cyber bullying and harassment. Sarahah calls their users ‘honest people’. The problem is, anyone allowed anonymity finds it easy to be honest, often brutally so. One only needs to take a look at comments on platforms such as YouTube to gauge how demeaning, misogynistic, and downright diabolical internet users can be.

---

Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender.

---

Sarahah has another problem: its mobile app uploads users’ address book to the internet. Ultimately, this can allow one to deduce the sender of a particular message, and the whole promise of anonymity can fall apart.

Predictably, Sarahah started harmlessly enough but now it is a major tool for harassment based on race, religion and even gender. Originating in Saudi Arabia, the app has gained popularity worldwide and is doing particularly well in India. People have received death and rape threats over it and there is no way of knowing if this is trolling or the real deal.

A shocking example of the misuse of anonymity came to light when an Indian user tweeted a screenshot of the anonymous rape threat she received on Sarahah. The user spoke about her experience and said, “I’m horrified. And I’d like people to not tell me it was my fault for downloading the app.”

Apparently, the notoriety of the app has not gone unnoticed by the founder, who says the app has taken several precautions against cyber bullying. It now has a feature that filters keywords and prevents certain messages from being sent; it also added a tool to allow users to block accounts.

"We're taking this as a serious issue, and focused on [building] new features," he says. "As of August 2017, the app has more than 62 million users...we're getting close – day by day – to one billion messages sent," Tawfiq told CNN Tech.

If there is a takeaway from this situation, it is this: the internet cannot be regulated. Here is the least we can do to avoid getting embroiled in the seedy underbelly of humanity:

1. Carefully go through the privacy settings of an app, its online reputation, and most importantly, the kind of content the service invites, before you decide to join it.

2. Not every new app, platform, fad or website is worth joining.

3. Use a VPN if possible, so that even if a service tries to mine your data and secretly sell it, it can be prevented.

4. Monitor the apps your children are using and forbid their use based on factors discussed above.

Talha bin Hamid is an accountant by day and an opinionated observer of pop culture, an avid reader, a gamer and an all-around nerd by night.

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142370 Fri, 22 Sep 2017 15:20:06 +0500 none@none.com (Talha bin Hamid) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142364/the-new-influencers <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">The women who run these secret or closed groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted.</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>Exactly ten years ago the world was introduced to <em>Gossip Girl</em>; a TV series about a website, of the same name, that ran anonymously and ratted on the secret lives of New York’s elite. Day in and day out, across episodes, we watched the characters behave like pawns in a complicated and vindictive game of chess. And we were all riveted witnessing the kind of control this website and the person behind it had over people’s lives, their decisions and the consequences. It was fascinating and at times anxiety-inducing. It was also an eye opener. </p><p class=''>Can people really be wired to be so affected by, and dependent on, a site or platform, regardless of who runs it? Can something that had no big names, brands or funds behind it still be an influencer? It sure looked like it on the show. And it seems it took very little time before reality started imitating ‘art’. Soon ‘secret’ and ‘closed’ groups started showing up on Facebook, usually fueled by gossipy whistle blowers, dishing out gossip on anyone dirt could be found on. To explain further, ‘secret’ groups on Facebook cannot be searched using the Facebook search option, and only those can join who have been invited by other members. On the other hand, although ‘closed’ groups can be searched via the search option, membership is again restricted to only those who have been invited by other members. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_0">The women who run these secret or closed groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted.</h4> <hr> <p class=''>Pakistan also was quick to tap into the closed and secret group phenomenon. Some of the most influential and effective groups on Facebook are closed/secret and run by women – from food groups (for example, SWOT’s Guide to Restaurants and Cafes) to beauty (Lahore Beauty and Fashion Forum, Reviews) to ‘confess-all’ women-only groups (Soul Sisters, Soul Bitches), there’s a group for everyone. The foodies get to review and read reviews of restaurants and home-based businesses. The beauty ‘queens’ get all the local salon, makeup and style hacks and tips from a group dedicated to everything local beauty… then there’s a group (Sheops) that empowers women entrepreneurs to use the platform to further their businesses and serve as a marketplace. The most controversial by far would be the groups that claim to serve as safe spaces for women to anonymously air their personal grievances and source advice and guidance without the risk of judgment or exposure.</p><p class=''>The women who run these groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted. They’ve built a following and audience any brand would kill to have access to. They’ve figured out how to make the group an integral part of a user’s daily lifestyle and have earned their trust. What they say or do is the last word. And getting on their wrong side means losing out on a community of like-minded people. The moderator, as an influencer, can control requests and invitations as well as the posts and information in the group’s feed. One wrong move and you’re banned from the group. Also, unlike many local blogs and Instagram accounts, these groups have constant engagement and a system that allows you to experience instant redemption for your efforts.</p><p class=''>Although secret or closed groups have a limited number of members compared with regular brand pages/open groups, what works in the former’s favour is the exclusivity and the targeted audience offered. For example, if a group admin endorses a brand (which is usually done very subtly), the brand may just have hit a jackpot. Brand team members can aim to join these groups by using their personal influence/connections and then approach a group admin/influential member by simply messaging them about the product/service. Another way is to start a conversation on the group and get honest, organic and unfiltered opinion about a particular product/service from the members. </p><p class=''>So while there are still the ‘<em>Gossip Girl</em>’ type groups out there, which often do more harm than good, it’s also reassuring to see that there are enterprising people out there who can be utilised by brands to explore new dimensions of interacting with the audiences. </p><p class=''><em>Khizra Munir is CEO, CoPakistan. munir.khizra@gmail.com</em></p>

• The women who run these secret or closed groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted.

Exactly ten years ago the world was introduced to Gossip Girl; a TV series about a website, of the same name, that ran anonymously and ratted on the secret lives of New York’s elite. Day in and day out, across episodes, we watched the characters behave like pawns in a complicated and vindictive game of chess. And we were all riveted witnessing the kind of control this website and the person behind it had over people’s lives, their decisions and the consequences. It was fascinating and at times anxiety-inducing. It was also an eye opener.

Can people really be wired to be so affected by, and dependent on, a site or platform, regardless of who runs it? Can something that had no big names, brands or funds behind it still be an influencer? It sure looked like it on the show. And it seems it took very little time before reality started imitating ‘art’. Soon ‘secret’ and ‘closed’ groups started showing up on Facebook, usually fueled by gossipy whistle blowers, dishing out gossip on anyone dirt could be found on. To explain further, ‘secret’ groups on Facebook cannot be searched using the Facebook search option, and only those can join who have been invited by other members. On the other hand, although ‘closed’ groups can be searched via the search option, membership is again restricted to only those who have been invited by other members.

---

The women who run these secret or closed groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted.

---

Pakistan also was quick to tap into the closed and secret group phenomenon. Some of the most influential and effective groups on Facebook are closed/secret and run by women – from food groups (for example, SWOT’s Guide to Restaurants and Cafes) to beauty (Lahore Beauty and Fashion Forum, Reviews) to ‘confess-all’ women-only groups (Soul Sisters, Soul Bitches), there’s a group for everyone. The foodies get to review and read reviews of restaurants and home-based businesses. The beauty ‘queens’ get all the local salon, makeup and style hacks and tips from a group dedicated to everything local beauty… then there’s a group (Sheops) that empowers women entrepreneurs to use the platform to further their businesses and serve as a marketplace. The most controversial by far would be the groups that claim to serve as safe spaces for women to anonymously air their personal grievances and source advice and guidance without the risk of judgment or exposure.

The women who run these groups (admins and prominent members) are the new influencers online. They invest time and energy in curating the group’s members, the content and what gets advertised and promoted. They’ve built a following and audience any brand would kill to have access to. They’ve figured out how to make the group an integral part of a user’s daily lifestyle and have earned their trust. What they say or do is the last word. And getting on their wrong side means losing out on a community of like-minded people. The moderator, as an influencer, can control requests and invitations as well as the posts and information in the group’s feed. One wrong move and you’re banned from the group. Also, unlike many local blogs and Instagram accounts, these groups have constant engagement and a system that allows you to experience instant redemption for your efforts.

Although secret or closed groups have a limited number of members compared with regular brand pages/open groups, what works in the former’s favour is the exclusivity and the targeted audience offered. For example, if a group admin endorses a brand (which is usually done very subtly), the brand may just have hit a jackpot. Brand team members can aim to join these groups by using their personal influence/connections and then approach a group admin/influential member by simply messaging them about the product/service. Another way is to start a conversation on the group and get honest, organic and unfiltered opinion about a particular product/service from the members.

So while there are still the ‘Gossip Girl’ type groups out there, which often do more harm than good, it’s also reassuring to see that there are enterprising people out there who can be utilised by brands to explore new dimensions of interacting with the audiences.

Khizra Munir is CEO, CoPakistan. munir.khizra@gmail.com

]]> Media https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142364 Mon, 18 Sep 2017 09:53:54 +0500 none@none.com (Khizra Munir) Photo: Online. https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142358/nigaah-art-awards-celebrating-pakistani-art <div style='display: none'></div><p class=''>The first Nigaah Art Awards were held on August 26 at the Mohatta Palace in Karachi. The brainchild of <a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141952' >Tauqeer Muhajir, Editor and Publisher of <em>Nigaah</em> Art magazine</a>, the idea of organising Pakistan’s first awards for the art industry came about in March this year. Muhajir’s vision was to “to celebrate the work of Pakistan’s emerging and established artists across a variety of genres,” and hence the tagline ‘Art can never be judged… it is always honoured and celebrated’. </p><p class=''>The jury was chaired by Hameed Haroon (CEO, The Dawn Media Group) and included Amra Ali (art critic, curator and co-founder, <em>Nukta</em> Art magazine), Marjorie Husain (art critic), R.M. Naeem (Assistant Professor NCA, Lahore), Adil Salahuddin (GM, Pakistan Post Foundation and Member Board of Governors, NCA, Lahore), Taimur Ahmed Suri (Assistant Professor, Media Sciences, SZABIST) and Tauqeer Muhajir (Editor, <em>Nigaah</em> magazine). </p><figure class='media issue1144 w-full media--stretch '> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/primary/2017/09/59b7bc3faa663.jpg' alt='Tauqeer Muhajir, Editor and Publisher, Nigaah magazine.' /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Tauqeer Muhajir, Editor and Publisher, Nigaah magazine.</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>Gathering the works of different artists for review was one of the biggest challenges for the Awards team. However, Muhajir, an art patron himself, encouraged art galleries across Pakistan to come forward and become a part of this first-of-its-kind initiative to recognise contributions in art. To this end, a gallery meet was organised in July; this generated a buzz in the art community and interest in the event. As a result, entries started pouring in almost immediately not only from Pakistan, but also from expatriate Pakistani artists based in Dubai, Melbourne, Nigeria and Shanghai. </p><p class=''>Artists could submit entries in 13 categories including photography, calligraphy, drawing, printmaking, 3D sculptural work, miniature, landscape, portrait, still life, abstract, art critic, curatorial work and emerging painter. </p><p class=''>The event attracted art patrons, art gallery owners, painters, sculptors, photographers and art critics. Well-known names from the art and media fraternity that were present included Riffat Alvi, Noor Jehan Bilgrami, Rehana Hakim, Salima Hashmi, Hameed Haroon, Ayesha Tammy Haq, Shehnaz Ismail, Sameera Raja, Farrukh Shahab, A.S. Rind and Rainer Schmiedchen, Counsul General of Germany. </p><figure class='media issue1144 w-full media--stretch '> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/primary/2017/09/59b7bddf3eb59.jpg' alt='The Nigaah Art Awards&#039; jury members.' /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">The Nigaah Art Awards&#39; jury members.</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>The event included <em>sitar</em> and <em>tabla</em> performances by Shehroz Hussain and Wajahat Ali, <em>Dastaan Goyee</em>, an Urdu narrative by Fawwad Khan, and live painting by artist Farrukh Shahab. An auction of paintings was also conducted, the proceeds of which will be used to provide scholarships to art students and aspiring artists. Two lifetime achievement awards were presented to Salima Hashmi and Marjorie Husain for their outstanding contributions to art in Pakistan. “It was an honour to present this award. The dedication and achievements of Salima Hashmi and Marjorie Husain deserve many more accolades” commented Muhajir. </p><p class=''>Muhajir emphasised that this is just the beginning of an amazing art journey. He plans to continue organising Nigaah Art Awards every year, on a much larger and grander scale. </p><p class=''>This year, the jury picked 17 winners across 13 categories: </p><p class=''><strong>Landscape Painting</strong><br> Shahid Jalal</p><p class=''><strong>Landscape Painting special prize</strong><br> Sadaf Naeem</p><p class=''><strong>Still Life Painting</strong><br> Shakeel Siddiqui </p><p class=''><strong>Abstract Painting</strong><br> Mohammad Ali Talpur</p><p class=''><strong>Miniature Painting</strong><br> Syed Hussain</p><p class=''><strong>Portrait Painting</strong><br> Irfan Hasan</p><p class=''><strong>3D Sculptural Work</strong><br> Fahim Rao</p><p class=''><strong>Drawing Category</strong><br> Adeel-uz-Zafar </p><p class=''><strong><em>Khatati</em>/Calligraphy</strong><br> Ghulam Muhammad </p><p class=''><strong>Photography</strong><br> Arif Mahmood </p><p class=''><strong>Photography special prize</strong><br> Jamal Ashiqain</p><p class=''><strong>Print Making/Digital prints</strong><br> Huma Mulji</p><p class=''><strong>Print Making/Digital prints special prize</strong><br> Abdullah M.I. Syed </p><p class=''><strong>Emerging Painter</strong><br> Noor-ul-Huda </p><p class=''><strong>Art Critic</strong><br> Aasim Akhtar</p><p class=''><strong>Curatorial Work</strong><br> Mohammad Zeeshan</p><p class=''><strong>Curatorial Work Special Prize</strong><br> Nasreen Askari</p>

The first Nigaah Art Awards were held on August 26 at the Mohatta Palace in Karachi. The brainchild of Tauqeer Muhajir, Editor and Publisher of Nigaah Art magazine, the idea of organising Pakistan’s first awards for the art industry came about in March this year. Muhajir’s vision was to “to celebrate the work of Pakistan’s emerging and established artists across a variety of genres,” and hence the tagline ‘Art can never be judged… it is always honoured and celebrated’.

The jury was chaired by Hameed Haroon (CEO, The Dawn Media Group) and included Amra Ali (art critic, curator and co-founder, Nukta Art magazine), Marjorie Husain (art critic), R.M. Naeem (Assistant Professor NCA, Lahore), Adil Salahuddin (GM, Pakistan Post Foundation and Member Board of Governors, NCA, Lahore), Taimur Ahmed Suri (Assistant Professor, Media Sciences, SZABIST) and Tauqeer Muhajir (Editor, Nigaah magazine).

Gathering the works of different artists for review was one of the biggest challenges for the Awards team. However, Muhajir, an art patron himself, encouraged art galleries across Pakistan to come forward and become a part of this first-of-its-kind initiative to recognise contributions in art. To this end, a gallery meet was organised in July; this generated a buzz in the art community and interest in the event. As a result, entries started pouring in almost immediately not only from Pakistan, but also from expatriate Pakistani artists based in Dubai, Melbourne, Nigeria and Shanghai.

Artists could submit entries in 13 categories including photography, calligraphy, drawing, printmaking, 3D sculptural work, miniature, landscape, portrait, still life, abstract, art critic, curatorial work and emerging painter.

The event attracted art patrons, art gallery owners, painters, sculptors, photographers and art critics. Well-known names from the art and media fraternity that were present included Riffat Alvi, Noor Jehan Bilgrami, Rehana Hakim, Salima Hashmi, Hameed Haroon, Ayesha Tammy Haq, Shehnaz Ismail, Sameera Raja, Farrukh Shahab, A.S. Rind and Rainer Schmiedchen, Counsul General of Germany.

The event included sitar and tabla performances by Shehroz Hussain and Wajahat Ali, Dastaan Goyee, an Urdu narrative by Fawwad Khan, and live painting by artist Farrukh Shahab. An auction of paintings was also conducted, the proceeds of which will be used to provide scholarships to art students and aspiring artists. Two lifetime achievement awards were presented to Salima Hashmi and Marjorie Husain for their outstanding contributions to art in Pakistan. “It was an honour to present this award. The dedication and achievements of Salima Hashmi and Marjorie Husain deserve many more accolades” commented Muhajir.

Muhajir emphasised that this is just the beginning of an amazing art journey. He plans to continue organising Nigaah Art Awards every year, on a much larger and grander scale.

This year, the jury picked 17 winners across 13 categories:

Landscape Painting
Shahid Jalal

Landscape Painting special prize
Sadaf Naeem

Still Life Painting
Shakeel Siddiqui

Abstract Painting
Mohammad Ali Talpur

Miniature Painting
Syed Hussain

Portrait Painting
Irfan Hasan

3D Sculptural Work
Fahim Rao

Drawing Category
Adeel-uz-Zafar

Khatati/Calligraphy
Ghulam Muhammad

Photography
Arif Mahmood

Photography special prize
Jamal Ashiqain

Print Making/Digital prints
Huma Mulji

Print Making/Digital prints special prize
Abdullah M.I. Syed

Emerging Painter
Noor-ul-Huda

Art Critic
Aasim Akhtar

Curatorial Work
Mohammad Zeeshan

Curatorial Work Special Prize
Nasreen Askari

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142358 Tue, 12 Sep 2017 16:05:14 +0500 none@none.com (Uzma Khateeb-Nawaz) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142324/ubl-launches-its-digital-design-lab <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">&quot;We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.”</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>With the aim of incorporating the revolutionary Design Thinking methodology into UBL’s operations, the bank has collaborated with IBM to establish its Digital Design Lab in Pakistan. Design Thinking draws upon logic, imagination, intuition and systemic reasoning to explore possibilities of what could be – and then create desired outcomes that benefit customers. The establishment of the Design Lab last month (it is expected to be operational early next year) in Karachi is one of the several steps that the bank is taking in its digital transformation journey, which started with the establishment of The Innovation Center in early 2016. </p><p class=''>Since then, UBL has been working on strategies to incorporate innovation and creativity into the organisation’s product portfolio. “Design Thinking adds the ‘wow’ factor which increases the appeal of products and services for the customer,” says Muhammad Hamayun Sajjad, Head of Innovation, UBL. </p><p class=''>Initial assessments by the Innovation Center revealed the importance of providing mobile financial services to customers due to the ubiquitous influence of technology in their lifestyle. This meant that in addition to developing efficient and relevant products and services, UBL also had to focus on the quality of the ‘customer experience’. This experiential banking mindset therefore became the bank’s focus. </p><p class=''>According to Sajjad, “it is the micro-moment behaviour – immediately turning to a device to know, go, do and buy – that has developed higher consumer expectations and we realised that creating delightful micro-moments for our consumers through digital would completely transform their banking experience, giving us a definite competitive edge.” That is how the idea of creating the first-of-its-kind Digital Design Lab came about. </p><p class=''>However, there was a realisation that UBL needed a partner for this initiative that had prior experience with and expertise in creating customer-centric digital solutions. “IBM immediately stood out as the most suitable partner since they have already successfully transitioned into a Design Thinking culture,” observed Sajjad. </p><p class=''>Sajjad is optimistic that once the Digital Design Thinking Lab is functional, all of UBL’s current products and services will be modified to provide a highly personalised and engaging customer experience. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_0">&quot;We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.”</h4> <p class=''>— Muhammad Hamayun Sajjad, Head of Innovation, UBL</p><hr> <p class=''>While mostly digital channels, such as blogs, have been used to promote the Digital Design Lab, Sajjad is well aware that not everyone in the country has access to the internet. Hence, event sponsorships, roadshows and activations in universities are being planned to create awareness about the lab, particularly among the youth.</p><p class=''>The greatest challenge that Sajjad foresees in achieving UBL’s digital goals is the lack of a skilled workforce that is equipped with the competencies to implement the Design Thinking process. However, since well-known institutions such as Habib University, the IBA and LUMS have already added Design Thinking degrees and courses to their curriculum, Sajjad hopes that “very soon, UBL will have access to trained and qualified Design Thinking Artists to work at the lab. We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.” </p><p class=''>Going forward, UBL plans on developing partnerships with financial services organisations, Fintechs, the academia and the State Bank to transform Pakistan’s digital landscape through Design Thinking-based financial solutions. </p>

• "We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.”

With the aim of incorporating the revolutionary Design Thinking methodology into UBL’s operations, the bank has collaborated with IBM to establish its Digital Design Lab in Pakistan. Design Thinking draws upon logic, imagination, intuition and systemic reasoning to explore possibilities of what could be – and then create desired outcomes that benefit customers. The establishment of the Design Lab last month (it is expected to be operational early next year) in Karachi is one of the several steps that the bank is taking in its digital transformation journey, which started with the establishment of The Innovation Center in early 2016.

Since then, UBL has been working on strategies to incorporate innovation and creativity into the organisation’s product portfolio. “Design Thinking adds the ‘wow’ factor which increases the appeal of products and services for the customer,” says Muhammad Hamayun Sajjad, Head of Innovation, UBL.

Initial assessments by the Innovation Center revealed the importance of providing mobile financial services to customers due to the ubiquitous influence of technology in their lifestyle. This meant that in addition to developing efficient and relevant products and services, UBL also had to focus on the quality of the ‘customer experience’. This experiential banking mindset therefore became the bank’s focus.

According to Sajjad, “it is the micro-moment behaviour – immediately turning to a device to know, go, do and buy – that has developed higher consumer expectations and we realised that creating delightful micro-moments for our consumers through digital would completely transform their banking experience, giving us a definite competitive edge.” That is how the idea of creating the first-of-its-kind Digital Design Lab came about.

However, there was a realisation that UBL needed a partner for this initiative that had prior experience with and expertise in creating customer-centric digital solutions. “IBM immediately stood out as the most suitable partner since they have already successfully transitioned into a Design Thinking culture,” observed Sajjad.

Sajjad is optimistic that once the Digital Design Thinking Lab is functional, all of UBL’s current products and services will be modified to provide a highly personalised and engaging customer experience.

---

"We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.”

— Muhammad Hamayun Sajjad, Head of Innovation, UBL

---

While mostly digital channels, such as blogs, have been used to promote the Digital Design Lab, Sajjad is well aware that not everyone in the country has access to the internet. Hence, event sponsorships, roadshows and activations in universities are being planned to create awareness about the lab, particularly among the youth.

The greatest challenge that Sajjad foresees in achieving UBL’s digital goals is the lack of a skilled workforce that is equipped with the competencies to implement the Design Thinking process. However, since well-known institutions such as Habib University, the IBA and LUMS have already added Design Thinking degrees and courses to their curriculum, Sajjad hopes that “very soon, UBL will have access to trained and qualified Design Thinking Artists to work at the lab. We take great pride in making contributions to the idea of a Digital Pakistan by changing mindsets, creating new jobs and innovating work cultures.”

Going forward, UBL plans on developing partnerships with financial services organisations, Fintechs, the academia and the State Bank to transform Pakistan’s digital landscape through Design Thinking-based financial solutions.

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142324 Thu, 07 Sep 2017 15:29:48 +0500 none@none.com (Sadia Kamran) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142323/the-digital-landscape-of-pakistan <div style='display: none'></div><p class=''><br></p><script id="infogram_0_52f512f8-d175-4499-9190-ba99d1e6d03d" title="Digital stats of Pakistan - detailed" src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?KRC" type="text/javascript"></script> <p class=''>Read an in-depth coverage of <a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142113/rethinking-digital' >Pakistan&#39;s digital landscape here.</a></p>

Read an in-depth coverage of Pakistan's digital landscape here.

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142323 Thu, 07 Sep 2017 09:55:48 +0500 none@none.com (Aurora) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142300/finding-the-perfect-content-mix <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities.</a> </li> <li> <a href="#toc_1">To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>‘Content is king’ is a notion we have all heard about – over and over again. However, as marketers, how do we create and distribute content? Yes, distribution is as important as creating content, yet this is something many marketers forget to give equal importance to. Here, I will try to focus on both aspects and suggest how best to improve our content game.</p><p class=''>Let’s start off with content creation. There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities. These three sources will help you create content that is suitable for your brand. However, before moving forward, keep your niche in mind.</p><p class=''>Keyword research is the first source of generating ideas for content. Let’s say my blog is entertainment-related and I need ideas. For this, I turn to Google AdWord’s Keyword Research tool and start to look at the keywords for ‘songs’ and the relevant keywords within this category. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_0">There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities.</h4> <hr> <p class=''>This is what my search looks like: ‘songs’ had an average of 823,000 searches per month; ‘Indian songs’ 368,000 searches and ‘Pakistani songs’ 74,000 searches. Of these, the main keyword ‘songs’ was too generic while ‘Pakistani songs’ had a lower search volume. Therefore I decided to go for ‘Indian songs’ as the category for the blog post. Then to make things more exciting and appealing to my audience (based on BuzzFeed’s recommendation of using numbers in posts and the premise that my blog is addressing a primarily Pakistani audience), I selected the title ‘Top five weirdest Indian songs ever’.</p><p class=''><a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141512' ><em>Read: When content meets marketing</em></a> </p><p class=''>‘Trends’ can be another source for creating content. There are three main sources to find out what is ‘in’. One, Twitter Trends; hashtags that tell you what people are talking about. In our market these trends are mostly political, but every once in a while you will find trends that are relevant to your brand. Another source is Google Trends, where you can find out what has been trending based on a specific timeframe. Using Google Trends, I was able to find out that within the past 15 days, OPPO’s new F3 Plus Selfie expert smartphone has been in the news, so I decided to write a piece on the topic and I managed to generate a decent response.</p><p class=''>The last source of generating content ideas is a more speculative approach, which attempts to involve your audience into making decisions for you when it comes to content. For example, if your brand is about food, you can involve the many food groups on Facebook (and in the same way other communities when it comes to other niches). You can start with a discussion and end up with some really good topics and once you create that piece of content, you will have these communities supporting you and sharing it on your behalf.</p><p class=''>The second piece of the puzzle is content distribution. There are four ways to go about this. These include using your friends and family, using advertising, influencers or even ‘cheap thrills’ which uses reward systems. However, you need to make sure that you are not deviating from your niche, otherwise it could be problematic. </p><p class=''>Let’s talk about the notion that almost every marketer has heard about: “Have your people share the content; I’m sure you know a lot of people.” Well I put this notion to the test with an experiment whereby I had 10 people on board (friends and family) with an equal mix of males and females, including housewives, working women and people who were considered social. As a result, I concluded that on average each share resulted in four people visiting my website and viewing the content in detail. So, it is not a bad bargain, but it requires a lot of work.</p><hr> <h4 id="toc_1">To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.</h4> <hr> <p class=''>Advertising is another major tool when it comes to distribution. If you know your audience and what you want them to do – and you have the budget – advertising is right for you. But you need to understand that ‘boosting’ a post doesn’t necessarily mean that it will make people interested in what you are talking about. What it means is that your ad will be seen by people who are more likely to engage with your post – but not necessarily click through it. If you want them to view the content on your website, then a conversion ad on Facebook, optimised for viewing content would give you better results.</p><p class=''>The last two sources are a bit unorthodox but have been used repeatedly by various content creators. One of these falls in the domain of digital PR or ‘word of mouth’; the other is more about ‘cheap thrills’ as per the ‘Like, Share and Win’ contests. You can use the latter once in a blue moon to push your rankings up, but remember that when you do this, you will also activate a host of fake profiles. Digital PR is more solid and having other people talk about you is always a good idea when it comes to boosting your credibility.</p><p class=''>To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.</p>

• There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities.
• To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.

‘Content is king’ is a notion we have all heard about – over and over again. However, as marketers, how do we create and distribute content? Yes, distribution is as important as creating content, yet this is something many marketers forget to give equal importance to. Here, I will try to focus on both aspects and suggest how best to improve our content game.

Let’s start off with content creation. There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities. These three sources will help you create content that is suitable for your brand. However, before moving forward, keep your niche in mind.

Keyword research is the first source of generating ideas for content. Let’s say my blog is entertainment-related and I need ideas. For this, I turn to Google AdWord’s Keyword Research tool and start to look at the keywords for ‘songs’ and the relevant keywords within this category.

---

There are three main sources you can use to create content. They include keyword research, digital trends and building on user-generated content by involving communities.

---

This is what my search looks like: ‘songs’ had an average of 823,000 searches per month; ‘Indian songs’ 368,000 searches and ‘Pakistani songs’ 74,000 searches. Of these, the main keyword ‘songs’ was too generic while ‘Pakistani songs’ had a lower search volume. Therefore I decided to go for ‘Indian songs’ as the category for the blog post. Then to make things more exciting and appealing to my audience (based on BuzzFeed’s recommendation of using numbers in posts and the premise that my blog is addressing a primarily Pakistani audience), I selected the title ‘Top five weirdest Indian songs ever’.

Read: When content meets marketing

‘Trends’ can be another source for creating content. There are three main sources to find out what is ‘in’. One, Twitter Trends; hashtags that tell you what people are talking about. In our market these trends are mostly political, but every once in a while you will find trends that are relevant to your brand. Another source is Google Trends, where you can find out what has been trending based on a specific timeframe. Using Google Trends, I was able to find out that within the past 15 days, OPPO’s new F3 Plus Selfie expert smartphone has been in the news, so I decided to write a piece on the topic and I managed to generate a decent response.

The last source of generating content ideas is a more speculative approach, which attempts to involve your audience into making decisions for you when it comes to content. For example, if your brand is about food, you can involve the many food groups on Facebook (and in the same way other communities when it comes to other niches). You can start with a discussion and end up with some really good topics and once you create that piece of content, you will have these communities supporting you and sharing it on your behalf.

The second piece of the puzzle is content distribution. There are four ways to go about this. These include using your friends and family, using advertising, influencers or even ‘cheap thrills’ which uses reward systems. However, you need to make sure that you are not deviating from your niche, otherwise it could be problematic.

Let’s talk about the notion that almost every marketer has heard about: “Have your people share the content; I’m sure you know a lot of people.” Well I put this notion to the test with an experiment whereby I had 10 people on board (friends and family) with an equal mix of males and females, including housewives, working women and people who were considered social. As a result, I concluded that on average each share resulted in four people visiting my website and viewing the content in detail. So, it is not a bad bargain, but it requires a lot of work.

---

To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.

---

Advertising is another major tool when it comes to distribution. If you know your audience and what you want them to do – and you have the budget – advertising is right for you. But you need to understand that ‘boosting’ a post doesn’t necessarily mean that it will make people interested in what you are talking about. What it means is that your ad will be seen by people who are more likely to engage with your post – but not necessarily click through it. If you want them to view the content on your website, then a conversion ad on Facebook, optimised for viewing content would give you better results.

The last two sources are a bit unorthodox but have been used repeatedly by various content creators. One of these falls in the domain of digital PR or ‘word of mouth’; the other is more about ‘cheap thrills’ as per the ‘Like, Share and Win’ contests. You can use the latter once in a blue moon to push your rankings up, but remember that when you do this, you will also activate a host of fake profiles. Digital PR is more solid and having other people talk about you is always a good idea when it comes to boosting your credibility.

To sum up, there are various sources for content creation and distribution. You just need to find your perfect mix if you really want to make use of the ‘king’ i.e. the content.

]]> Media https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142300 Wed, 30 Aug 2017 13:08:51 +0500 none@none.com (Faizan Riaz) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142113/rethinking-digital <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">&lt;strong&gt;The digital journey&lt;/strong&gt;</a> </li> <li> <a href="#toc_1">&lt;strong&gt;Video is the new king&lt;/strong&gt;</a> <ul> <li> <ul> <li> <a href="#toc_2">40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content.</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <a href="#toc_3">&lt;strong&gt;The future of digital&lt;/strong&gt;</a> <ul> <li> <ul> <li> <a href="#toc_4">Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on.</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>The growth of digital marketing can be gauged from the fact that the Interactive Advertising Bureau reported that in 2016, for the first time ever, digital advertising revenues ($72.5 billion) overtook TV ad spends ($71.3 billion).</p><p class=''>However, the extent to which this global phenomenon has gained traction in Pakistan, if at all, remains a question mark as there are no data centres that track digital ad spends, e-commerce statistics or media consumption trends. Pakistan did not even have digital regulations until the announcement of the Digital Pakistan Policy 2017 in April this year, with the stated objective as being “development of a holistic digital ecosystem for the rapid delivery of next generation digital services, applications and content.” The policy is a welcome initiative, because it is expected to regulate and standardise the entire digital spectrum and further increase the rate of technology adoption in a country with significant untapped potential. </p><p class=''>Of a total population of approximately 194.8 million, there are currently 35.1 million internet users (18% penetration) and 31 million active social media users (16% penetration). More than 40 million people have a smartphone out of whom 39 million use 3G and 4G services; almost 28 million people now access social media from their mobile phones (source: We Are Social and Hootsuite’s <em>Digital in 2017 Global Overview</em>). </p><figure class='media issue1144 sm:w-1/2 w-full media--right media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/primary/2017/07/597568679dfb8.jpg' alt='Illustration by Creative Unit.' /></div> <figcaption class="media__caption ">Illustration by Creative Unit.</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>These statistics indicate that technology is significantly changing lifestyles and customer behaviour. From a marketing standpoint, this raises two pertinent questions. First, are advertisers factoring in this ubiquitous influence of technology to reach out to, engage with, and sell to their target audiences? Second, to what extent is digital marketing understood and implemented locally?</p><p class=''><br></p><h2 id="toc_0"><strong><div style= "color: #9F5F9F; text-align: left;" markdown="1">The digital journey</div></strong></h2> <p class=''>The digital marketing professionals and technology experts to whom <em>Aurora</em> spoke for this story observed that most brands in Pakistan have a myopic view of digital marketing. Even now, they are focused only on maximising awareness and reach by exposing their brand to as many people as possible, usually through social media marketing. Roshan Ejaz, COO, Bramerz, explains that “although creating awareness may be the first step in the customer journey, the ultimate goal is conversion.”</p><p class=''>Unfortunately, most brands clearly lack an understanding of what digital marketing has to offer. Amir Haleem, CEO, KueBall Digital, points out that “for the typical Pakistani client, the goal of a digital strategy is simply to acquire XX number of likes and followers on Facebook and Instagram.” In his opinion, although having thousands of followers on social media is a plus for any brand, it is wrong to use this KPI in isolation to determine how effective a brand’s digital footprint is. For Haleem, what is far more important is taking the customer to the next stage by bringing in engagement and so create opportunities for people to interact with the brand on different platforms so that a relationship develops. </p><p class=''>Telenor’s #ShareYourMeal campaign is a relevant example of a brand using digital to create engagement. The mechanics of this CSR initiative were simple. People were asked to post photos of their <em>sehri</em> or <em>iftar</em> meals on their or Telenor’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account with the hashtag ‘Share Your Meal’. For every photo posted, Telenor donated to a fund used to provide food supplies to underprivileged people during Ramzan.</p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTelenorPk%2Fvideos%2F10155529667969020%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe> <p class=''>Surprisingly, as overused as the term engagement is, one element that is hardly ever talked about is how it can aid in lead generation. When planned correctly, engagement campaigns can help brands collect valuable data about potential customers (leads). A case in point is UBL’s recent digital campaign executed by Digitiz, where the objective was to identify, interact with, and obtain the contact details of potential leads, which the bank’s sales teams could subsequently use to make their pitch. Telenor and UBL achieved engagement to ‘target’ people in the ‘intent’ stage; the intent to help those in need during Ramzan in the case of the former, and the intent to experiment with new banking products in the latter case. </p><p class=''>The lesson for brands here is that if they succeed in making their product or service relevant to their audience at this stage in the customer journey, there is a good chance of achieving conversion; that is inducing ‘engaged people’ to spend. </p><p class=''>This brings us to e-commerce, which although has been a global phenomenon for decades, in Pakistan only in the last few years have brands started to rely on digital technologies to drive online sales (conversion). At one end of the spectrum are brands, particularly in the fashion and FMCG categories, that have set up online stores to make their products more accessible to people living in areas where they do not have physical retail outlets; at the other end are start-ups operating as web-only businesses that sell through their website, Facebook page, a mobile app or all three. Yet others have benefited from showcasing their products on e-tailer portals such as Daraz and Yayvo that enjoy massive volumes of web traffic. </p><p class=''>The emergence of the new business models driven by digital technologies has led to an unprecedented growth in e-commerce and conservative estimates project that the total value of e-commerce in Pakistan will cross the $10 billion mark by 2020. However, there are several challenges facing marketers in optimising conversion and e-commerce in Pakistan, the most crucial of which is the lack of a robust digital infrastructure. Secure and easy-to-use online payment solutions are cited as the main drawback and this is why more than 98% of e-commerce transactions are still based on the cash-on-delivery model. Yet another issue is that user friendliness is not factored in website development; rather than enjoying a seamless user experience while making an online purchase, people stumble through the process of registering, browsing, placing the order and selecting the payment method. The added time and hassle defeat the convenience that e-commerce promises to deliver. What comes through is that as a late adopter of technology, Pakistan is still lagging behind in terms of having the latest technologies that are essential for e-commerce to take off. </p><script id="infogram_0_a1b94716-d3bb-4466-ba96-c4ed4b9df1ca" title="" src="//e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?lDh" type="text/javascript"></script> <figure class='media issue1144 sm:w-3/8 w-full media--right media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/medium/2017/07/5975686ba6dba.jpg' alt='' /></div> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>In the context of conversion and e-commerce, Azam Jalal, COO, Digitz, highlights an important point. A digital agency first has to come up with a Big Idea and then decide how digital can help in the implementation. This not only requires creativity, but also awareness of current technologies and how they can be <em>customised</em> for a specific brand. In this respect, he cites a campaign Digitz developed for Unilever’s Magnum store in Dolmen Mall in Clifton. Despite the brand’s popularity, the store’s location within the mall was so remote that people would opt for ice-creams and candies available at more visible and easily accessible shops. The campaign objective was to increase sales without changing the store location. The Big Idea that Digitz came up with was to place NFC-enabled (a technology that allows portable digital devices such as smartphones to connect and communicate) coasters on tables near the mall’s entrance. All people had to do was to tap their phone against the coaster, select their order on the screen and the ice-cream was delivered to them within minutes. </p><p class=''>The success of this campaign hinged on the technology awareness of the team handling the Magnum account. Jalal points out that “a digital agency needs people who understand how technologies work to execute innovative campaigns for clients. At the moment, lack of skilled and competent resources is a major problem that both brands and agencies are plagued with.” </p><p class=''>The picture is not completely bleak. International players such as Alibaba are all set to enter Pakistan and the State Bank of Pakistan is in talks to implement PayPal payment solutions locally. Such initiatives are expected to strengthen Pakistan’s digital infrastructure considerably. In Jalal’s view, “as new technologies make their way into the local market, they will continue changing media consumption trends and subsequently broaden the scope of digital marketing as well.” </p><h2 id="toc_1"><strong><div style= "color: #9F5F9F; text-align: left;" markdown="1">Video is the new king</div></strong></h2> <p class=''>If ‘content is king’ was the mantra for 2016, then ‘video content’ has ascended the digital throne in 2017. Video content is having its moment and platforms such as Periscope and Facebook Live have made it easy for brands to connect with fans and followers in real-time by streaming live broadcasts. Industry analysts are unanimous in their view that the increased online video viewership is a classic example of digital technology driving customer behaviour change.</p><p class=''>One of the reasons behind the popularity of video are social media platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Within the last 12 months, all three rolled out their ‘Stories’ feature that popularised visual and short-lived visual interactions on mobile. With billions of people hooked on to these platforms, it did not come as a surprise when the Influencer Orchestration Network reported that online video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic. </p><p class=''>Pakistan seems to have caught the video bug as well. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority estimates that 40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content. Several developments have contributed to this. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_2">40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content.</h4> <p class=''>— <em>The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority</em></p><hr> <p class=''>YouTube officially launched in Pakistan in September last year and in almost no time amassed a subscriber base of millions. According to Jalal, this was because people began using the video platform as a substitute for TV. “Even my mother prefers to watch the re-runs of her favourite dramas, reality shows and current affairs programmes on YouTube; it allows her the freedom to choose a time, place and device that suits her.” Jalal’s observation is on point as the top five channels on YouTube in Pakistan currently are Hum TV, ARY Digital, Coke Studio, Samaa TV and Talk Shows Central, a clear indication of the changing media viewership patterns (source: socialbakers, 2017). </p><p class=''>PTCL, recognising this change in media consumption patterns, forayed into the digital domain by bringing Netflix and iflix streaming services to their broadband subscribers. Taking things a step further, in a first, PTCL live streamed the matches of the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy completely ad-free via its Smart TV and Smart TV App. </p><p class=''>With the increasing availability of cheaper smartphones and declining 3G and 4G tariffs, the global trend of TV audiences shifting to digital for their entertainment, sport, news and lifestyle fix will continue in Pakistan, albeit at a much slower rate.</p><p class=''>This raises the question that if most TV content is available online, then are brands not losing out by not advertising on these video platforms? To this, Urooj Hussain, Associate Director Digital, Brainchild Communications Pakistan, says that “brands have to formulate a video strategy for online platforms to ensure incremental reach for their communications.” This does not imply that brands stop advertising on TV. Rather, developing video content customised for the web will help them grab the required eyeballs. Customised being the operative word.</p><p class=''>A common practice employed by most brands is to produce big-budget TV commercials lasting 60 seconds or more and uploading them on digital platforms with the view that this qualifies as successful video advertising. However, Hussain clarifies that “the practice of pushing the 60 second TVC on digital is not going to work.” Her comment is based on the fact that a video view is counted on most video platforms if it has been viewed for six to 10 seconds, after which the ‘skip the ad’ option appears. Therefore, if brands continue with posting long videos that fail to capture audience attention and deliver the message, then even while video views are counted, the content after the initial 10 seconds has more chances of being ‘skipped’ by viewers. </p><p class=''>For an effective digital video strategy then, brands need to create short-form and engaging videos. “The problem,” according to Jalal, “is the availability of skilled resources with the technological and creative abilities to tell the brand story within six seconds. A successful TVC director may not necessarily be able to replicate the same effectiveness on digital and the industry at present, lacks specialised knowledge and production capabilities to create snappy video content with a wow factor.”</p><h2 id="toc_3"><strong><div style= "color: #9F5F9F; text-align: left;" markdown="1">The future of digital</div></strong></h2> <p class=''>The buzz surrounding digital notwithstanding, there is a long way to go before it is allocated its due share of the marketing pie. In terms of ad spends, industry analysts estimate that digital accounts for a mere seven to eight percent of the budgets currently. They also lament the lack of a formal and consistent digital marketing strategy due to which there are fluctuations in digital budgets, depending to a large extent on the whims and views of people at the helm of marketing affairs in organisations. </p><p class=''>Nonetheless, there are promising signs. A host of local start-ups established by young entrepreneurs are tapping into the benefits that digital has to offer. These businesses have dedicated almost 80 to 90% of their marketing budget to digital. “The reason for doing this is because digital offers better buying for the buck when you have limited resources and traditional media is too expensive and crowded. With digital, there are greater chances of a brand or campaign generating more exposure, engagement and recall,” points out Haleem. </p><p class=''>Perhaps more importantly, in the last three years, digital spends for leading international brands such as Coca-Cola, GSK, Nestlé and Pepsi have almost doubled year-on-year. They are now allocating as much as 12 to 15% of their total budget for online marketing, a figure expected to go as far up as 20% by the end of the next year. Given the larger budgets that these brands have, overall digital ad spending in Pakistan will continue its upward trend. </p><p class=''>This shift in the mindset of the big brands is based on two important insights. Firstly, TV has started to lose out as the go-to medium for creating massive and instantaneous impact, given that people are no longer glued to their TV screens for breaking news or entertainment. This is particularly true for Millennials who constitute 40 to 60% of the population in Pakistan and are estimated to spend more than 60% of their waking hours online (source: Toluna, 2017). Therefore, to create impact, brands have no option but to develop a digital video strategy. Secondly, there is growing awareness among media planners that it is extremely difficult to account for spending on TV due to a lack of tracking mechanisms to determine whether a brand’s target audience even saw the TVC. “The advantage of digital campaigns is that there is far more accountability because the number of people reached, as well as those who engaged with a piece of communication is easier to measure,” Hussain explains. What is required therefore is a change in the mindset of brands if they are to implement successful digital strategies. “The objective is no longer to reach the maximum number of people but rather to reach the right people,” added Jalal. </p><p class=''>This is why Ejaz believes that Programmatic Advertising will have a key role to play in digital marketing going forward. Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on. Several digital agencies have acquired the software needed to execute Programmatic ad buying and are in the process of developing the skill set needed to implement it. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_4">Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on.</h4> <hr> <p class=''>Programmatic works on the principle that by collecting customer data from different media, such as local publishers and Google Ad Networks, brands can target audiences on a granular level. “Programmatic helps optimise advertising budgets across digital touch points. It helps collate information about the customer journey, and thereby execute more effective and efficient ad campaigns, while having the option to readjust budgets in real-time, if campaign targets are not met,” says Hussain.</p><p class=''>From this perspective, the hype surrounding Programmatic is justified. Brands are likely to be far more successful if they switch from mass advertising to highly targeted advertising and reach out only to engaged customers, more likely to make a purchase. </p><p class=''>However, the digital resources and skilled people required to make micro-marketing a reality are lacking in Pakistan. Jalal is of the view that the absence of data centres, data scientists and real-time data collection on media usage and consumer behaviour patterns is limiting the implementation of digital technologies such as Programmatic (for more on the unrealised scope of data-driven marketing, read our story <em>Making the Big Data big decision</em> on page 30). What this means is that faster adoption of new technologies and an enabling environment are needed before the full potential of digital can be realised. A case in point is the increasing investment and attention that DOOH advertising is attracting since the ban on billboards by the Supreme Court last year (for more on DOOH trends in Pakistan, read our story <em>Outdoors goes digital</em> on page 10). The more novel aspects of digital marketing, an Augmented Reality (AR) mirror at your favourite cosmetic outlet that allows you to virtually try on blushers for instance, remain a distant reality. </p><p class=''>It has been predicted that the ‘next billion’ people online will be from Pakistan and this represents a huge opportunity for brands. The average Pakistani is tech-savvy and well aware of international digital trends. It is more for the brands to recognise the fact that digital technologies will continue to reshape market dynamics and customer behaviour and they must therefore rethink their marketing and business development strategies to stay relevant in a digitised world.</p><p class=''><em>For feedback, email aurora@dawn.com</em></p>

• <strong>The digital journey</strong>
• <strong>Video is the new king</strong>
  • • 40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content.
• <strong>The future of digital</strong>
  • • Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on.

The growth of digital marketing can be gauged from the fact that the Interactive Advertising Bureau reported that in 2016, for the first time ever, digital advertising revenues ($72.5 billion) overtook TV ad spends ($71.3 billion).

However, the extent to which this global phenomenon has gained traction in Pakistan, if at all, remains a question mark as there are no data centres that track digital ad spends, e-commerce statistics or media consumption trends. Pakistan did not even have digital regulations until the announcement of the Digital Pakistan Policy 2017 in April this year, with the stated objective as being “development of a holistic digital ecosystem for the rapid delivery of next generation digital services, applications and content.” The policy is a welcome initiative, because it is expected to regulate and standardise the entire digital spectrum and further increase the rate of technology adoption in a country with significant untapped potential.

Of a total population of approximately 194.8 million, there are currently 35.1 million internet users (18% penetration) and 31 million active social media users (16% penetration). More than 40 million people have a smartphone out of whom 39 million use 3G and 4G services; almost 28 million people now access social media from their mobile phones (source: We Are Social and Hootsuite’s Digital in 2017 Global Overview).

These statistics indicate that technology is significantly changing lifestyles and customer behaviour. From a marketing standpoint, this raises two pertinent questions. First, are advertisers factoring in this ubiquitous influence of technology to reach out to, engage with, and sell to their target audiences? Second, to what extent is digital marketing understood and implemented locally?

The digital journey

The digital marketing professionals and technology experts to whom Aurora spoke for this story observed that most brands in Pakistan have a myopic view of digital marketing. Even now, they are focused only on maximising awareness and reach by exposing their brand to as many people as possible, usually through social media marketing. Roshan Ejaz, COO, Bramerz, explains that “although creating awareness may be the first step in the customer journey, the ultimate goal is conversion.”

Unfortunately, most brands clearly lack an understanding of what digital marketing has to offer. Amir Haleem, CEO, KueBall Digital, points out that “for the typical Pakistani client, the goal of a digital strategy is simply to acquire XX number of likes and followers on Facebook and Instagram.” In his opinion, although having thousands of followers on social media is a plus for any brand, it is wrong to use this KPI in isolation to determine how effective a brand’s digital footprint is. For Haleem, what is far more important is taking the customer to the next stage by bringing in engagement and so create opportunities for people to interact with the brand on different platforms so that a relationship develops.

Telenor’s #ShareYourMeal campaign is a relevant example of a brand using digital to create engagement. The mechanics of this CSR initiative were simple. People were asked to post photos of their sehri or iftar meals on their or Telenor’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account with the hashtag ‘Share Your Meal’. For every photo posted, Telenor donated to a fund used to provide food supplies to underprivileged people during Ramzan.

Surprisingly, as overused as the term engagement is, one element that is hardly ever talked about is how it can aid in lead generation. When planned correctly, engagement campaigns can help brands collect valuable data about potential customers (leads). A case in point is UBL’s recent digital campaign executed by Digitiz, where the objective was to identify, interact with, and obtain the contact details of potential leads, which the bank’s sales teams could subsequently use to make their pitch. Telenor and UBL achieved engagement to ‘target’ people in the ‘intent’ stage; the intent to help those in need during Ramzan in the case of the former, and the intent to experiment with new banking products in the latter case.

The lesson for brands here is that if they succeed in making their product or service relevant to their audience at this stage in the customer journey, there is a good chance of achieving conversion; that is inducing ‘engaged people’ to spend.

This brings us to e-commerce, which although has been a global phenomenon for decades, in Pakistan only in the last few years have brands started to rely on digital technologies to drive online sales (conversion). At one end of the spectrum are brands, particularly in the fashion and FMCG categories, that have set up online stores to make their products more accessible to people living in areas where they do not have physical retail outlets; at the other end are start-ups operating as web-only businesses that sell through their website, Facebook page, a mobile app or all three. Yet others have benefited from showcasing their products on e-tailer portals such as Daraz and Yayvo that enjoy massive volumes of web traffic.

The emergence of the new business models driven by digital technologies has led to an unprecedented growth in e-commerce and conservative estimates project that the total value of e-commerce in Pakistan will cross the $10 billion mark by 2020. However, there are several challenges facing marketers in optimising conversion and e-commerce in Pakistan, the most crucial of which is the lack of a robust digital infrastructure. Secure and easy-to-use online payment solutions are cited as the main drawback and this is why more than 98% of e-commerce transactions are still based on the cash-on-delivery model. Yet another issue is that user friendliness is not factored in website development; rather than enjoying a seamless user experience while making an online purchase, people stumble through the process of registering, browsing, placing the order and selecting the payment method. The added time and hassle defeat the convenience that e-commerce promises to deliver. What comes through is that as a late adopter of technology, Pakistan is still lagging behind in terms of having the latest technologies that are essential for e-commerce to take off.

In the context of conversion and e-commerce, Azam Jalal, COO, Digitz, highlights an important point. A digital agency first has to come up with a Big Idea and then decide how digital can help in the implementation. This not only requires creativity, but also awareness of current technologies and how they can be customised for a specific brand. In this respect, he cites a campaign Digitz developed for Unilever’s Magnum store in Dolmen Mall in Clifton. Despite the brand’s popularity, the store’s location within the mall was so remote that people would opt for ice-creams and candies available at more visible and easily accessible shops. The campaign objective was to increase sales without changing the store location. The Big Idea that Digitz came up with was to place NFC-enabled (a technology that allows portable digital devices such as smartphones to connect and communicate) coasters on tables near the mall’s entrance. All people had to do was to tap their phone against the coaster, select their order on the screen and the ice-cream was delivered to them within minutes.

The success of this campaign hinged on the technology awareness of the team handling the Magnum account. Jalal points out that “a digital agency needs people who understand how technologies work to execute innovative campaigns for clients. At the moment, lack of skilled and competent resources is a major problem that both brands and agencies are plagued with.”

The picture is not completely bleak. International players such as Alibaba are all set to enter Pakistan and the State Bank of Pakistan is in talks to implement PayPal payment solutions locally. Such initiatives are expected to strengthen Pakistan’s digital infrastructure considerably. In Jalal’s view, “as new technologies make their way into the local market, they will continue changing media consumption trends and subsequently broaden the scope of digital marketing as well.”

Video is the new king

If ‘content is king’ was the mantra for 2016, then ‘video content’ has ascended the digital throne in 2017. Video content is having its moment and platforms such as Periscope and Facebook Live have made it easy for brands to connect with fans and followers in real-time by streaming live broadcasts. Industry analysts are unanimous in their view that the increased online video viewership is a classic example of digital technology driving customer behaviour change.

One of the reasons behind the popularity of video are social media platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Within the last 12 months, all three rolled out their ‘Stories’ feature that popularised visual and short-lived visual interactions on mobile. With billions of people hooked on to these platforms, it did not come as a surprise when the Influencer Orchestration Network reported that online video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic.

Pakistan seems to have caught the video bug as well. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority estimates that 40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content. Several developments have contributed to this.

---

40% of all data is used for video uploads, streaming and sharing, while 55% of mobile internet users watch online video content.

— The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority

---

YouTube officially launched in Pakistan in September last year and in almost no time amassed a subscriber base of millions. According to Jalal, this was because people began using the video platform as a substitute for TV. “Even my mother prefers to watch the re-runs of her favourite dramas, reality shows and current affairs programmes on YouTube; it allows her the freedom to choose a time, place and device that suits her.” Jalal’s observation is on point as the top five channels on YouTube in Pakistan currently are Hum TV, ARY Digital, Coke Studio, Samaa TV and Talk Shows Central, a clear indication of the changing media viewership patterns (source: socialbakers, 2017).

PTCL, recognising this change in media consumption patterns, forayed into the digital domain by bringing Netflix and iflix streaming services to their broadband subscribers. Taking things a step further, in a first, PTCL live streamed the matches of the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy completely ad-free via its Smart TV and Smart TV App.

With the increasing availability of cheaper smartphones and declining 3G and 4G tariffs, the global trend of TV audiences shifting to digital for their entertainment, sport, news and lifestyle fix will continue in Pakistan, albeit at a much slower rate.

This raises the question that if most TV content is available online, then are brands not losing out by not advertising on these video platforms? To this, Urooj Hussain, Associate Director Digital, Brainchild Communications Pakistan, says that “brands have to formulate a video strategy for online platforms to ensure incremental reach for their communications.” This does not imply that brands stop advertising on TV. Rather, developing video content customised for the web will help them grab the required eyeballs. Customised being the operative word.

A common practice employed by most brands is to produce big-budget TV commercials lasting 60 seconds or more and uploading them on digital platforms with the view that this qualifies as successful video advertising. However, Hussain clarifies that “the practice of pushing the 60 second TVC on digital is not going to work.” Her comment is based on the fact that a video view is counted on most video platforms if it has been viewed for six to 10 seconds, after which the ‘skip the ad’ option appears. Therefore, if brands continue with posting long videos that fail to capture audience attention and deliver the message, then even while video views are counted, the content after the initial 10 seconds has more chances of being ‘skipped’ by viewers.

For an effective digital video strategy then, brands need to create short-form and engaging videos. “The problem,” according to Jalal, “is the availability of skilled resources with the technological and creative abilities to tell the brand story within six seconds. A successful TVC director may not necessarily be able to replicate the same effectiveness on digital and the industry at present, lacks specialised knowledge and production capabilities to create snappy video content with a wow factor.”

The future of digital

The buzz surrounding digital notwithstanding, there is a long way to go before it is allocated its due share of the marketing pie. In terms of ad spends, industry analysts estimate that digital accounts for a mere seven to eight percent of the budgets currently. They also lament the lack of a formal and consistent digital marketing strategy due to which there are fluctuations in digital budgets, depending to a large extent on the whims and views of people at the helm of marketing affairs in organisations.

Nonetheless, there are promising signs. A host of local start-ups established by young entrepreneurs are tapping into the benefits that digital has to offer. These businesses have dedicated almost 80 to 90% of their marketing budget to digital. “The reason for doing this is because digital offers better buying for the buck when you have limited resources and traditional media is too expensive and crowded. With digital, there are greater chances of a brand or campaign generating more exposure, engagement and recall,” points out Haleem.

Perhaps more importantly, in the last three years, digital spends for leading international brands such as Coca-Cola, GSK, Nestlé and Pepsi have almost doubled year-on-year. They are now allocating as much as 12 to 15% of their total budget for online marketing, a figure expected to go as far up as 20% by the end of the next year. Given the larger budgets that these brands have, overall digital ad spending in Pakistan will continue its upward trend.

This shift in the mindset of the big brands is based on two important insights. Firstly, TV has started to lose out as the go-to medium for creating massive and instantaneous impact, given that people are no longer glued to their TV screens for breaking news or entertainment. This is particularly true for Millennials who constitute 40 to 60% of the population in Pakistan and are estimated to spend more than 60% of their waking hours online (source: Toluna, 2017). Therefore, to create impact, brands have no option but to develop a digital video strategy. Secondly, there is growing awareness among media planners that it is extremely difficult to account for spending on TV due to a lack of tracking mechanisms to determine whether a brand’s target audience even saw the TVC. “The advantage of digital campaigns is that there is far more accountability because the number of people reached, as well as those who engaged with a piece of communication is easier to measure,” Hussain explains. What is required therefore is a change in the mindset of brands if they are to implement successful digital strategies. “The objective is no longer to reach the maximum number of people but rather to reach the right people,” added Jalal.

This is why Ejaz believes that Programmatic Advertising will have a key role to play in digital marketing going forward. Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on. Several digital agencies have acquired the software needed to execute Programmatic ad buying and are in the process of developing the skill set needed to implement it.

---

Globally, almost 50% of all ad dollars spent are channelled through Programmatic, although in Pakistan this digital phenomenon is yet to catch on.

---

Programmatic works on the principle that by collecting customer data from different media, such as local publishers and Google Ad Networks, brands can target audiences on a granular level. “Programmatic helps optimise advertising budgets across digital touch points. It helps collate information about the customer journey, and thereby execute more effective and efficient ad campaigns, while having the option to readjust budgets in real-time, if campaign targets are not met,” says Hussain.

From this perspective, the hype surrounding Programmatic is justified. Brands are likely to be far more successful if they switch from mass advertising to highly targeted advertising and reach out only to engaged customers, more likely to make a purchase.

However, the digital resources and skilled people required to make micro-marketing a reality are lacking in Pakistan. Jalal is of the view that the absence of data centres, data scientists and real-time data collection on media usage and consumer behaviour patterns is limiting the implementation of digital technologies such as Programmatic (for more on the unrealised scope of data-driven marketing, read our story Making the Big Data big decision on page 30). What this means is that faster adoption of new technologies and an enabling environment are needed before the full potential of digital can be realised. A case in point is the increasing investment and attention that DOOH advertising is attracting since the ban on billboards by the Supreme Court last year (for more on DOOH trends in Pakistan, read our story Outdoors goes digital on page 10). The more novel aspects of digital marketing, an Augmented Reality (AR) mirror at your favourite cosmetic outlet that allows you to virtually try on blushers for instance, remain a distant reality.

It has been predicted that the ‘next billion’ people online will be from Pakistan and this represents a huge opportunity for brands. The average Pakistani is tech-savvy and well aware of international digital trends. It is more for the brands to recognise the fact that digital technologies will continue to reshape market dynamics and customer behaviour and they must therefore rethink their marketing and business development strategies to stay relevant in a digitised world.

For feedback, email aurora@dawn.com

]]> Media https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142113 Wed, 06 Sep 2017 16:39:54 +0500 none@none.com (Ayesha Shaikh) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142299/princess-diana-a-hapless-victim-or-savvy-manipulator <p>I was shaken awake on the morning of September 1, 1997 by my cousin: “Wake up! Lady Diana has died!” </p> <p>In shock, I remember turning on the (CRT) TV to CNN. Indeed, Di, as she was affectionately known, had not just ‘died’; she had tragically perished in a road accident in Paris. It was ugly, sudden and gruesome. Predictably, an outpouring of grief and anger followed the world over. People found a new reason to hate the British royals. Flowers were laid. Elton John appropriated one of his songs for the funeral. The cost of being a celebrity and the menace of paparazzi came into renewed focus.</p> <p>Like a supernova, the incident is still sending waves across space and time. British royalty has never fully recovered; personal details of Diana’s life still surface and cause ripples; celebrities are now often seen as (and become) victims of the press and the internet. </p> <p>Although her love life and marriage may have been rocky at best, her affair with the media was rewarding and mutually respectful. Diana created her own mythology, a monster of adoration and desperation that tragically ended up taking her life. </p> <p>“Not since Jackie Kennedy’s masterful post-assassination theatre – from deplaning in her blood-spattered pink Chanel to staging her husband’s funeral [...] had a post-modern public figure so assiduously crafted her own narrative,” writes Maureen Callahan for the <em>New York Post</em>. </p> <p>Diana’s fairytale romance with the media began in 1981 when her grand wedding was televised the world over; people were completely caught up in the royal storybook ambience, and Princess Di conquered our hearts in one fell swoop. After the birth of Prince William in 1982, Di suffered postpartum depression and according to her, she did not receive due care and attention, which made the problem worse. Then Prince Harry arrived in 1984. Diana kept her children close to her, choosing their first names and largely keeping them away from royal trappings, no doubt raising some privileged eyebrows. Unfortunately, the Princess’ marriage was failing and in December 1992, the couple’s separation was announced. The divorce was finalised in 1996.</p> <figure class='media six-tenths palm--one-whole media--center '> <div class='media__item '><img src="https://i.dawn.com/medium/2017/08/59a529908a7e3.jpg" alt="" /></div> </figure> <p> </p> <p>In the form of an uneasy relationship with her in-laws and an estranged husband, Diana had been handed a ‘bucket of lemons’ by life. She opened a lemonade stand and had the press and general public hooked. Di continuously portrayed herself as helpless, and above all, clumsy – a quality which people found even more endearing. </p> <p>She had a portrait of her taken in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992 – a sad and lonely figure, 'Forrest Gump'-like, on the bench. The picture made the rounds around the world and complemented her branding. Just one small catch: Prince Charles was on the trip with her. </p> <figure class='media issue1144 sm:w-1/2 w-full media--center media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item '><img src="https://i.dawn.com/medium/2017/08/59a52941eff9e.jpg" alt="" /></div> </figure> <p> </p> <p>'Diana, driven to five suicide bids by ‘uncaring’ Charles,' read the headline of the UK’s <em>Sunday Times</em> on July 7, 1992. 'Marriage collapse led to illness; Princess says she will not be Queen.' Given stringent UK libel laws, and the power that the monarchy exert over the British press, these headlines had to be coming from inside the house. </p> <p>The same year, <em>Diana: Her True Story</em>, a book by journalist Andrew Morton, was published. Morton asserts that although Di was cagey about whether she was behind the book, it was her, all the way. </p> <p>She was careful to have herself photographed whilst discharging her motherly duties towards her sons. She appeared a hapless victim, resilient and defiant enough to protect her kids from it all while facing all the adversity herself. </p> <p>It was a no-win situation for Charles and the royal family. When Charles finally sat down to relate his version of events in a high-profile interview, Princess Diana appeared that night in a cocktail dress at a party that lent her an otherworldly beauty, doing no favours to Camilla and rendering Charles’ hankering for her inexplicable. She also pushed him to the bottom of the page. Nothing the royals would say would ever have a semblance of credibility with the general public. That remains true to this day. </p> <p>We all remember her 1995 televised interview with Martin Bashir. Some readers may be offended by it, but I would still say the interview is a master class in public image management. Her posture, with her face and body turned slightly away from the camera, brought out the ethereal beauty that still captivates billions around the world. That posture also allowed her to bow her head slightly – photographers know that is the most flattering angle for a portrait. But there was a third outcome of that posture, the most devastatingly effective: it allowed Diana to cast her eyes down during the interview and raise them to the audience at opportune moments, cementing her emotional turmoil and pushing our buttons at the right time. </p> <figure class='media issue1144 w-full media--stretch media--embed '> <div class='media__item media__item--youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zlxs_JG1dDA?enablejsapi=1&showinfo=0&rel=0' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div> </figure> <p> </p> <p>Please don’t get me wrong. All I am saying is that she put her situation to good use. Following her divorce, Di reinvented her persona as a social worker focused on humanitarian causes. She was careful not to fall into the trap of hanging out with Hollywood personalities and their shallow, often self-serving initiatives. She was eager to be seen with real humanitarians like Mother Teresa. While visiting hospitals, old homes and charities was part of her royal duty, the Princess had developed an intense interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and leprosy. In recognition of her effect as a philanthropist, Stephen Lee, director of the UK Institute of Fundraising, said: "Her overall effect on charity is probably more significant than any other person’s in the 20th century."</p> <p>Princess Diana was and is an enigma if seen through a royal lens. In fact, in retrospect, Princess Diana was no hapless beauty swept off her feet by an unfaithful beast; she was part of British aristocracy and was in perfect knowledge of Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, which makes her less of a sacrificial lamb and more a calculating individual who was in charge of her own destiny. She painted herself as the people’s champion in a stuffy and elitist house; all the while careful in distancing herself from any blame in the collapse of her marriage. </p> <p>Shocking, right? We, her fans, the royal family – none of us want to see her for what she was: a clever and self-reliant individual, who also happened to be a celebrity. </p> <p>Yes, she manipulated her image. Yes, she was headstrong and often too clever for her own good. But in the end, Princess Diana proved herself to be a dedicated mother and a kind human being, using her universal appeal to drive her charitable work. </p> I was shaken awake on the morning of September 1, 1997 by my cousin: “Wake up! Lady Diana has died!”

In shock, I remember turning on the (CRT) TV to CNN. Indeed, Di, as she was affectionately known, had not just ‘died’; she had tragically perished in a road accident in Paris. It was ugly, sudden and gruesome. Predictably, an outpouring of grief and anger followed the world over. People found a new reason to hate the British royals. Flowers were laid. Elton John appropriated one of his songs for the funeral. The cost of being a celebrity and the menace of paparazzi came into renewed focus.

Like a supernova, the incident is still sending waves across space and time. British royalty has never fully recovered; personal details of Diana’s life still surface and cause ripples; celebrities are now often seen as (and become) victims of the press and the internet.

Although her love life and marriage may have been rocky at best, her affair with the media was rewarding and mutually respectful. Diana created her own mythology, a monster of adoration and desperation that tragically ended up taking her life.

“Not since Jackie Kennedy’s masterful post-assassination theatre – from deplaning in her blood-spattered pink Chanel to staging her husband’s funeral [...] had a post-modern public figure so assiduously crafted her own narrative,” writes Maureen Callahan for the New York Post.

Diana’s fairytale romance with the media began in 1981 when her grand wedding was televised the world over; people were completely caught up in the royal storybook ambience, and Princess Di conquered our hearts in one fell swoop. After the birth of Prince William in 1982, Di suffered postpartum depression and according to her, she did not receive due care and attention, which made the problem worse. Then Prince Harry arrived in 1984. Diana kept her children close to her, choosing their first names and largely keeping them away from royal trappings, no doubt raising some privileged eyebrows. Unfortunately, the Princess’ marriage was failing and in December 1992, the couple’s separation was announced. The divorce was finalised in 1996.

In the form of an uneasy relationship with her in-laws and an estranged husband, Diana had been handed a ‘bucket of lemons’ by life. She opened a lemonade stand and had the press and general public hooked. Di continuously portrayed herself as helpless, and above all, clumsy – a quality which people found even more endearing.

She had a portrait of her taken in front of the Taj Mahal in 1992 – a sad and lonely figure, 'Forrest Gump'-like, on the bench. The picture made the rounds around the world and complemented her branding. Just one small catch: Prince Charles was on the trip with her.

'Diana, driven to five suicide bids by ‘uncaring’ Charles,' read the headline of the UK’s Sunday Times on July 7, 1992. 'Marriage collapse led to illness; Princess says she will not be Queen.' Given stringent UK libel laws, and the power that the monarchy exert over the British press, these headlines had to be coming from inside the house.

The same year, Diana: Her True Story, a book by journalist Andrew Morton, was published. Morton asserts that although Di was cagey about whether she was behind the book, it was her, all the way.

She was careful to have herself photographed whilst discharging her motherly duties towards her sons. She appeared a hapless victim, resilient and defiant enough to protect her kids from it all while facing all the adversity herself.

It was a no-win situation for Charles and the royal family. When Charles finally sat down to relate his version of events in a high-profile interview, Princess Diana appeared that night in a cocktail dress at a party that lent her an otherworldly beauty, doing no favours to Camilla and rendering Charles’ hankering for her inexplicable. She also pushed him to the bottom of the page. Nothing the royals would say would ever have a semblance of credibility with the general public. That remains true to this day.

We all remember her 1995 televised interview with Martin Bashir. Some readers may be offended by it, but I would still say the interview is a master class in public image management. Her posture, with her face and body turned slightly away from the camera, brought out the ethereal beauty that still captivates billions around the world. That posture also allowed her to bow her head slightly – photographers know that is the most flattering angle for a portrait. But there was a third outcome of that posture, the most devastatingly effective: it allowed Diana to cast her eyes down during the interview and raise them to the audience at opportune moments, cementing her emotional turmoil and pushing our buttons at the right time.

Please don’t get me wrong. All I am saying is that she put her situation to good use. Following her divorce, Di reinvented her persona as a social worker focused on humanitarian causes. She was careful not to fall into the trap of hanging out with Hollywood personalities and their shallow, often self-serving initiatives. She was eager to be seen with real humanitarians like Mother Teresa. While visiting hospitals, old homes and charities was part of her royal duty, the Princess had developed an intense interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and leprosy. In recognition of her effect as a philanthropist, Stephen Lee, director of the UK Institute of Fundraising, said: "Her overall effect on charity is probably more significant than any other person’s in the 20th century."

Princess Diana was and is an enigma if seen through a royal lens. In fact, in retrospect, Princess Diana was no hapless beauty swept off her feet by an unfaithful beast; she was part of British aristocracy and was in perfect knowledge of Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, which makes her less of a sacrificial lamb and more a calculating individual who was in charge of her own destiny. She painted herself as the people’s champion in a stuffy and elitist house; all the while careful in distancing herself from any blame in the collapse of her marriage.

Shocking, right? We, her fans, the royal family – none of us want to see her for what she was: a clever and self-reliant individual, who also happened to be a celebrity.

Yes, she manipulated her image. Yes, she was headstrong and often too clever for her own good. But in the end, Princess Diana proved herself to be a dedicated mother and a kind human being, using her universal appeal to drive her charitable work.

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142299 Fri, 31 Aug 2018 12:46:28 +0500 none@none.com (Talha bin Hamid) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142298/of-political-puns-and-social-commentary <div style='display: none'></div><p class=''>With brands like Starbucks and Airbnb explicitly stating their political inclinations, marketers are beginning to wonder whether morality and political consciousness is the new cool. </p><p class=''>With political culture becoming more polarised by the day, ‘marketers are facing up to new, unchartered territories and reputational risks,’ says <em>Campaign Live</em>. Early this year, a number of brands took a stance about Trump’s immigration ban. Although Starbucks’ protest against the immigration ban got strong mixed views, brands like Airbnb and Lyft experienced a brand boost for their strong stance on the ban. </p><p class=''>A quick look at the statistics suggests that although people do not appreciate brands taking up political positions, the act itself doesn’t make a significant dent on the sales. </p><p class=''>While mum is the word on politics for FMCG top dogs such as Glaxo-Smith Kline, P&amp;G, Reckitt Benkiser, Unilever and smaller brands can afford to sprinkle a political pun here and there to spice things up.</p><p class=''>Established brands (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Panadol, Sunsilk to name a few) have a legacy to maintain and therefore steer clear from making bold or even covert political statements in their advertising. Although they may be involved in a tug of turfs behind the curtains (Levi’s withdrawing financial support to the Boy Scouts of America in 1992 because of their stance on homosexuality and Pepsi pulling out of South Africa in 1985 subsequent to pressure from the anti-apartheid movement), advertising overall stays clear of political statements. </p><p class=''><em><a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142225/social-media-the-double-edged-sword' >Read: Social Media – The double-edged sword.</a></em></p><p class=''>Even in Pakistan, multinational companies have kept their lips sealed in the wake of the Panama Gate scandal. However, thankfully brands like Espresso and Sukoon decided to win a few hearts with their tongue-in-cheek commentary of the political landscape. With Espresso posting ‘Shahbaz was burning’ and ‘There’s a new Sharif in town’ and Sukoon posting ‘Leaks are embarrassing. Get them fixed by a plumber with Sukoon’ – we are convinced that local brands just wanna have pun! </p><figure class='media issue1144 sm:w-3/8 w-full media--right media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/medium/2017/08/59a1108581065.jpg' alt='' /></div> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>While politics is perhaps a maybe-maybe not territory, more and more brands are getting on the social commentary bandwagon. Femvertising is virality gold these days as is socially responsible advertising. Brands like <a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141665' >Ariel with ‘#ShareTheLoad</a>, Gul Ahmed with <a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1141877/' >‘#MeinPerfectHoon</a>’, Leisure Club with <a href='https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142030' >‘People of Pakistan’</a> and Interwood with their rather unapologetic espousal of the Rishta Aunty frenzy initiated by Careem are some examples of brands dabbling in the pool of social commentary and gender dynamics. The response to most of these campaigns has been positive with a generous serving of appreciation for taking a stand and voicing an opinion through an official channel. </p><p class=''>However, most brands in Pakistan have been dragging their feet when it comes to social or political commentary in their advertising. While backlash internationally falls under the clicktivism category, the backlash in Pakistan on issues one dares not discuss is much more powerful, so that while brands in the West are moving towards expressing their viewpoints more explicitly, only a few local brands have managed to reflect political and social awareness in their ads. </p><figure class='media issue1144 w-full media--stretch media--embed '> <div class='media__item media__item--youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jGlHRDzgJ4U?enablejsapi=1&showinfo=0&rel=0' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''>Studies suggest that a company that states a political viewpoint hardly leads to a dip in sales or a dent in the brand image. Success stories like Starbucks, Airbnb prove that international audiences are accepting the political undercurrent in the world of marketing and to some extent also expect brands to tell them on which side of the argument they are. While it may take a few years, Pakistani clients too, seem to be warming up to the idea of social critique and political humour. Whether it be the politics of genders, communities or of class, we as a nation already seem to be on our way to advertising with a soul. It will just take one big brand to break the mould and the rest will follow (or rather flood in)!</p><p class=''><em>Taniya Hasan is Head of Content, Digitz.</em> </p>

With brands like Starbucks and Airbnb explicitly stating their political inclinations, marketers are beginning to wonder whether morality and political consciousness is the new cool.

With political culture becoming more polarised by the day, ‘marketers are facing up to new, unchartered territories and reputational risks,’ says Campaign Live. Early this year, a number of brands took a stance about Trump’s immigration ban. Although Starbucks’ protest against the immigration ban got strong mixed views, brands like Airbnb and Lyft experienced a brand boost for their strong stance on the ban.

A quick look at the statistics suggests that although people do not appreciate brands taking up political positions, the act itself doesn’t make a significant dent on the sales.

While mum is the word on politics for FMCG top dogs such as Glaxo-Smith Kline, P&G, Reckitt Benkiser, Unilever and smaller brands can afford to sprinkle a political pun here and there to spice things up.

Established brands (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Panadol, Sunsilk to name a few) have a legacy to maintain and therefore steer clear from making bold or even covert political statements in their advertising. Although they may be involved in a tug of turfs behind the curtains (Levi’s withdrawing financial support to the Boy Scouts of America in 1992 because of their stance on homosexuality and Pepsi pulling out of South Africa in 1985 subsequent to pressure from the anti-apartheid movement), advertising overall stays clear of political statements.

Read: Social Media – The double-edged sword.

Even in Pakistan, multinational companies have kept their lips sealed in the wake of the Panama Gate scandal. However, thankfully brands like Espresso and Sukoon decided to win a few hearts with their tongue-in-cheek commentary of the political landscape. With Espresso posting ‘Shahbaz was burning’ and ‘There’s a new Sharif in town’ and Sukoon posting ‘Leaks are embarrassing. Get them fixed by a plumber with Sukoon’ – we are convinced that local brands just wanna have pun!

While politics is perhaps a maybe-maybe not territory, more and more brands are getting on the social commentary bandwagon. Femvertising is virality gold these days as is socially responsible advertising. Brands like Ariel with ‘#ShareTheLoad, Gul Ahmed with ‘#MeinPerfectHoon’, Leisure Club with ‘People of Pakistan’ and Interwood with their rather unapologetic espousal of the Rishta Aunty frenzy initiated by Careem are some examples of brands dabbling in the pool of social commentary and gender dynamics. The response to most of these campaigns has been positive with a generous serving of appreciation for taking a stand and voicing an opinion through an official channel.

However, most brands in Pakistan have been dragging their feet when it comes to social or political commentary in their advertising. While backlash internationally falls under the clicktivism category, the backlash in Pakistan on issues one dares not discuss is much more powerful, so that while brands in the West are moving towards expressing their viewpoints more explicitly, only a few local brands have managed to reflect political and social awareness in their ads.

Studies suggest that a company that states a political viewpoint hardly leads to a dip in sales or a dent in the brand image. Success stories like Starbucks, Airbnb prove that international audiences are accepting the political undercurrent in the world of marketing and to some extent also expect brands to tell them on which side of the argument they are. While it may take a few years, Pakistani clients too, seem to be warming up to the idea of social critique and political humour. Whether it be the politics of genders, communities or of class, we as a nation already seem to be on our way to advertising with a soul. It will just take one big brand to break the mould and the rest will follow (or rather flood in)!

Taniya Hasan is Head of Content, Digitz.

]]> Recent https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142298 Sat, 26 Aug 2017 12:50:26 +0500 none@none.com (Taniya Hasan) https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142116/outdoors-goes-digital <div style='display: none'><ul class="story__toc" style="display: none"> <li> <a href="#toc_0">DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors.</a> </li> </ul> </div><p class=''>Dubai, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai – and then some – all these metros are considered to be iconic and a good representation of state-of-the-art cities. The many commonalities found in these cities include those bright and often mesmerising digital out-of-home (DOOH) displays. In this age of disruptive innovation, DOOH is not only a key communication platform, it is also a symbol of development and success. Pakistan too, is embarking on this media trend. </p><p class=''>Traditionally, OOH was seen as a support medium to the brand communication on TV. This has changed and OOH has gone beyond being visually interesting to becoming an interactive and engaging medium. According to research by Magna Global, DOOH is 400% more effective in delivering the message compared to traditional OOH and 72% more exciting than TV. Clearly, the entire value chain of brand, media, consumer and environment is evolving and the old communication methods of one-size-fits-all with TV driving the value chain, may not be relevant anymore. </p><p class=''>Most people spend 70% of their waking lives outside their homes and connected to their smartphone. As media specialists, our job is to find meaningful ways of connecting with these consumers on the go. In my opinion, even conventional research questions related to media consumption need to change to keep pace with new technologies and consumer habits. According to research undertaken by BrandScience, over 50% of consumers believe direct interaction through OOH screens have a huge potential for shopping, and 70% appreciate the convenience of these screens. </p><p class=''>Recently, I visited a Sephora store in Dubai and although I did not register for updates, trust me, they stalked me on my Facebook and Google pages for two weeks after that visit. My store visit was tracked from the mall WiFi indicating my interest and hence the bombardment of offers online!</p><p class=''>Similarly, the technology exists to gather data on consumer media and buying choices and then use it effectively on DOOH. Research done by Kinetic has shown that consumers expect to receive personalised communication that is relevant to what they are doing. For brands, maximum Return On Investment (ROI) is possible only when consumers buy the product or service via a digital screen or their smartphone; in other words, when contextually relevant advertising drives them to make the purchase for instant gratification. </p><p class=''>Although this kind of result may be far off for Pakistani consumers, wherever there is value and convenience, consumers are quick to adapt. Historically, Pakistan has leapfrogged with respect to adopting new technologies, although, it must be said that Pakistan’s media industry in general, as well as brands tend to be reluctant in embracing change despite the opportunities that exist for any brand brave enough to adopt these digital trends. </p><hr> <h4 id="toc_0">DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors.</h4> <hr> <p class=''>We have also observed that consumers in different geographical locations have different lifestyles and media consumption habits and here DOOH becomes even more relevant when it comes to targeting culturally-different audiences. Apart from location, context is another factor that makes a communication more engaging and relevant. Context is defined as weather conditions, time, culture or the current trending topic in the area. Furthermore, the brand challenges are different in different regions – hence the need for localised communication solutions. With DOOH, it is possible to create bespoke communication campaigns that are both targeted and cost-effective. </p><p class=''>Given the recent installation of DOOH screens in Lahore and Karachi, with other cities expected to follow, this may be the appropriate time to evaluate the effectiveness of DOOH for the key stakeholders in Pakistan’s media industry.</p><p class=''><strong>Brands</strong><br> DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors. To maximise ROI, advertisers need to provide in-depth and clear briefs to their media agencies with respect to the business challenges and the goals they want to achieve. Most importantly, content for DOOH cannot be the same as what is aired on the TVC; it has to be tailored according to the size and location of the DOOH. Regular in-depth research should be commissioned to gain a superior understanding of how consumers interact with the digital world.</p><figure class='media issue1144 w-full media--stretch media--uneven media--stretch'> <div class='media__item '><img src='https://i.dawn.com/primary/2017/07/597804981e780.jpg' alt='' /></div> </figure> <p> </p><p class=''><strong>Media agencies</strong><br> Brands must adopt a more collaborative approach with their media agencies to achieve what Sir Martin Sorell describes as ‘horizontal’ solutions. Different media have different efficacies and each one needs to be leveraged based on the objective to be achieved. The thought process must begin with the brand challenge and then move to the medium rather than the other way around. To maximise ROI, the communication solution must be neutral. If, for example, a brand is targeting an audience of 14 to 24 year-olds, wastage can be avoided by targeting OOH and DOOH assets located near colleges and places where young people hangout. Handholding consumers from one media to the other until the moment of truth is only possible via collaboration across the media, from electronic, digital and OOH – as well as creative.</p><p class=''><strong>Government authorities</strong><br> The relevant government authorities need to be exposed to global DOOH trends and understand how they contribute not only to the financial development of cities, but to the aesthetics and experience of a city. Policies need to be developed to ensure this medium is safe. Soon, Lahore will have digital pole signs on multiple roads, and it is important to understand that a medium that is engaging on M.M. Alam Road, where the traffic is slow, may not provide the same experience on roads with fast moving traffic. DOOH comes in a wide range of sizes, features and designs and permission must be provided accordingly.</p><p class=''><strong>The media</strong><br> DOOH is an expensive investment compared to regular billboards. Until last year, there was reluctance among media owners to invest in DOOH. This is changing and media owners are investing; however, DOOH media owners need to enhance their understanding of the possibilities the medium holds – and this requires investment in HR because like with other media, the investment must be based on due diligence. Questions about which brands are best suited to using a DOOH platform are even more relevant as clients demand more structured, rationalised and transparent media solutions. </p><p class=''>Finally, all stakeholders must understand that consumers want a seamless advertising connection; they do not necessarily dislike advertising, but they want it to be contextually relevant, authentic, engaging and purposeful.</p><p class=''><em>Ahsan Sheikh is CEO, Kinetic.</em></p>

• DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors.

Dubai, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai – and then some – all these metros are considered to be iconic and a good representation of state-of-the-art cities. The many commonalities found in these cities include those bright and often mesmerising digital out-of-home (DOOH) displays. In this age of disruptive innovation, DOOH is not only a key communication platform, it is also a symbol of development and success. Pakistan too, is embarking on this media trend.

Traditionally, OOH was seen as a support medium to the brand communication on TV. This has changed and OOH has gone beyond being visually interesting to becoming an interactive and engaging medium. According to research by Magna Global, DOOH is 400% more effective in delivering the message compared to traditional OOH and 72% more exciting than TV. Clearly, the entire value chain of brand, media, consumer and environment is evolving and the old communication methods of one-size-fits-all with TV driving the value chain, may not be relevant anymore.

Most people spend 70% of their waking lives outside their homes and connected to their smartphone. As media specialists, our job is to find meaningful ways of connecting with these consumers on the go. In my opinion, even conventional research questions related to media consumption need to change to keep pace with new technologies and consumer habits. According to research undertaken by BrandScience, over 50% of consumers believe direct interaction through OOH screens have a huge potential for shopping, and 70% appreciate the convenience of these screens.

Recently, I visited a Sephora store in Dubai and although I did not register for updates, trust me, they stalked me on my Facebook and Google pages for two weeks after that visit. My store visit was tracked from the mall WiFi indicating my interest and hence the bombardment of offers online!

Similarly, the technology exists to gather data on consumer media and buying choices and then use it effectively on DOOH. Research done by Kinetic has shown that consumers expect to receive personalised communication that is relevant to what they are doing. For brands, maximum Return On Investment (ROI) is possible only when consumers buy the product or service via a digital screen or their smartphone; in other words, when contextually relevant advertising drives them to make the purchase for instant gratification.

Although this kind of result may be far off for Pakistani consumers, wherever there is value and convenience, consumers are quick to adapt. Historically, Pakistan has leapfrogged with respect to adopting new technologies, although, it must be said that Pakistan’s media industry in general, as well as brands tend to be reluctant in embracing change despite the opportunities that exist for any brand brave enough to adopt these digital trends.

---

DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors.

---

We have also observed that consumers in different geographical locations have different lifestyles and media consumption habits and here DOOH becomes even more relevant when it comes to targeting culturally-different audiences. Apart from location, context is another factor that makes a communication more engaging and relevant. Context is defined as weather conditions, time, culture or the current trending topic in the area. Furthermore, the brand challenges are different in different regions – hence the need for localised communication solutions. With DOOH, it is possible to create bespoke communication campaigns that are both targeted and cost-effective.

Given the recent installation of DOOH screens in Lahore and Karachi, with other cities expected to follow, this may be the appropriate time to evaluate the effectiveness of DOOH for the key stakeholders in Pakistan’s media industry.

Brands
DOOH enables brands to target localised consumers. The messaging can be tailored according to the time of day, weather conditions, business challenges and other trending factors. To maximise ROI, advertisers need to provide in-depth and clear briefs to their media agencies with respect to the business challenges and the goals they want to achieve. Most importantly, content for DOOH cannot be the same as what is aired on the TVC; it has to be tailored according to the size and location of the DOOH. Regular in-depth research should be commissioned to gain a superior understanding of how consumers interact with the digital world.

Media agencies
Brands must adopt a more collaborative approach with their media agencies to achieve what Sir Martin Sorell describes as ‘horizontal’ solutions. Different media have different efficacies and each one needs to be leveraged based on the objective to be achieved. The thought process must begin with the brand challenge and then move to the medium rather than the other way around. To maximise ROI, the communication solution must be neutral. If, for example, a brand is targeting an audience of 14 to 24 year-olds, wastage can be avoided by targeting OOH and DOOH assets located near colleges and places where young people hangout. Handholding consumers from one media to the other until the moment of truth is only possible via collaboration across the media, from electronic, digital and OOH – as well as creative.

Government authorities
The relevant government authorities need to be exposed to global DOOH trends and understand how they contribute not only to the financial development of cities, but to the aesthetics and experience of a city. Policies need to be developed to ensure this medium is safe. Soon, Lahore will have digital pole signs on multiple roads, and it is important to understand that a medium that is engaging on M.M. Alam Road, where the traffic is slow, may not provide the same experience on roads with fast moving traffic. DOOH comes in a wide range of sizes, features and designs and permission must be provided accordingly.

The media
DOOH is an expensive investment compared to regular billboards. Until last year, there was reluctance among media owners to invest in DOOH. This is changing and media owners are investing; however, DOOH media owners need to enhance their understanding of the possibilities the medium holds – and this requires investment in HR because like with other media, the investment must be based on due diligence. Questions about which brands are best suited to using a DOOH platform are even more relevant as clients demand more structured, rationalised and transparent media solutions.

Finally, all stakeholders must understand that consumers want a seamless advertising connection; they do not necessarily dislike advertising, but they want it to be contextually relevant, authentic, engaging and purposeful.

Ahsan Sheikh is CEO, Kinetic.

]]> Media https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1142116 Tue, 28 Nov 2017 12:56:30 +0500 none@none.com (Ahsan Sheikh)