Published in Nov-Dec 2023
Aurora Magazine celebrates 25 years!
Source: Aurora in consultation with industry experts
Source: Aurora in consultation with industry experts.
Source: Medialogic
Aurora polls Pakistan’s corporate heads.
Aurora polls Pakistan’s agency heads.
Fatima Attarwala on the lure of all things Korean.
Faraz Maqsood Hamidi honours Aurora’s Silver Jubilee
Twenty-five years ago, the advertising landscape was full of optimism. Today, audiences are scrambling to block ads every way they can. But all is still not lost yet, argues Patrick Collister.
Asrar Alam imagines the future of advertising 20 years from now.
Pakistani jingles have left an indelible mark on our culture as well as on the ad industry, writes Sumaira Mirza.
Nothing works better than emotional advertising, writes Taniya Hasan.
Seema Jaffer gives her verdict.
Tabinda Hussain speaks to Bilal Maqsood about the challenges and joys of creating Pakkay Dost.
Is creativity in Pakistan simply misunderstood or are there other forces at play?
Arshad Awan poses the question.
Ayesha Aman writes about how brand battles have defined Pakistani advertising.
Zeenat Chaudhary profiles Hamza Amjad, ED, Creative, Social Media & Performance Management, Ogilvy Pakistan.
Rubab Rizvi examines AdEx trends in 2023 and what to expect in 2024.
Although advertising must continue to play its pivotal role in shaping narratives on social media, brands must remain vigilant in not falling prey to the pernicious dangers of misinformation, argues Oswald Lucas.
Drawing upon the contrasts between the Millennials and Gen Z, Urooj Hussain looks ahead to what brands can expect from Gen Alpha.
Faisal Sheikh, CEO, Entravision Pakistan and the Middle East, speaks to Mamun M. Adil about the acquisition of Jack of Digital by Entravision.
Facing an increasingly young population, the media in Pakistan will need to innovate and adapt to stay ahead of the curve.
Muna Khan reflects on changes in the media industry and their impact on the newsroom.
The last 25 years have seen a radical transformation of Pakistan’s media. Nasir Jamal traces the evolution.
Javaid Iqbal discusses why Pakistan must focus on EDTs to sustain long-term economic and social growth.
An evolution of the PR industry is in the offing, one that demands a multifaceted approach to communication that is in sync with a new generation.
Zohare Ali Shariff examines the changes that have affected PR in the last 25 years.
Khalid Naseem on the emerging trends that are affecting the direction Pakistani advertising is about to take.
Javeria Shoaib and Sidra Aidrus discuss the importance of addressing Gen Z in the language they relate to.
Mariam Shakil on the growing ubiquity of podcasts.
Mehwish Aslam reviews historical shifts and emerging trends within Pakistan’s e-commerce ecosystem and its impact among consumers.
Sports Marketing in Pakistan is a story of missed opportunities and a lack of corporate commitment, argues Menin Rodrigues.
Once among the fastest growing in Asia, Pakistan’s telecom industry is now facing multiple existential issues, writes Nasir Jamal.
Arooj Anwar discusses why CaaS may yet prove to be the next big change in the agency model.
The lack of transparency displayed by the government and public sector advertising is stymieing the growth of the industry and promoting mediocrity, argues Syed Ahmed.
Despite a negative report card, Sheikh Adil Hussain highlights four brands that have stood out in the last 25 years.
Taimur Tajik on how brands can make their customers love them unconditionally.
Unless agencies bring accountability into the equation, clients are increasingly likely to drift towards in-house solutions, argues Umair Mohsin.
Umair Saeed on what will happen to advertising in the age of Gen AI.
Once ranked the 15th largest automotive assembler in the world, Pakistan’s auto industry is now in dire straits, writes Mazhar Mohsin Chinoy.
Tyrone Tellis calls for a new chapter in Pakistani advertising that values consistency, challenges the status quo and tolerates failure.
Afzal Hussain comments on the new realities of a multi-dimensional communication space in a challenged marketing space.
Nabeel Qadeer looks at the evolution of Pakistan’s start-up culture.
Syed Hassan Abbas, Founder & CEO, Golden Circle, speaks to Aurora about what lies beneath the success of his agency.
Twenty-five years after the digital revolution, could AI see the rebirth of advertising?
Azam Jalal Khan poses the question.
Zeenat Chaudhary profiles Ayesha Janjua.
Mariam Tahir Butt takes us on a tour of Sialkot – a city in transformation.
Faryal Murtaza, UAE Business Head, Matco Foods, speaks to Tabinda Hussain about how the organisation has developed since its inception in 1964.
Muhammad Ali Khan comments on the brands that continue to flourish despite never advertising.
Ad Mad Dude lists 15 key insights for a creative renaissance.
Zohra Yusuf discusses the trends that impacted creativity in advertising over the past 25 years.
Sami Qahar looks back 25 years to ponder the gains and losses in the ad industry and concludes that the profession remains as fascinating and exciting as it ever was.
Julian Saunders looks back 25 years and concludes that what humans do with an invention is uncontrollable, but that old-fashioned virtues endure, especially when dealing with our customers.
Noaman Asar discusses how Pakistani consumers have radically altered in their expectations and behaviour.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, CEO, SOC Films, speaks to Aurora about empowering the women of Pakistan and the passion that drives her career as a filmmaker.
To succeed, young Pakistani creatives need to learn how to go beyond thinking with their head brains only, argues Adnan Syed.
Talha bin Hamid picks his Top 5 TV moments of 2023.
Nabeel Qadeer picks his Top 5 Pakistani start-ups of 2023.
Siham Basir picks her Top 5 local content creators of 2023.
AI is set to impact our world in a far more profound way than the internet ever could, and the ad agencies will be no exception, writes Amin Rammal.
Pakistan’s ad industry needs to understand the difference between what needs
to be changed and what needs to remain constant, argues Shoaib Qureshy.
Shahrezad Samiuddin picks her Top 5 lifestyle trends of 2023.
From Aurora's annual Fact File FY 2022-23.
Julian Saunders picks his Top 5 design ideas of 2023.
Taimur Tajik picks his Top 5 brands going green in 2023.
The war in Gaza has once again put the spotlight on how brands react to world-shaping crises, and they are not always consistent, comments Shahzeb Hasan.
Why supporting Palestine through a blanket boycott of all foreign brands won't work in a country like Pakistan, explains S. Hyder.
Cadbury Dairy Milk collaborates with the Pakistan Cricket Board to empower female cricketers.
Patrick Collister picks his Top 5 big ideas of 2023.
Nescafé rolls out Pakistan's first AI-generated campaign to promote its chilled coffee range.
Umair Kazi picks his Top 5 things that broke the Internet in 2023.
Syed Amir Haleem picks his Top 5 AI tools that changed marketing in 2023.
Muhammad Ali Khan picks his Top 5 campaigns of 2023.
Interview
Ateeq-ur-Rehman, CEO, GroupM, speaks to Aurora about how his company is preparing for the transition towards more digitally engaged audiences.
Umar Malik, Co-Founder &
CEO and Hasan Tahir,
Co-Founder & Chief Creative
Officer, Alt Story, speak to
Aurora about their ambitions to
be an agency of the future.
Profile
Shahrezad Samiuddin profiles Samina Ahmed.
Shahrezad Samiuddin profiles Nagin Ansari, CEO, Backspace.
Books & Reviews
Mamun M. Adil reviews Faith, State, and the Soul: A History of Popular Culture in Pakistan and speaks to its author, Nadeem Farooq Paracha
Creative
Umair Kazi decodes the Gen Z philosophy.
People
Amir Paracha, CEO, Unilever Pakistan, speaks to Aurora about his organisation’s Fair Living Wage, the economy and the trend towards buying local.
Campaign Watch
Hadiyah Zafar, Creative Manager, Red Publicis, picks her favourite and not-so-favourite recent ad campaigns.
Campaigns
Lifebuoy Shampoo launches their variant, Naturally Strong, with onions as its core ingredient.
