Whilst shopping at a drab yet homey desi store abroad, waiting for the Pakistani butcher to carve out some halal meat, one browses through products that cannot be found in other stores in the city: Shan masalas, frozen parathas, Tapal, biscuits like Parle-G and Sooper (the point of this article) and more. In the local brand world, when a desi product is available at a desi store abroad, in my opinion, it means they have made it.

In Pakistan, Sooper enjoys the highest market share in the sweet biscuit category, with a 12.6% value share reported in 2020 (source: Euromonitor), and in an interview with Aurora in 2020, Dr Zeelaf Munir, MD & CEO, English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), said that the brand is exported to 30 countries.

Sooper hit the mark in terms of consumer recall when in 2007 it released a TVC based on Sab Se Aagay, Sab Se Ooper, a jingle many Pakistanis can sing word-for-word. The ad emphasised the fact that everyone, everywhere in Pakistan, loves Sooper, and according to Aaminah Saeed, GM Marketing, EBM, the jingle has “been recognised as the sound of Sooper for almost two decades and has allowed the brand to garner consumer love and loyalty.”

Since then, Sooper has introduced more categories under the brand name (Sooper Elaichi Cookies, Sooper Chocolate Cookies, Soft Bakes) and released many new campaigns along the way. Counted as among the more notable campaigns is the packaging relaunch campaign for the original Sooper, Hamesha Wala Pyaar in 2021 (it was also the brand’s first Ramzan campaign) and the launch of Sooper Soft Bakes, where the Sab Se Aagay Sab Se Ooper jingle was revamped to make it more contemporary. Earlier this year, Sooper released another campaign, but with a new jingle, called Seedhi Saadi Khushi Hai Sooper.

Targeting all ages and SECs – “because Sooper will always be the biscuit for everyone,” Saeed says that the idea behind the new campaign is that “in today’s fast-paced world, we rarely stop to take a moment of gratitude and acknowledge the little joys life has to offer.” Elaborating on the concept, Saeed adds that “many seedhi saadi khushian are within arm’s length and can be experienced at any moment, while singing your favourite song, being with your favourite person or enjoying Sooper biscuit with a cup of chai… these joys are easy to find and are invaluable.” The concept of Seedhi Saadi Khushi was used by Sooper in the past, in a series of ads under the banner Seedhi Saadi Khushi Ka Maza.

The campaign was featured across various media channels; on YouTube via pre-rolls and bumper ads aimed at reaching audiences watching cooking channels, dramas, music and movies, news, sports and health-based content; on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to generate buzz and engage people with celebrity endorsements. The campaign’s hashtag #SSKHaiSooper was also used to encourage people to share their simple moments of joy associated with Sooper.

The brief given to the creative agency (Adcom Leo Burnett) was to reinforce Sooper’s position as Pakistan’s number one biscuit brand and the love that has made it “the nation’s favourite” and then show how the word ‘Sooper’ has in fact become a part of one’s daily vocabulary. As Saeed explains, “Our aim is to replace the word ‘super’ with ‘Sooper’ – a trend we have observed; people are already using ‘Sooper’ in their conversations.”

When asked about the challenges in the execution of the campaign, Saeed says the biggest one was develop a jingle that would resonate with Pakistanis in the same way Sab Se Aagay Sab Se Ooper did. “Through a skilful and meticulous execution, we were able to land on a musical gold mine. On our socials, audiences have reported that they feel energised upon listening to the jingle and find it catchy.” According to Adcom Leo Burnett, the TVC has garnered 18 million views on YouTube alone, and 21 million likes, comments and shares across social media platforms.