Amazon – Alexa Loses Her Voice Agency: Lucky Generals, London One of the top viewed ads on YouTube for 2022 with over 50 million views, ‘Alexa Loses Her Voice’ promotes Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa. The video depicts a concerned Jeff Bezos being reassured at the Amazon HQ that the situation is under control and stand-ins are ready to replace Alexa. However, the star-studded stand-ins, which include Gordon Ramsay, Cardi B, Rebel Wilson and Sir Anthony Hopkins fail hilariously to replace Alexa. The ad is clever and uses star power brilliantly to drive home the point.

OLX – No Khwari, No Lara, OLX Pe Ao Na Yara!
Agency: In-house A fun campaign that strikes all the right chords, showcasing ‘No Khwari, No Lara,OLX Pe Ao Na Yara’. The campaign taps into the lives of a young couple brilliantly played by Sanam Saeed and Fawad Khan. A series of humorous situations that end up with OLX as being the right answer to all their troubles makes for memorable and engaging advertising. A punchy script, great direction and a catchy soundtrack. The campaign makes us laugh, builds affinity and resonates with the target audience. With all the doom and gloom surrounding us, this is humour done right. Would love to see more of the same.

Lifebuoy & Ministry of Human Rights Partnership – Tum Mazboot Ho
Agency: Ogilvy Pakistan & the European Union (funded by the Huqooq-e-Pakistan Project) This is a campaign close to my heart whereby we were successful in building a partnership between Lifebuoy and the Ministry of Human Rights to inspire women to raise stronger daughters and fight domestic violence. The campaign not only raised awareness about domestic violence, it also created awareness about the Ministry of Human Rights’ free, nationwide helpline ‘1099’ for help against domestic abuse. The campaign is a testament to the importance of partnerships between business and government to create true change.

Nike – Dream Crazier Agency: Weiden + Kennedy The ‘Dream Crazier’ campaign, saluting women athletes and narrated by Serena Williams is one of my all-time favourites. There was no better choice than Serena, who, despite being the top-ranking tennis athlete in the world, faced an immense backlash because of her argument with the umpire; something that male tennis athletes have got away with since forever. The ad cuts to the heart of the double standards women have to battle to succeed. The campaign also demonstrates what the Nike brand stands for. “A woman running a marathon was crazy. A woman boxing was crazy. A woman dunking? Crazy. Coaching an NBA team? Crazy. A woman competing in a hijab, changing her sport, landing a Double Cork 1080, or winning 23 Grand Slams, having a baby, and coming back for more? Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. And Crazy. So if they want to call you crazy? Fine. Show them what crazy can do.” It’s only crazy until you do it. Just do it.

Bank AL Habib – AL Habib Woman Agency: Bond Advertising Pakistan stands at the low end of the financial inclusion spectrum with an extremely wide gender gap. Only 13% of women hold bank accounts. The AL Habib Woman campaign is a much-needed push for gender inclusion in the financial world. AL Habib Woman is a testament to the strength and resilience of women. The campaign showcases women from diverse backgrounds linking banking to empowerment and financial security. Syra Yousuf, a strong, empowered woman, ticks all the boxes as the brand ambassador. By breaking stereotypes, the campaign promotes a more inclusive and empowering future for women in Pakistan. And I am all for that!

Spotify – Only You Agency: In-house I am a real fan of Spotify and their ability to demonstrate how every one of their 356 million listeners is unique and distinctive. Their campaign ‘Only You’ does just that through data-driven creatives that hone in on the unique traits and idiosyncrasies that define Spotify listeners. Spotify continues to give us more of what we want by focusing on the individual. The power of personalisation.

EBM: Schoolgirl Newscasters Agency: BBDO Pakistan EBM’s campaign for girls’ education ‘Schoolgirl Newscasters’ resonated deeply with me. To see young girls who could barely read or write three years ago as confident, articulate newscasters on mainstream news channels was not only heart-warming, it drove home the point of how important it is to push the agenda for girls’ education. In a country where the literacy rate for girls lags woefully behind their male counterparts, the campaign was an important advocate, highlighting this critical issue and changing the narrative

Coke Studio – Season 14 Agency: In-house Coke Studio, the music platform we have all grown to love, is a great example of how the brand has integrated music as part of its DNA and embedded itself into pop culture with an appeal that cuts across gender, age, socio economic and language barriers. After multiple seasons one would have thought that things may get a little boring, but Coke Studio Season 14 knocked it right out of the park. From Pasoori to Peechay Hut, from Thagaya to Tu Jhoom, Coke Studio had the nation and beyond swaying to its beat. I for one am singing their tune.

Seema Jaffer is CEO and Creative Director, Bond Advertising. seema@bondadvertising.com