Aurora celebrates Pakistan’s 77th Independence Day.

‘Same, but different.’ This is the subtext of the brief that agencies often receive from clients on what they want when it comes to their brand message on Independence Day. The clients want their message to stand out compared to the usual ones that clutter conventional and social media on August 14.

Yet, most clients often end up saying almost exactly what others are. Indeed, one can execute sameness in a ‘different’ way, and maybe this is what clients actually mean when they want something ‘different.’ Anthems, flags, duas, calls for unity, passion, jazba, himat, et al.

If the plan is to just put something out there for August 14, then it shouldn’t be too much of a bother. But that ‘something’ will do nothing. It will get lost amongst all the other calls for unity, anthems, passion, jazba and himat. Rousing the people’s nationalistic sides has become tougher than ever. Cynicism, disillusionment, scepticism and anger are rife and ‘feel-good’ messages with the usual imagery and words are falling on deaf ears.

The thing is, now more than ever, and thanks to social media, most Pakistanis – directly or otherwise – are deeply involved in multiple social and political exchanges. Many aspects of this discourse are rupturing established notions of patriotism and nationalism, which, for decades, were embedded in every Pakistani through textbooks and the state-owned media.

These notions are now being challenged. Some people do this in an academic, informed and rational manner, but most are lashing out against the notions in a more emotional manner. Therefore, the resultant discourse is highly polarising as well.

The discourse has taken the form of a venting exercise or a method to release a buildup of insecurity, anxiety and even paranoia in people due to economic pressures, political uncertainty and rising incidents of social and religious violence. Yet, there are occasions that have succeeded in bringing most Pakistanis on the same side and breaking the tension generated by divisive discourse.

For example, when athlete Arshad Nadeem won a gold medal in the Olympic Games 2024, the news attracted widespread praise and joy, and people with opposing political and social views were ‘liking’ each other’s X and Facebook posts (about Nadeem). So what does this say?

Simply put, good news about an authentic or actual event has the power to trigger feelings of patriotism and nationalism a lot more than hyperbolic rhetoric and ‘nice’ images of mountains, rivers, mosques, mausoleums, grandmas praying, kids waving little flags, etc.

But good news based on authentic achievements has become rare. Even cricket is failing to deliver on this front. In fact, it has started to do the opposite: raise tensions, anger and polarisation. What are the clients to do?

If they take the typical ‘patriotic’ routes (which most still do), they are swallowed by the tides of sameness. The task should be to find a place within the discourse. This is easier said than done because, since the discourse is polarising, uncannily, the client’s brand may end up picking a side and thus alienating the other side(s).

But there are ways for brands to plug into a vital discourse without having to take sides and manage to weave a message that is acceptable to everyone. And, of course, the message will be well outside the homogeneous clutter of the August 14 messages. Let me explain this through an attempt that I was a witness to, even though the attempt was set aside by the client.

I know a creative manager who proposed a short campaign on the Constitution of Pakistan. According to him, there has been a lot of talk these days on the ins and outs of the Constitution. Discourse on the topic has attracted the participation of a lot of young Pakistanis as well, many of whom have little or no clue about what exactly the role of the Constitution is and what it says about various rights. The CM pitched this to a client, but the client believed it was ‘too political.’ I disagree.

Personally, I thought that as an August 14 initiative, it was a rather brilliant idea and a smart way to become an educative and informative part of a prevalent discourse. The suggested campaign could have placed the client’s brand at the centre of a robust discourse without taking sides because all sides recognise the ’sanctity of the Constitution. It could have been a remarkable initiative without banking on any gimmickry and, of course, the usual green stuff that, in testing times, means absolutely nothing to most Pakistanis.

Nadeem F. Paracha is Head of Ideas & Research, Adcom Leo Burnett. He is also a published author and a weekly columnist for Dawn.