Why ‘A Woman Will Always Be Lyla’
My first experience of fabric advertising was in the early seventies at MNJ with the then-top style brand, Lawrencepur. In an underdeveloped fashion industry, the few brands with media presence (and that only PTV and a few selected newspapers) set the trends and stole the limelight. The fabrics for men and women that Lawrencepur Woollen Mills produced (some for summer as well) were way above in image and price than any other brand. With evocative names such as Lyla, Savana and Summerina, they became highly desirable brand names for the wardrobes of the stylish.
With no competition to speak of, Lawrencepur could indulge in corporate advertising as well. A memorable corporate commercial, ‘40 miles from Islamabad,’ took viewers on a visual tour of both the company’s setting and the manufacturing process. Artfully filmed and well narrated by Javed Jabbar, this commercial set new parameters in corporate advertising. In the print medium, full-page ads captured the essence of the Pakistani family while holding out the promise of ‘keeping the family in fashion.’ Another campaign honoured the workers behind the fabric creations.
However, among the Lawrencepur brands, Lyla acquired an iconic status. This was achieved through well-crafted and consistent communication, transitioning from ‘Lyla is a Lady’ to ‘A woman will always be Lyla’.
Despite being the top brand of its time, the advertising for Lyla did not project glamour – the young woman shown could have been the girl next door. Such was the confidence the brand enjoyed.
When it came to summer wear, Kohinoor Textiles captured the essence of the pop culture of the sixties and seventies. With bold op-art prints, the campaign for their lawn collection, Smartelle, appealed to younger women from the platform of ‘smart, smarter, Smartelle.’
One company that totally upended the advertising for lawns was Mohammad Farooq Textiles Mills (MFTM). The owners’ held strong beliefs against what they considered exploitation of women in advertising. Opinion was divided on whether their position reflected a conservative or progressive attitude towards women! However, this ‘ban’ resulted in some of the most memorable advertising for the MFTM brand. In a complete break from traditional lawn advertising, MFTM engaged filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi in the early seventies to conceive and direct a commercial that, even today, would be considered ground-breaking. Shot entirely in silhouette and using cricket imagery and idiom, the commercial depicted fast-paced action on the pitch as fabric patterns formed the backdrop. With minimal spending on TV, the commercial scored high in recall and impact in research against its competitors.
Years later, MFTM approached Spectrum with a similar brief – to promote the company’s lawn range without showing women. The TVC produced by Spectrum relied on showing the hint of a woman’s presence through fluttering fabrics exiting the frame rather than an actual person. This campaign won an award from Aurora as well as from the London International Awards.
Decades later, these three iconic brands have lost their identity (and existence) and it is unlikely that young people today know of them. Fast forward to the present and the communication parameters could not be more different.
Since the popularisation of prêt wear, fashion brands have proliferated at the speed of light. While the current competitive scenario clearly supports the survival of the fittest principle, there is still space for small, niche brands, and the spread of social media has made marketing viable for many of them. Today, mainstream media is used only by the large established brands, such as Gul Ahmed, Nishat and Alkaram, which have also chosen to introduce prêt wear.
In fact, there is barely any presence of these rapidly multiplying brands in the mass media. They have discovered social media to be more cost-effective in achieving visibility as well as results. The two preferred platforms are Facebook and Instagram. Instant gratification is also ensured with the option of ordering online, often at reduced prices. Impulsive buying is no longer the domain of boutiques with flashy show windows; social media platforms are providing an effective option with creative use of technology. And geographical proximity is no longer a barrier, with city-based fashion houses receiving orders not only from other towns and cities in Pakistan but from other countries as well.
Even leading brands are increasingly depending on social media, as well as on their websites, to retain their market positions. Brick-and-mortar presence for brands is now more of a statement of confidence and leadership than just attracting sales. Khaadi has perfected the right mix – it has aesthetically designed stores in major malls as well as a strong social media presence. The design demands are also quite different for social media and the result is that more and more brands are setting up in-house creative and design teams to better respond to trends and customer expectations. They are also rapidly expanding their portfolios to include accessories such as bags and shoes as well as perfumes.
Social media also allows brands to transform their image in keeping with the times and trends. Generation, for example, is currently flaunting its brightly coloured ethnic range – quite a departure from its earlier days when the colours were primarily solid and the designs inspired by Western wear. With minimal media spend and the flexibility of quickly responding to market demands, all fashion brands as well as fabrics by the yard are now vying for attention on social media.
Brands that are traditional as well as innovative, such as Manto, have caught women’s imagination with the use of calligraphy on its clothes. Manto’s is a rare case of achieving a distinctive identity in the sea of sameness where most are screaming about mega seasonal sales.
A good question to ask buyers would be what is the message they take away when browsing the web pages of various brands. This question is likely to draw a blank as most brands no longer have a tagline or a statement to make. On the other hand, nostalgia buffs still remember that ‘A woman will always be Lyla.’
Zohra Yusuf is Chief Creative Officer, Spectrum VMLY&R.
Khaadi pret Javed Jabbar Zohra Yusuf Manto Zohra Yusuf. Lawrencepur Iconic Pakistani fabric brands Fashion advertising in the 1970s Evolution of Pakistani prêt wear Social media impact on fashion marketing Lyla Pakistan's fashion industry in the seventies Digital marketing for fashion brands Kohinoor Textiles Farooq Textiles Mills
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When it came to summer wear, Kohinoor Textiles captured the essence of the pop culture of the sixties and seventies. With bold op-art prints, the campaign for their lawn collection, Smartelle, appealed to younger women from the platform of ‘smart, smarter, Smartelle.’
One company that totally upended the advertising for lawns was Mohammad Farooq Textiles Mills (MFTM). The owners’ held strong beliefs against what they considered exploitation of women in advertising. Opinion was divided on whether their position reflected a conservative or progressive attitude towards women! However, this ‘ban’ resulted in some of the most memorable advertising for the MFTM brand. In a complete break from traditional lawn advertising, MFTM engaged filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi in the early seventies to conceive and direct a commercial that, even today, would be considered ground-breaking. Shot entirely in silhouette and using cricket imagery and idiom, the commercial depicted fast-paced action on the pitch as fabric patterns formed the backdrop. With minimal spending on TV, the commercial scored high in recall and impact in research against its competitors.
Years later, MFTM approached Spectrum with a similar brief – to promote the company’s lawn range without showing women. The TVC produced by Spectrum relied on showing the hint of a woman’s presence through fluttering fabrics exiting the frame rather than an actual person. This campaign won an award from Aurora as well as from the London International Awards.
Decades later, these three iconic brands have lost their identity (and existence) and it is unlikely that young people today know of them. Fast forward to the present and the communication parameters could not be more different.
Since the popularisation of prêt wear, fashion brands have proliferated at the speed of light. While the current competitive scenario clearly supports the survival of the fittest principle, there is still space for small, niche brands, and the spread of social media has made marketing viable for many of them. Today, mainstream media is used only by the large established brands, such as Gul Ahmed, Nishat and Alkaram, which have also chosen to introduce prêt wear.
In fact, there is barely any presence of these rapidly multiplying brands in the mass media. They have discovered social media to be more cost-effective in achieving visibility as well as results. The two preferred platforms are Facebook and Instagram. Instant gratification is also ensured with the option of ordering online, often at reduced prices. Impulsive buying is no longer the domain of boutiques with flashy show windows; social media platforms are providing an effective option with creative use of technology. And geographical proximity is no longer a barrier, with city-based fashion houses receiving orders not only from other towns and cities in Pakistan but from other countries as well.
Even leading brands are increasingly depending on social media, as well as on their websites, to retain their market positions. Brick-and-mortar presence for brands is now more of a statement of confidence and leadership than just attracting sales. Khaadi has perfected the right mix – it has aesthetically designed stores in major malls as well as a strong social media presence. The design demands are also quite different for social media and the result is that more and more brands are setting up in-house creative and design teams to better respond to trends and customer expectations. They are also rapidly expanding their portfolios to include accessories such as bags and shoes as well as perfumes.
Social media also allows brands to transform their image in keeping with the times and trends. Generation, for example, is currently flaunting its brightly coloured ethnic range – quite a departure from its earlier days when the colours were primarily solid and the designs inspired by Western wear. With minimal media spend and the flexibility of quickly responding to market demands, all fashion brands as well as fabrics by the yard are now vying for attention on social media.
Brands that are traditional as well as innovative, such as Manto, have caught women’s imagination with the use of calligraphy on its clothes. Manto’s is a rare case of achieving a distinctive identity in the sea of sameness where most are screaming about mega seasonal sales.
A good question to ask buyers would be what is the message they take away when browsing the web pages of various brands. This question is likely to draw a blank as most brands no longer have a tagline or a statement to make. On the other hand, nostalgia buffs still remember that ‘A woman will always be Lyla.’
Zohra Yusuf is Chief Creative Officer, Spectrum VMLY&R.
Khaadi pret Javed Jabbar Zohra Yusuf Manto Zohra Yusuf. Lawrencepur Iconic Pakistani fabric brands Fashion advertising in the 1970s Evolution of Pakistani prêt wear Social media impact on fashion marketing Lyla Pakistan's fashion industry in the seventies Digital marketing for fashion brands Kohinoor Textiles Farooq Textiles Mills
Email
A good question to ask buyers would be what is the message they take away when browsing the web pages of various brands. This question is likely to draw a blank as most brands no longer have a tagline or a statement to make. On the other hand, nostalgia buffs still remember that ‘A woman will always be Lyla.’
Zohra Yusuf is Chief Creative Officer, Spectrum VMLY&R.
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