The one thing that all Pakistanis can and do enjoy, regardless of cast, creed, race, colour, political bent, socioeconomic status, is… FOOD! The two biggest religious festivals of the country, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, also revolve around food, and can translate into a culinary goldmine for advertisers.

As we hurtle towards another Eid-ul-Azha, amidst roaming animals, deep discussions about their prices, the economy and the weather, all the while canvasing and cajoling butchers, and dreaming of aromatic gatherings on Eid day, our advertisers have shown a welcome transition to the deeper meaning of ‘sacrifice’ over the past few decades.

However, there is a twist: most of these concepts are rendered and expended during Ramzan and Eid-ul-Fitr, leaving no meat on the bone (haha) for Eid-ul-Azha, even though the social awareness generated during Ramzan is meaningful for Eid-ul-Azha as well, but do not find any stage time since all those ads specifically mention ‘roza’, ‘iftar’, and ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’, leaving no margin for re-appropriation.

Here is an idea for all advertisers: with minimal effort, you can re-edit your Ramzan ads for Eid-ul-Azha, and they will fit perfectly!

Shan, being perhaps perennial viral favourites in recent years, have aired ad campaigns here and there, focused on equity and cooking being a family pursuit rather than just for women, but one does yearn for their ‘tentpole’ moments, the long, big-budget, dramatic ads that inspired awe and a bit of ridicule too for their sappiness, but never failed to hit it out of the park in terms of their primary purpose: making the brand a household name. For example, remember that iconic ad years ago, depicting two expat brothers connecting with mum who is ostensibly living in Pakistan about cooking an Eid meal amidst rivers of tears? Or the one featuring a Chinese woman who has moved to Pakistan, connecting with her neighbours via biryani? Through these ads, Shan managed to grab our attention for all the right (and wrong) reasons.

A few years ago, Shan’s ‘doctor bahu’ (doctor daughter-in-law) ad also grabbed viewers’ attention. Amid a hyper-traditional Eid meal, a nosy parker asks the matriarch of the family how her daughter-in-law was faring as far as cooking was concerned. The mother-in-law cuts her down to size, explaining the importance of a doctor’s profession, and revealing that the whole family, including – gasp! – her son, participated in cooking. What a fitting tribute to working women, flowing right into Shan’s USP of making cooking easy for everyone, not just wives.

Sadly, Shan has been amiss lately!

Continuing with the medical theme, KFC’s Ramzan campaign ‘Iftar ki baithak’ promoted two ideas in one: medical professionals’ uncompromising schedule and the including everyone in festivities, regardless of their social stature. However, there is something slightly cringeworthy about how people from a lower social strata are depicted in such ads, though; they are all smiles and unnaturally cheerful, and act as if they haven’t seen food before. Perhaps it’s just me, but you can form your own opinions by seeing the ad:

For Eid-ul-Azha, Sapphire’s ‘Eid II’ campaign features a soothing soundtrack and arresting visuals, but it has nothing to do with Eid per se. Without the ‘Eid II’ label, it would have worked for any festival.

However, I am saving the best for last. You see, Eid-ul-Azha is prime time for utensils, and especially, knives! And a local convenience store ran a very attractive campaign for its knives. The ad is catchy, visually stunning, and features an arresting soundtrack. It is also funny: knives are advertised as effective tools for not only “qasais” (butchers) but also for “bhais” (gangsters) and “tais” (paternal aunts), referring to butchering of not only meat, but, er, other living things and relationships.

Witness the greatness here:

Unfortunately, Eid-ul-Azha does not see any promotions exclusive to the festival; the images of slaughtered animals do not translate well to engaging visuals, and the core message of sacrifice has already been covered to death in Ramzan/Eid-ul-Fitr advertising.

On the OOH front, any relevance to Eid-ul-Azha is restricted to special discounts on textiles, condiments, makers of food storage and cooking equipment, and, paradoxically, fast food outlets providing an alternative to the meaty, heavy Eid fare.

All in all, it seems that all the creativity, social awareness and thought are expended in our Ramadan/ Eid-ul-Fitr campaigns, leaving only scraps for Eid-ul-Azha.

Talha bin Hamid is an accountant by profession, a reader, writer, public speaker, poet, trainer and geek by passion. talhamid@gmail.com