A Few of Our Favourite Things

Cadbury Dairy Milk – Kuch Acha Hojaye, Kuch Meetha Hojaye

Agency: Ogilvy Pakistan

I’ll be honest, this ad tugged at ourheartstrings. A short but fittingly sweetfilm, where the younger, affluent man,in offering a Dairy Milk to the older,financially-constrained man, opens thedoor to a more ‘achi’ and ‘meethi’ kindness.This ad definitely reminds us of theimportance of paying it forward

Pepsi – Ab Har Ghoont Strong

Agency: Cheil Dubai and Alt Story

If you are looking for an ad that hits the nail onthe head in terms of ideation and execution, lookno further. The ad needs nothing more than thepunchy line of “Babar bhai, aap sahi kehrahe thai.Pepsi waqi strong hogayi hai.” With the vibe andvisuals of an old Western, and the star power ofBabar Azam and Naseem Shah, Pepsi delivers a‘strong’ ad – and beverage.

Workday – Rock Star

Agency: Ogilvy

Featuring real-life rock stars Billy Idol, Paul Stanley, OzzyOsbourne, Gary Clark Jr and Joan Jett, this tongue-in-cheek ad bursts the bubble of corporate professionals who think using Workday turns them into ‘rock stars.’ A good example of how to use drama, humour and irony to add the oomph to your commercial.

Sprite – Ghoor Mat, Thand Rakh

Agency: Soho Square PakistanA bold, relevant ad that addresses social issues withoutbeing preachy. This Hania Aamir-starrer shows the actorenvisioning how she would turn the tables on a sleazy manogling at her, until… she is handed a bottle of Sprite, andregains her chill – even calling out the weirdo making heruncomfortable by sending a bottle of Sprite over to him!

Rahber & Eagle Star – Humara Rahber Sab Se Behtar

Agency: Manhattan International

Fawad Khan shines in this series ofsketches, managing to be just the rightamount of dramatically over-the-top,while placing the Rahber products frontand centre in the most hilarious of ways.The ads follow through on the Rahberjingle playing softly in the background,‘Humara Rahber Sab Se Behtar,’showcasing the superior insulationoffered by their hot pots, thermoses,coolers and ice boxes. All in all, thisseries is a lesson in making effective,funny and well-written commercials.

Shan – Khushiyan Banane Wali

Agency: BBDO Pakistan

Over the years, Shan’s communications have centred on topicsthat promote gender equality, such as the doctor bahu ad, andthis one was no different. It emphasised that in most cases,women are bogged down with cooking and serving food duringevents such as parties, and therefore do not get a chance toactually enjoy themselves – much less savour the food they havespent hours preparing. This narrative stressed the importance ofchanging this dynamic.

EBM – Schoolgirl Newscasters

Agency: Impact BBDO Dubai and BBDO Pakistan

Three TV networks employed young schoolgirls asnewsreaders on World Children’s Day (2022) and inMarch 2023 to stress the importance of educatinggirls. This innovative campaign gained further tractionafter winning the coveted Glass Lion for Change atCannes earlier this year. Kudos to EBM for takingsuch a different tack and to BBDO for shining brighton a global platform.

Gucci – Chime for Gender Equality

Agency: SunshineGucci’s ‘Chime’ was established in 2013 to support gender equalityand this year’s iteration included a video series directed by SharmeenObaid-Chinoy, a Chime advisory board member. It featured a host ofwell-known personalities, primarily women, ranging from Julia Robertsand Alia Bhatt, to John Legend. The campaign acknowledges thatthings have improved, but signals that there is still a long way to gotowards gender equality – and that “we have to make it happen.”

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