Let’s go back to the nineties. A time when only two TV channels existed in Pakistan – PTV and NTM. It was also a time when TV ads were mostly memorable – good or bad. For example, can we forget the (infamous) Mod Girl ad, where the protagonist dreams of being fair, claiming, “Mere gore hone ka sapna sach hua jab Mod Girl cream bleach ne mujhe chua” (my dream of becoming fair was realised when Mod Girl cream bleach touched me) as a voyeuristic man echoes her words, particularly gori gori, with zeal?
And then there was another TV commercial that remains memorable to this day, but for completely different reasons. A commercial that has been described as iconic, epic, inspirational or even a masterpiece by many members of the industry when writing for Aurora. The ad was ‘The Rhythm of Unity’ and aired for the first time in 1993. The client was Morven Gold (manufactured by the Lakson Group, now Philip Morris International). To this day, the commercial continues to be shared frequently on social media.
For the uninitiated, the commercial, conceptualised and executed by Spectrum Communications, was shot primarily at the Lahore Fort and featured performers from all four provinces of Pakistan, dressed in red and yellow attire (the colours of Morven Gold) representing their respective province. They dance with fervour inside and outside the Lahore Fort against a scintillating soundtrack composed by Farrukh Abid. A dancing horse from a stud farm in Jhang is also featured. The commercial culminates in yellow and red fabric flowing down from a tower of the fort, followed by a shot of the dancers converging to form the Morven Gold logo with the line: ‘The Rhythm of Unity. Lakson.’
Aurora spoke to Shahnoor Ahmed, Chairman and CEO, and Zohra Yusuf, CCO, Spectrum Communications, to find out more about the TVC. They start by providing the political context of the time, which they say was in “turmoil.” “There was a discernible divisiveness in Pakistan in the early nineties, both politically and based on regional and ethnic identities,” says Yusuf.
Given the political scenario, Lakson wanted a communication that would emphasise unity in the country and bring different cultures together – and this was the brief that Spectrum received from Morven Gold. The ad became a “CSR activity” of sorts and PTV charged public service rates to air it.
Another important objective was to increase TOM for Morven Gold, especially important due to the restrictions on cigarette advertising that were coming in at the time. One of the restrictions was that advertisements for cigarette brands could only be aired after 10 p.m. However, as the product was not shown, the TVC aired multiple times during the day.
“The brief was to create communication that would promote Pakistani culture in an outstanding way, without commercial considerations. No KPIs were identified in terms of product sales, but brand projection was required. We arrived at the idea through internal brainstorming,” says Yusuf.
“Shahnoor and I were part of this process. We decided to look for commonalities in Pakistan’s regional cultures and folk dance appeared to have the most potential, particularly from an audio-visual and filming point of view. This was enthusiastically supported by the client and we began to work out the details.” It was Yusuf who coined the name ‘The Rhythm of Unity.’ Asad ul Haq, the prominent ad film director who founded the Karachi Film School and Muhammad Khalid Ali, who heads Crew Films, were also part of the team.
As it turned out, ‘The Rhythm of Unity’ became the most expensive TVC to be made at the time, with a budget approximating one million rupees. There were, however, several challenges that came the team’s way. One of them entailed managing the team, which included 200 performers and a 100-member production crew, many of whom were from the UK-based production company First Take, including director Rimas Vainorious. The performers were sourced by Naeem Tahir of the Pakistan National Council of Arts, whose many tasks included ensuring the performers were able to reach Lahore Fort, be it via bus or train, from their respective provinces. Conducted over two weeks, shooting took place primarily at dawn to secure the best possible lighting, requiring rigorous planning to have everything ready on time, be it coordinating the performers, aligning the production crew or organising meals for everyone.
Speaking of meals, Ahmed relates an interesting anecdote. “We arranged desi food for everyone except the overseas crew, for whom we organised meals from Avari Towers and I was very strict about this. One day, I arrived on the shoot and Rimas exclaimed, ‘This soup is very good.’ I asked him what it was and it turned out to be paya. He said, ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.’ Thankfully, he was.”
Another challenge was the soundtrack based on four tracks representing each province. The initial soundtrack lacked cohesiveness and was a big disappointment. “The day I heard the music was a depressing one for me,” says Ahmed. “I didn’t know what could be done about it. Then Rimas put us in touch with Keith Miller, a composer based in London, who remastered and layered the music and the results were remarkable.” The post-production was done in London and took several months.
Despite the challenges, the response was extremely positive and sparked a number of ‘me-too’ TVCs. Spectrum was flooded with requests for VHS copies and received favourable media coverage. Benazir Bhutto, who was the prime minister at the time, requested a copy in order to showcase it at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Subsequent to the airing of the commercial, some of the dancers were asked to perform at a charity event at the US Consul General’s residence in Karachi – the TVC’s popularity even extended to events such as weddings, where the dances were re-enacted. The TVC was also aired on special occasions such as Independence Day and shortlisted for the New York-based Cresta Awards and the London International Awards.
Thirty years later, ‘The Rhythm of Unity’ continues to inspire people in the industry. Yawar Iqbal, a veteran multidisciplinary creative, says he joined Spectrum because it was the agency behind ‘The Rhythm of Unity.’ He describes it as “one of the most iconic and nostalgic pieces of communication ever created in Pakistan – it is an ageless, culture-defining masterpiece that shaped not only advertising but Pakistan’s entire visual landscape. It will always be on my inspiration board. I always go back to it whenever I want to feel great about Pakistani advertising.” He adds, “I remember watching it for the first time and it made me think, even though I wasn’t very old, ‘Wow, we can do this?’ I hadn’t seen such grandeur or dances at this scale. It was simply stunning.”
Ad Mad Dude, who runs the eponymous Facebook ad page and critiques advertising (frequently harshly), is full of praise as well. “‘The Rhythm of Unity’ flipped the script, showing that creativity and cultural pride speak louder than any product pitch, dolled-up people, cringe-worthy dialogue and small-world mentality. Today’s creatives should take notes (and feel ashamed). If ‘The Rhythm of Unity’ has taught us anything, it is that simplicity rules – not over-the-top, visually vomit-inducing, fake plastic, made-up people. Just simple, insightful ideas. It tells us to tap into our emotions, culture and universal themes of the people of Pakistan, and let simplicity do the heavy lifting.”
Clearly, even after three decades, ‘The Rhythm of Unity’ continues to be a source of inspiration for Pakistan’s creatives and is viewed as a benchmark in Pakistan’s advertising history. Who knows, one day, another TVC of this scale and calibre will be aired, adding another, much-needed feather to Pakistan’s advertising cap.
Photos: Spectrum Communications