Putting PR on the fast track

PR professionals need to up the ante in the delivery of their services, writes Omar Jamil.

I recently returned to Pakistan following several years abroad to find a radically changed media and marketing landscape. Over the past few years, Pakistan has seen a boom in the TV and radio broadcast media; even print, a medium under pressure globally, has seen several new entrants. At the same time, the country has witnessed gradual but undeniable growth in online media, led by increased use of social media – primarily social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn, but also YouTube and Flickr as well as a burgeoning blogosphere.

This proliferation of media has in turn resulted in increased appreciation amongst brands and companies of the importance – and influence – of the media, and the ability of PR as a marketing discipline to tap into this influence. Consequently, the Pakistani PR sector today is vastly different from where it stood at the turn of the decade. According to figures submitted to the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) by the President of the Pakistan Chapter, the PR industry in Pakistan is currently worth $40 million (a figure I confess I am somewhat sceptical of).

Admittedly, this change is starker in Lahore than in Karachi. When I left, there were already several Karachi-based PR agencies practicing a wide range of PR activities (everything from media relations to crisis communications and training). However, with the exception of the few local offices of Karachi agencies, there were no professional agencies operating in Lahore. In fact, there was little (if any) understanding of the need for PR as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. Today, there are a myriad Lahore-based PR ‘professionals’ and ‘agencies’ – all of which claim to offer a ‘wide range of PR services’. On closer examination it appears the vast majority focus on events-led publicity (which, for many of these ‘PR practitioners’ equates to coverage in the social pages of weekend magazines or other social publications á la GT).

The question today is no longer whether or not Pakistani brands and companies see a need for PR as part of the marketing mix, but rather what contributions these new entrants bring to the sector and what is the impact of their emergence on PR as a profession and marketing discipline.

Globally, PR services are evolving rapidly – traditional ‘offline’ tools that once formed the lynchpin of many PR campaigns (e.g. media relations, press releases and thought leadership articles), are now seen as effective only when used in tandem with new, online techniques. With the growth of digital as a marketing medium, more and more global brands are turning to PR to manage their online reputations – an interesting model that applies offline PR methodologies to search engine marketing executions, enabling brands to ‘manage’ the content that appears within their search rankings. In Pakistan – especially Lahore – PR still largely equates to events-led publicity and media coverage; as such, the use of digital as a medium for PR activities becomes almost moot.

According to Syed Jawaid Iqbal who heads CMC – the Pakistan affiliate for Ketchum PR – the concept of PR in Pakistan used to revolve around the idea of a PRO (PR officer). This ‘jack of all trades’ would do everything from picking up the boss from the airport to dropping the children off to school and liaising with the government. Zohare Ali Shariff who heads APR in Karachi tells me the industry was fairly un-evolved even at the time of his joining in the early part of the current decade.

“PR as a business practice was a relatively unheard of discipline, with a few multinationals experimenting with it,” he says.

Admittedly, we have come a long way since then. Zainab Ansari, who heads Karachi’s Xenith PR, tells me that most multinational and local organisations today have realised the value of PR within their respective concerns – a realisation she mostly credits to the influx of IT and telecom companies, as well as increased awareness of global trends. It is perhaps this realisation – coupled with a gap in the market – that led fellow expat Selina Rashid to establish the Lahore-based Lotus PR, which focuses on ‘lifestyle PR’, in 2007.

Even so, while Rashid has made much headway, with clients in Lahore now understanding the need for PR – as well as the basic services that fall under the remit of PR agencies – it appears that the Lahore market is still far behind Karachi in terms of understanding; which brings me to my initial observation – the host of what Ansari calls ‘briefcase PR agencies’.

Perhaps, as Shariff points out, one of the problems is the fact that “there are still very few companies that understand what PR is, how it works and what it can and cannot do.”

He adds that most companies equate PR with getting into the media and are not thinking beyond media outreach. This reliance on media relations as the ‘end all, be all’ may be one reason for the explosion of Lahore’s events-led ‘PR practitioners’.

So where do we go from here? To begin with, I believe that there is a strong need for a governing industry body – one that promotes and enforces industry best practices. Take for example behavioural targeting in Europe – until recently, this was a cause of huge concern for both regulators and the public at large. Yet the introduction of governing bodies, such as the Internet Advertising Sales Houses and the Internet Advertising Board, allowed rules and regulations to be drawn up that enabled those offering behavioural targeting technologies to introduce these to the public, while ensuring that there was no infringement of privacy.

Admittedly, this may not be an easy undertaking – especially with so many disparate players in the market. Moreover, it may be hard to persuade the major players that there is a need for change in the status quo. Perhaps the way to achieve this would be to demonstrate the value of such a governing body to all stakeholders – seasoned practitioners would be hailed as industry veterans and pass on their knowledge to new entrants. At the same time, younger, more tech savvy practitioners could educate the rest on new media methodologies. Of course, the benefits for brands and clients would be obvious – well defined and improved services with predefined requisites for PR practitioners.

At the same time, it is essential that we, as PR professionals, ensure that we are constantly abreast of new techniques and technologies and that we offer our clients a wide range of services. While search engine marketing services are still nascent in Pakistan, it is incumbent upon PR professionals to learn how to integrate these with traditional methodologies; if our remit is to manage our clients’ reputations, it is nothing short of negligence on our part if we ignore the digital medium.

Perhaps we have a long way to go before the PR sector in Pakistan – and Lahore specifically – reaches near the complexity of more developed markets. But it is only by practicing the trade and educating our clients that we can ensure that this happens and move closer to a healthier, more robust sector.

Omer Jamil is CEO, Latitude. omar@latitudecrs.com

First published in the November-December 2010 issue of Aurora.

Why not to shy away from social media

Salma Jafri debunks seven reasons why companies prefer to shy away from using social media.

If you work in the social media sector, it would seem almost incongruous to imagine that a big corporation would not have a social media strategy and presence. Yet, that’s true. Most Pakistani companies don’t actually have a concrete social media strategy (no, a Facebook page is not a strategy!). We ‘social media types’ scratch our heads and wonder why? It seems like a no-brainer to us.

To be or not to be social, that is the question. While social media enthusiasts wonder why big businesses would even ponder that question, those companies do have some valid reasons.

Here are seven reasons why corporations may NOT be hopping on the social media bandwagon and seven counter-reasons why they should:

1. The ‘big guns’ aren’t okay with social media
If the senior management of a company has not okayed social media, it’s simply not part of the corporate culture or policy. I get it… you are a busy executive, you don’t have time for this Facebook nonsense or this Twitter rubbish, and you would certainly be within your rights to say that.

Reasons to change: There are big businesses and top management folk and lots of interesting people to be met via social media, just like at any other offline social networking event. It takes time and it’s a new medium but the usage is the same: it’s STILL all about making connections.

2. Not willing to change
Most companies feel that if their current advertising and marketing strategies are working, then there is really no need to change or add social media integration to them. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke, right?

Reasons to change: Such companies may not realise that every technological revolution has its early adopters and its laggards. While the early adopters are hopping on and connecting with audiences globally using social media, companies that are still hesitant will eventually have to scramble to catch up. As it takes time to build up a reputation on social media, the early adopters are better rewarded.

3. Afraid to connect so intimately with audiences
It’s true, social media is a very intimate medium. You are not hiding behind PR firms anymore or once-in-a-while-type communication tools (example: do not reply to this auto-generated email). In effect, social media is not a ‘controllable’ medium. Any time you put anything online, it becomes public property.

And it is unsettling to lose some of that one-directional control and realise that you have to be very closely connected to your audience.

Reasons to change: This is why it is recommended that companies hire a good social media agency to help them draft a comprehensive strategy. Once you have a defined social media strategy, it becomes easier to know what to say, when to say it and how to say it. The strategy provides the path on which to build your communications platform so you can be ready for any eventuality.

4. No defined way to measure ROI
Social media metrics constitute hard sell stuff like web visits, leads generated, sales made, traffic, clicks, etc. They also constitute soft sell ideas, such as customer interaction levels, goodwill, loyalty, credibility, reputation, branding, etc., and these can be more challenging to measure and hence a reason why marketing executives are not able to sell social media to upper management.

Reasons to change: The way to measure social ROI is to develop smart goals that can be measured. For example, if the goal is to increase sales, the metrics to measure might be traffic to the product’s landing page, referral traffic, calls and emails requesting product information and online visibility of the product’s name across social channels.

5. Don’t know how to tell the fluff from the real thing
There are so many social media gurus and companies out there that it has become difficult to sift the experts from the trend-riders. Any company would be wary of hiring the next-kid-on-the-block-type social media agency.

Reasons to change: When evaluating social media agencies, it is crucial to see their interaction and performance levels first. They should be actively and positively immersed in the medium, because after all, social media is a very hands-on tool. If they rarely bother to communicate with their own audience, they are not likely to do a great job advising you either!

6. Everyone’s doing it; seems like a fad, not a sustainable business strategy
It’s true that ‘being social’ is like the next ‘go green’ campaign – done to death in terms of hype and yet not really implemented properly by many.

Reasons to change: Some important statistics to keep in mind: This so-called-fad commands over 10% of total internet time; is the fourth most popular online activity (ahead of email!), and over 66.6% of the world’s internet population visits social networks (Source: Nielsen, Global Faces and Networked Places, 2009). Any way you look at it, social media is BIG, here to stay and will further evolve and immerse itself into our lives. You do not have to be a part of it, but then you would be missing out on the world’s biggest conversation!

7. Not enough case studies on it – yet
Although there is the odd social media behemoth success story (think Old Spice or Lady Gaga), most companies are not in the news for their social media endeavours, simply because they are quietly plugging away at it. For them, social media interaction is a normal, continuous part of doing business.

Reasons to change: Social media activity does not have to necessarily include a big viral campaign or blockbuster Facebook contest. In its essence, a great social media strategy ‘listens’ to its audience and ‘talks’ to them about what is important to them. Whereas traditional marketing is a one-way communication channel, social media is a two-way interactive channel. Think of it as a full duplex channel, you have to talk and listen at the same time! The success comes in small steps taken daily.

Most Pakistani organisations are working on some part of the social media puzzle (a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a blogging community, etc.), but don’t have an integrated strategy in place, so if you are responsible for developing your company’s social media strategy and overcoming the above obstacles, you need to:

1. Define your social media goals
What would you expect social media to do for you? Do you need it to give you a bigger voice, more recognition, higher sales, more conversions, more goodwill, better brand loyalty – what is the goal?

2. Who is your audience?
Develop a listening post where you can ‘hear’ what others are saying about you and become part of the conversation. Listening posts can be established using services like Google Alerts and Social Mention.

3. What kind of commitment can you make to social media?
How many people, how much time, resources, strategies, etc., are you willing to commit to social media development?

4. How will you measure the results?
Use numbers and charts (for example, Google Analytics, Facebook insights, YouTube insights) to show upper management the hard and soft benefits of your social media campaign.

Salma Jafri is the owner of WordPL.net and part-owner of CustomSocialPages.com. salma@wordpl.net

The business of Facebook

Marylou Andrew profiles three Pakistani businesses which are sold on Facebook in more ways than one.

Facebook rules the Pakistani digiverse but it is more than just a social networking site. As many brands and businesses have discovered, Facebook is a viable means of promotion and starting one-to-one conversations with customers. This interaction is priceless and all the more appealing because it is practically free of cost.

Facebook does not publicise statistics about its business pages, but it is obvious that the network is becoming more business oriented and the most recent layout change (December 2010) makes more room for advertisers and businesses on profiles.

Pakistani businesses stand to gain immensely from a presence on Facebook. According to Facebook’s statistics for December 2010, there are over three million Pakistani members of which 67% are men and 32% are women. Eighteen to 34-year-olds account for a staggering 79% of this population. There is no information on affluence levels but it is a safe bet that most of these people hail from the upper and middle classes of society.

Keeping these facts in mind, many first time entrepreneurs with big ideas but without the desire or capital to set up a large scale business, are using Facebook as the primary means of promoting their businesses.

In this article, we profile three businesses which have three traits in common: They were started by women, they are based on a current trend, and their primary method of advertising is Facebook.

Cupcake(s) by Cookie
Facebook fan strength: Over 16,000

Bazma Azfar was a corporate banker by education and profession until she quit her job to have a baby. She has always had a very special relationship with cake; her husband wooed her with chocolate cake and she has dabbled in baking.

A little over a year and a half ago, Azfar wanted to do something special for her son’s birthday, so she baked and decorated Sesame Street themed cupcakes for his class at school. They were an instant hit and a friend suggested that she create a small Facebook group and start taking orders; thus Cupcake(s) by Cookie was born.

Word spread quickly through the network and when people saw the pictures of Azfar’s attractive cupcakes, the orders started pouring in. Of course, the business was helped by the fact that cupcakes are very trendy around the world. In 2009, Google reported that ‘cupcakes’ was one of the fastest growing search words, and this trend shows no signs of abating. Cupcakes have surpassed their utility as small portion cakes for children; they are now used as wedding cakes, for birthday parties, baby showers, as wedding and birth announcements and even in place of mithai.

Being the smart cookie (pun intended) that she is, Azfar quickly caught on to the trend and started designing cupcakes for every occasion from Eid, Halloween, Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and birthdays, to custom made cupcakes for weddings and proposals and even others featuring cartoon characters, famous fashion logos and football insignia. And how did she publicise all her delightful creations? Through her 150 Facebook albums!

It has not always been a smooth ride for Azfar. Because Facebook is a public medium, plenty of me-too businesses have sprung up. People have copied her cupcakes, her packaging and even the paper she uses to line her boxes. In addition, not everyone is crazy about her prices; a single cupcake costs between 165 and 200 rupees, and sometimes more.

Azfar says she’s aware of the competition and checks out other people’s business pages once in a while but is happy with her own offerings. She is unwilling to budge in terms of prices because “I use quality ingredients and I factor in the time I spend. Sometimes I spend almost 45 minutes on the detailing of a single cupcake!”

For the time being, Azfar is content to keep her business on Facebook. She has a listing on Karachi Snob (which she was nominated for) but most of her business comes from Facebook.

“I bake and decorate four to five dozen cupcakes everyday, I have plenty of repeat customers who are willing to trust me to create something for them, and I like the fact that this is a very personal and customised business.”

To view the Cupcake(s) by Cookie Facebook page, click here: http://on.fb.me/eyRNuZ

Firefly Photoworks
Facebook fan strength: Over 800

Photographing children is a tough business; this thought occurred to Nariman Ansari when she was taking her son around to different studios for a photo shoot. With this realisation came an idea: to start a photography business that specialises in taking pictures of children. With a minor in photography from the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA), Ansari had the right technical credentials for the job but she says she also has the patience to deal with children and that is what makes Firefly Photoworks work!

The first step was to do a bunch of photo shoots with friends’ children. The purpose was two-fold: to develop a portfolio of children’s photographs and to test whether she could work with other people’s children. Next, Ansari designed her own logo (which was later tweaked by a friend) and set up her Facebook business page with some of her work.

“All my friends became fans of the page so initially it was completely useless,” she exclaims.
Ansari very honestly tells me that the first three months of Firefly Photoworks were very boring. She printed about 2000 postcard sized flyers and left these at the offices of various high level paediatricians but ultimately got the best response from her Facebook page, her listing on Karachi Snob and thirdly, through word of mouth.

Things picked up significantly on her Facebook page as a result of her collaboration with other Facebook-based businesses. She ordered a box of Firefly Photoworks cupcake from Cupcake(s) by Cookie (see above) and then did a photo shoot of the cupcakes which she posted on her own page as well as on the Cupcake(s) by Cookie page. This helped bring more traffic to her page.

She has also collaborated with another highly popular Facebook group called WeldonMoms (established by Anila Weldon), which has a following of over 3,000 fans. Ansari set up photo booths at two WeldonMoms’ events (the Chocolate Festival and the Costume Carnival) and has managed to generate a substantial amount of business from these.

However, there are challenges to overcome, the biggest one being that people are still not sold on the concept of having a photo shoot done just for fun. It has also been difficult to convince people to pay what they believe is a very high price for her work. Ansari is convinced that her prices are fair:

“Working with children is tough and one shoot can take up to three hours because you have to soothe and calm them, let them watch a video, and basically do whatever it takes to get the best possible pictures.”

To view the Firefly Photoworks Facebook page, click here: http://on.fb.me/gRycft

Braids & Buttons
Facebook fan strength: Over 700

If there’s one thing Pakistani women love almost as much as their lawn, it is the braids and laces that go on it. The last three years have seen a massive surge in lace and piping consumption, with new trends to boot: these include wide, embroidered borders, huge silk flowers and diamante broaches. Such is the popularity of these adornments that it is not uncommon to spend up to Rs 1,000 on lace for a single outfit.

Buying lace and piping can be a trying experience as all the shops for these commodities are run by men, few of whom are sensitive to what women really want. This is the space that sisters Saniha Raheel and Anum Iqbal along with and their mother Khadija Iqbal and aunt Ayesha Kath hoped to fill when they decided to open Braids & Buttons.

Braids & Buttons is a store front business, but the sisters decided that taking it online via Facebook would be the best strategy to communicate with their target audience of SEC A+ and A women. They started a business page over a year ago and initially put up the store location as well as selected pictures of their stock of laces. This was an important aspect of their strategy as they are extremely conscientious about the quality they offer.

“We go out and buy all the lace ourselves and we also import some stuff from Canada and the UAE. But we make sure that whatever we buy satisfies our personal choice as well.”

Although the product is important and the sisters try their best to differentiate it from the rest of the market, they also understand they need to offer something extra to draw in customers. Thus their Facebook page heavily advertises the fact that they have ‘quality customer service’.

“We have been on the other side of the counter,” says Iqbal “and we know that lace shopping can be a harrowing experience, so we try our best to assist women by giving free input and advice, totally on the house. I don’t think you could get this kind of service anywhere else.”
The response has been phenomenal, says Raheel and in the process, they have managed to create some Braids & Buttons signature products.

“Satin roses are very popular but they were not available in the market so we have just created our own. In addition, I design clothes using our own laces and ribbons and these are also retailed through the shop.”

So what is the future plan?

“We want to do international shipping,” says Iqbal.

“We get calls from people in London who have seen our stuff on Facebook and ask whether we will send it to them, so this is an area we want to get into.”

To view the Braids & Buttons Facebook page, click here: http://on.fb.me/hqZZ3O

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.

AURORA FACT FILE: Business Rankings 2009-2010

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First published in the November-December 2010 issue of Aurora.

THE AURORA FACT FILE: Client Advertising Spend 2009-2010

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First published in the November-December 2010 issue of Aurora.

THE AURORA FACT FILE: Media Advertising Spend Breakup 2009-2010

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First published in the November-December 2010 issue of Aurora.

THE AURORA FACT FILE: Media Advertising Spend 2009-2010

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First published in the November-December 2010 issue of Aurora.

"Consumers must be given sufficient information to judge whether they want to buy your product"

Abrar Hasan, Chief Executive, National Foods, speaks to Aurora about his company’s evolution from making spices to becoming a major player in the branded food category.

AURORA: What kind of company does National Foods aspire to be?
ABRAR HASAN: Our vision is to be a player in the branded segment of the total food market in Pakistan and to make a significant dent in the international market. We aspire to be an international brand and we are setting up the infrastructure that will help us achieve these goals.

A: Which markets are you looking at?
AH: We export to about 38 countries and the concept is to set up regionalised hubs to cater to those countries. We will do this by working with professional logistics operators; the objective is to develop a world class international distribution system for our products, which would be a precursor to setting up offices and starting marketing and
sales activities.

A: How close are you to achieving this objective?
AH: We are in the modelling stage. Working across borders is tricky, as there are taxation and local regulatory compliance issues.

A: Are you exporting the full range of your products? 
AH: More or less the full range, although the biggest potential lies in pickles and recipes; they command a much higher demand from the ethnic population as they are indigenous to the Subcontinent and cannot be easily reproduced by other international players. Patak’s was the one English company that was successful in doing this. They started with pickles and then diversified into other products. Although they are an English company, the owners were from India, so they knew what to do in terms of the formulation. However, there are not many players out there who can do this, which is why National pickles are the best in the international market and we command the top slot. In terms of the recipes, I think Shan has the upper hand in some countries and we do in others; so there are divided loyalties in recipes, but the bottom line is that as far as pickles and recipes are concerned, Pakistani manufacturers excel. India has tried to produce such recipes, but has not been successful because Indians are more or less vegetarians, so their blends are not very good when cooking meat. We specialise in meat-based products and we get the flavour right, which is why even meat eating Indians prefer Pakistani recipes.

A: Are Patak’s and Shan your main competitors overseas?
AH: Patak’s pickles are bracketed in a very high price range and cater to a different, niche segment. They don’t do recipes in powder form but in pastes and sauces, which is more convenient, but again this segment is very different and these are expensive products. Patak’s is not a direct, but an indirect competitor. In terms of direct competition there is Shan and among the Indian companies MDH is a large player. Then you have a whole lot of other Indian companies.

A: Has India cornered the market in terms of getting their products out there?
AH: From a marketing perspective the Indians are very good. We see that in the quality of their advertising. However, in terms of product quality and sales there is a huge difference, because what they claim in their marketing does not live up to consumer expectations. The taste leaves a lot to be desired. They make their products very cost competitive and therefore compromise on their image; the packaging is not very good, the quality of the labelling is poor. This is the advantage we have over them. However, we need to learn a thing or two about marketing and advertising from them; the Indians are very creative and we must give them credit for this.

A: Do you face added issues in terms of quality control in the export markets?
AH: We do not have two sets of products; what is good for the export market has to be good for the local one. It would be much more expensive to manufacture two sets of products; it doesn’t make sense. The regulatory compliances in Europe and North America are made in the interests of the consumer, and if you are a manufacturer who believes in a code of ethics then you must produce what is good for the consumer. You have to manufacture and package products that are hygienically fit and made from ingredients that conform to current health trends, and these ingredients must be clearly declared on the labelling. Consumers must be given sufficient information to judge whether they want to buy your product. These are good manufacturing practices and by doing so you are creating value added consumers who know that they can trust your brand.

A: How big a player is National Foods in the rice market?
AH: We are not a very big player in either the export or local market, because this is a category that has to be built up over time. In the local market the biggest challenge is distribution. The product we market is of the topmost quality, 100% unbroken super basmati, but because of its weight it needs to be distributed in an innovative manner. We are looking at different distribution techniques, at how the product is handled and how to increase market penetration. The beauty of rice is that it is a large volume, quality-based product, although it is an expensive commodity to invest in. Setting up a modern rice plant costs less than investing in the stocks. Rice develops quality as it ages and this puts a strain on cash flows. It takes years to become a major player and you do it by slowly turning over the stocks. This is our third year distributing rice domestically and our sixth year internationally; we are doing close to 3,500 tonnes and in the next couple of years we aim to cross the 10,000 tonne barrier.

A: National Foods started as a spice manufacturer; today the company is into a range of food products, how did this evolution take place?
AH: Slowly. When it first started, the company was very small and was financed by the directors’ own money. They honestly and diligently kept reinvesting and thereby kept the company growing. I must give them credit for having managed the company so well financially, it set up the infrastructure and pace for growth. They kept on launching new categories of food and as those products became successful, more money came into the company. By 1988 the company was of a respectable size and went in for an IPO, and after we became a public limited company, we received a significant capital injection and that helped us grow immensely. Today we have over 15 different product categories and we are looking to expand further.

A: In terms of expansion, what product categories are you looking at?
AH: We like to do things a bit differently. If we are going to look at different categories then they need to be ‘different’ categories. They need to bring in some value to consumers that they are not receiving now, and these are the convenience-based products. As lifestyles change, the economy develops and more women come into the workplace, there will be a need for more convenience-based food products that are either ready-to-eat or are preparation based meals that can be quickly put together. However, we also want a share in certain normal food categories, because the category band is extremely large. We were late entrants in ketchups and jams, yet today we are the number one leader. In the recent Brand Elections, National Foods won the sixth position in the top 100 countdown and the best were National’s recipes, which came in at number two for the entire country and that is a good feeling in terms of how we market our products.

A: Given changing consumer lifestyles, do you see the traditional masala market eventually declining?   
AH: It has to because there are different mediums out there that are more convenient. Within the spice category map there are parallel segments. The first are the simple ingredients, plain spices like red chilli, coriander, turmeric, etc.; in this semi-category, the level of expertise required is very high. You have to be an expert cook; you need to know your recipes and how to use these ingredients to come up with your own concoctions. But what about people who don’t know how to cook? Here the powdered recipes take over. You don’t have to be an expert cook; if you know how to heat the oil, chop the vegetables and read the instructions, you are guaranteed a taste. It adds to the convenience factor and shortens the cooking time, although the process requires 30 minutes. Then you move into the pastes and sauces. Here the advantage is that fresh ingredients like onions, tomatoes or herbs are already part of the sauce. All you have to do is brown your meat, pour the sauce on top, cover and simmer and the dish is ready in 15 minutes. You can see the convenience chain evolving, and the ultimate are the ready-to-eat meals, where the expertise required is zero; all you need to know is how to heat the product. We have tapped into every single segment; we have products which we have not launched yet because the market is not ready for them, but our product range is complete and we have been exporting those products successfully.

A: In Pakistan, who is your target consumer?
AH: Everyone is my consumer. However women are our primary consumers.

A: In terms of segmentation, how deep down do you go?
AH: We rarely take our products beyond the C segment. Salt is the only category that goes all the way to the D and even the E segment. However, below the C segment is unfortunately where all the unorganised activity takes places and there are a lot of fakes, counterfeits and infringed products; taxes are unpaid and the goods supplied are spurious and harmful to health.

A: You mentioned the economy improving; do you see this happening?
AH: No matter how bad things are, there are certain fundamentals around which the economy operates, and it is not doing that badly. The biggest factor is inflation and we cannot blame Pakistan alone for this because we are dependent on various external factors. Pakistan is not generating enough income, so it has to borrow, and borrowing is a constraint in terms of having the flexibility to do things. Globally oil prices have increased tremendously and then there have been the financial collapses and various economic disasters, so it is not only Pakistan where things have not improved. Despite all these circumstances Pakistan has managed its economy quite well. However, there are certain fundamentals that need to be looked into very critically. We need to take certain bold and critical decisions, and if we do so we will be able to come out of this.

A: How badly has inflation impacted the branded food market?
AH: There has been a migration from branded to unbranded and that threat remains, but there is also a segment which is brand conscious and will not migrate. So we have a very small proportion of people who sway both ways, and as soon as inflation tapers off, they come back. To put it simply, yes, food products do get affected.

A: How much emphasis does National Foods put on HR training?
AH: A tremendous amount. Among Pakistani companies, National Foods was the pioneer in setting up a Human Resource Management (HRM) department, and this was way back in 1997. Before this there was no concept of HRM in the local industry. The first training and development budget we put together in 1999 was Rs 100,000 or 150,000, yet the very next year I made a budget of four million rupees. This was our level of commitment to training and today people are trained all year around. At the same time it was important to develop metrics to measure what this training delivers in return. There are a lot of companies which give blind training; they don’t assess what value has been added back. The idea is not to train for the sake of training, but to train so that it contributes to the value of the company’s strategic intent.

A: Initially, where did you get the trainers to train the people?
AH: There is a massive knowledge base deprivation in Pakistan. When this HR evolution took place in the industry and we had identified the skill sets required for various positions, we started thinking from where to acquire the knowledge base. At the time a lot of external HR training companies were emerging and there were also a lot of established institutes, such as the Pakistan Institute of Management, which had their own skill development courses. Also, every company acquires a rich knowledge base as it grows and this is something which needs to be passed on to the employees through a conscious effort and it  is usually done by the top leaders.

A: Why is your digital presence so low key?
AH: We are working on a comprehensive website. I am changing the way the internet is used in this country, which right now is only for purely information purposes or website hosting. Our website will not only provide information, it will be a business transactional tool. There will be four of pillars to it. The first will be information, the second is B2B and will be aimed at our supply chain partners so we can transact business with them directly, the third is a transactional tool for our employees and the fourth is B2C, and this aspect will take a little bit longer, as it is dependent on how quickly we can set up our global logistic network. 

A: Is there a market for more players in the food category in Pakistan?
AH: Absolutely. Today the unbranded segment is still the largest segment and conversion to the branded segment is required. In the branded segment, plain spices account for no more than seven percent of the total market. n

Abrar Hasan was talking to Mariam Ali Baig. For feedback, email aurora@dawn.com

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.

A Few of my Favourite Things

By Mazhar Raza

Zeera Plus

Category: TV
After a long time, Zeera Plus comes back with a new commercial and a new spokesperson, Anwar Maqsood. The TVC gives the audience an ‘insight’ into the life of the writer/lyricist/painter/ presenter/etc. He speaks of changing times, giving nostalgic references to many of Pakistan’s old favourites (his creations), and links his ‘plus’ in life to Zeera Plus.
Agency: Spectrum Y&R, Pakistan


Micromax Mobile

Category: Print
An iconic image that has been used many, many times before in advertising. The copy gives it a new twist and grabs the attention of the reader.
Agency: Lowe Lintas, India


Calgary Farmers’ Market

Category: Print
I love how fresh this ad makes me feel! True to our culture, summer has us all feeling hot and sweaty, longing to lounge around in a vest! A great take on the freshness of fruit, this ad just makes me laugh out loud.
Agency: WAX, Canada

Telenor Talkshawk

Category: TV
The launch campaign was not nearly as interesting as the recent follow-up ‘suuraj ghar aata hai’. It’s more relevant, more interesting and more engaging – and very emotional too.
Agency: Adcom, Pakistan


National Masala

Category: TV
The TV campaign (showing a woman cooking a delicious meal and taking it to her sister in India) is a non-traditional approach to an ad about cooking. Rather than long, drawn out product shots, they present us with interesting story that speaks to the heart of Pakistani food lovers. They say music has no boundaries. This ad shows that neither does deliciously cooked food.
Agency: IAL Saatchi & Saatchi, Pakistan


Ufone

Category: TV
Another brilliant commercial by Faisal, Ahsan and his comedic brain trust. It has action, stunts, and one-liners. As with any new Ufone commercial, we enjoy and expect more entertainment per second than anywhere else – not to mention their signature bonus endings – and they never disappoint. These guys have come up with a way of getting the audience’s undivided attention right up to the very last second.
Agency: Interflow Communications, Pakistan


Amnesty International

Category: Print
The death penalty has plagued nations for centuries. Using excellent execution, this ad makes viewers feel like they could be at the other end of those pointed guns. Sparking the social conscience of many people, young and old, Amnesty International could really make a difference by making people see the futility of defenceless death.
Agency: TBWA, France


Cadbury

Category: Print
I love the insight used in this campaign. These personal stories could be about anyone we know. Although the ad is Indian, it relates on a human level to all of us. And of course, it makes Cadbury more than just a chocolate bar.
Agency: Contract Advertising, India

Mazhar Raza is Associate Creative Director, Spectrum Y&R. mazhar@spectrumyr.com

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.

In quest of the Rolex

Leon Menezes on the curious world of celebrity endorsement.

I have been drinking Slice juices for a while and using Pantene shampoo. Next I switched from my regular tea to Alokozay and even started using Veet hair removing cream. Now, I have dropped Irish Spring for Lux.

What is going on, you might ask? Well, it’s the fact that none other than the incredibly gorgeous, stunningly beautiful Katrina Kaif is endorsing these products. (Veet? For heaven’s sake, I’m a guy.)

Advertisers have known for the longest time that weak people like me need to reinforce our self image through celebrity endorsements. Tobacco and alcohol are taboo but everything else is fair game for a well-known person to attach their names to. The list is too long to name them all and it keeps growing – Sean Connery doing LV luggage!!!

Images of George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman are a few of the actors one sees plugging high-end products. Sportsmen are naturally aligned to manufacturers of clothing and equipment from their field and one sees a lot of that. Rolex watches, on the other hand, have embraced a wide variety of activities that symbolise top of the line events and people to associate their name with: Wimbledon (and Roger Federer), golf (with Phil Mickleson, Lorena Ochoa and Adam Scott), sailing, opera (Dame Kiri Te Kanawa) and equestrian pursuits. I think it will be quite a while before they add cricket to their pantheon of sports.

So what happens when a celebrity associated with your product has a fall from grace? The biggest fiasco in recent times is, of course, a certain Mr Tiger Woods and his indiscretions off the golf course. There he was endorsing Cadillac jeeps and Accenture Consultancy, Gatorade and Nike Golf. Except for Nike who stuck with him, the others disassociated themselves rather quickly, some admonishing him and others tactfully not renewing their contracts. The same is true for champion swimmer Michael Phelps, who was caught on tape smoking hash; he lost his Kellogg’s contract. How would you have advised your clients?

A few years ago, Michael Jackson had a similar issue with Pepsi when he was accused of child molestation. The campaigns had to be pulled until things blew over. What surprises me is Shahid Afridi’s ball biting incident in Australia last year – the sponsors seem to be flocking to him in increasing numbers. What gives?

For reasons yet to be determined, rock musicians in Pakistan are often accused of ‘selling out’ to big business when they are sponsored by Coke or Pepsi. I wonder why? Is it because of the product or the fact that they are multinational behemoths and are seen to be representing all that is evil about the corporate world? In this respect it is heartening to see Amir Zaki et al. being featured in the new Glow campaign for Warid; even rock stars need to eat.

Speaking of musicians – what do you make of Ali Zafar’s switch from Telenor to Mobilink’s Jazz? How can anyone forget his dancing and prancing with the lovely Sonya Jehan for Telenor? It is common to have sportsmen move from product to product and team to team as they are transferred and sold routinely. In such cases it is not the fickleness of the player that makes him endorse an opposing brand.

It’s a good thing politicians haven’t gone into the endorsement act. Can you imagine Bill Clinton promoting cigars, UK parliamentarians touting accounting services and our Pakistani brethren singing about the advantages of a bank loan you never have to return?

I am hoping to get my own endorsement deal soon so that I can buy the Rolex watch, Mont Blanc pen and the Armani suit I have always aspired to.

Leon Menezes is General Manager, Human Resources, Shell Pakistan.

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.

A word from Baba Fooka

By Ali A. Rizvi
Has digital media come of age? People involved in this business call it the future; media agencies include digital in their plans but cannot justify its presence to the brand team; marketers acknowledge the medium but hesitate to explore it. So what does the future hold?

Perplexed by this question, I decided on a visit to Baba Fooka and respectfully asked him, “Baba jee, digital media ka future kya hai?”

Giving me a rather disgusted look he replied: “Mera ilm-o-hisab kehta hai kay, this is the future, aur don’t ask again.” 

After a pause he continued: “You may think you know digital media, but there is more to it than Facebook and status updates. You have no idea what it is and what it can do. Before it grows even more in importance, you better get up to speed.”

Staring into space, Baba Fooka told me that digital media was born in the form of text available on the internet. As the internet gained popularity, there was an increase in content. It started when people began sharing photos, leading to the need for photo sharing sites. Then audio files became the rage and websites like Napster and Audio Galaxy showed up. And finally there was video sharing, made all the more popular by YouTube. The mother of all innovation and integration came with the advent of social networking sites, which gave us the ability to share all kinds of information from a single platform, and in so doing, they completely changed the dynamics of our social behaviour. It is how we will communicate in the 21st century.

Certain that social media will continue to grow, Baba Fooka stressed that we need experts who are able to create the offline-online connect as well as brand teams able to embrace the power of this medium. It will require a change of mindset for Pakistani advertisers to realise the potential of this medium, in the same way that the telecoms and other MNCs have already done. A word of advice which he gave to the telecoms was that “Facebook aur Cricinfo say aagay jahan aur bhi hain.” I wonder why he said that?

Then Baba Fooka told me how brands can benefit from digital. To start off with, brands need to develop interactive and digital specific creative. Integration is the name of the game; develop content for traditional media and create a connect for it on digital. It is good to create community pages on social networking sites but it’s a sin not to update them or communicate with your community members regularly. 

To drive his message home, Baba Fooka shared five brand campaigns that demonstrated how to create a brand connect.

BRAND: Coca-Cola

Campaign: www.cokestudio.com.pk
Effectiveness: The official website hosts videos, pictures, widgets and downloads. All three seasons are available for download, with videos, performer information, behind-the-scenes footage, lyrics, pictures, wallpapers, mobile content and applications. The website provides links to the Facebook community page, Twitter page and the YouTube Coke Studio channel. When a new season is on-air, the website generates traffic by running contests.
Verdict: A very good example of how to use digital media for brand initiatives and content integration. It would be nice if an official blog could be incorporated as well.

BRAND: Nestlé Fruita Vitals

http://www.facebook.com/Pamperspakistan?ref=ts#!/NestleFruitaVitals
Campaign: Facebook community page
Effectiveness: Over 119,000 active members added in a year is quite an achievement. The community is professionally maintained and updated regularly. The page is strictly moderated and members can only post community and brand relevant comments. The page informs fans about what is happening in the Fruita Vitals brand world in terms of new flavours; there are small surveys to understand the digital consumer, interesting contests, and messages relevant to specific social and cultural events. It also provides exercise tips and recipes for punch and mocktails.
Verdict: Shows the way to good social networking. There is real time consumer response on all brand initiatives with a minimum of 150 responses to any post.

BRAND: Pampers

http://www.facebook.com/Pamperspakistan?ref=ts
Campaign: Facebook community page
Effectiveness: Over 61,000 active members; mostly parents. The page is committed to baby care and keeping parents involved. It is also a testament to the fact that housewives are internet users and will respond if the message has the right emotional connect. From celebrating baby’s birthday, photo shoots, picture of the day and sharing videos, there is much to keep a proud parent engaged. The current promotion is to take the ‘Pampers Dryness Challenge Video Contest’ which involves making a commercial and having a chance to be on TV. 
Verdict: Nothing dry about this community. It keeps fans entertained and engaged, and with uploads of over 15,000 baby pictures, this is a winner community. 

BRAND: Vaseline Pakistan

http://apps.facebook.com/inviteandwin/?ref=ts
Campaign: Facebook community page
Effectiveness: Over 60,000 fans in three months shows the power of social networking used appropriately. Vaseline did this by creating a simple application called ‘Invite & Win’, with three simple steps: Join the application and like the page; invite your friends and build your network. If your network grows into one of the top 250 networks you receive a prize, which can range from an iPad to a gift hamper. Plus, you can post your comments on the fanpage and ask for brand advice. There wasn’t a single post on the page that did not carry a response from the moderator, which shows the importance of customer care.
Verdict: An amazing buzz for a newly launched brand that will develop loyal customers.

BRAND: Djuice

Campaign: Lucky ghanta
Effectiveness: The message is action oriented which makes you think of what will happen once you click it. The game is simple, although it requires quick reflexes, which makes it more fun to play. You will not leave the game until you have clicked the dog.
Verdict: Full marks for being different, although the creative for the banner was just ok.

Ali A. Rizvi is COO, Contact Plus. ali.arizvi@gmail.com

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.

Don Draper stole my thunder

By Ali Hayat Rizvi

It’s that time again.

And no, I’m not talking about the holiday season. It’s that time when I finally respond to my editors’ hints, requests, pleas and outright threats and do what I resolved to do a week ago.

But that’s the thing about resolutions. They are far too easy to make and (unless you have the Sword of Damocles hanging over you or the fear of public shaming via Facebook), even easier to ignore. The fact that I enjoy the things I do a little too much, and don’t really miss the ones I don’t, is the reason that I have never given any serious thought to making New Year resolutions. 

Until Don Draper came along.

Without as much as a ‘by your leave’, the man stole my story. The money from the publishing rights alone would have kept me in Martinis for the rest of my life. And don’t get me started on what the movie rights were worth! Well since turnabout is fair play, I am going to take a leaf or two from his book and give him a taste of his own medicine.  And so here, without further ado, are my resolutions for 2011:

I will wear trousers. Every day. And maybe a hat

I don’t understand why so called ‘creatives’ are expected to dress down. The only person I know who consistently looks good with stubble is Wolverine. And even he dresses up in skin tight leather for missions. If I were a brand manager, I would be wary of handing my bread and butter over to someone who cannot be bothered to iron his shirt. While Don does have trouble keeping his pants on, you have to admit that the man looks good in a suit.

I won’t be a Dick

Now before you faint, let me remind you that Don Draper is actually Dick Whitman. Why he changed his name is not important but notice how that bit of alliteration makes him so much sexier. I am stuck with three names… like Lee Harvey Oswald, or John Wilkes Booth. The only thing that I can do is drop down to two names instead of the three that I have right now. The jury is still out on whether it will be Ali Hayat or Ali Rizvi.

I will take a sabbatical

This one is tough. I haven’t had a proper vacation in eight years and I think I need one. But then again, I have just spent the last 18 days away from my office, and hated it after the first three. Except that when I look at how Don went away for a bit and came back recharged and got a raise to boot, I’m sorely tempted. Do I? Don’t I? And where do I go? I spend far too much on hair product and skin lightening creams to seriously consider a stint in the sun and I really hate the cold. So I might as well stay home and read.

I will be the strong, silent type

You never see Don hitting the gym in Spandex. You don’t see him doing push-ups or running like a man possessed. As far as I can tell, he and I have exactly the same lifestyle, but I don’t see him pulling in his gut every time he sits in on a casting call. Each time he takes that shirt off, you can tell this is not a man to be messed with. 

And he’s not a talker. Half my troubles are because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut. I get over enthusiastic in meetings, excited at shoots and downright exuberant in my down time.

So in 2011, I resolve to get the body I want (I’m not averse to minor surgery) and speak a lot less – all this to achieve the myth... the myth of Ali Hayat (or Ali Rizvi if you prefer) -the desi Don Draper.

Ali Hayat Rizvi is Group Creative Director, JWT. ali.hayat@jwt.com

First published in the January-February 2011 issue of Aurora.