As Seen on TV – Evil Eye Protector [Video]

For all those who have WorldCall connection for their television sets, they have probably come across the advertisement for *Evil Eye Protector* endorsed by ‘As seen on TV’. I don’t normally watch any advert by them coz of the simple reason, their ads are repeated twice and are just too long for me to bear. Also, I just don’t think I fall in their targeted customers.

But recently, while switching channels I saw an advert for *Evil Eye Protector*, a pendant that one should wear to protect themselves against people and their evil eye. The reason why I stopped to see the entire ad, was ONLY because I had a bracelet gifted to me that had the same eye. I know about the eye icon and people beliefs about it protecting you against evil but I never happened to believe in it to the extent of wearing it for that specific purpose.

Anyhow, what surprised me was the disappointing way the advert talked about protecting oneself from*Nazar Lagna*. Examples discussed include: new office opening and the business going down, child falling ill every time people complimented him/her, losses, no proposals for your daughter etc etc. I do believe in *Nazar Lagna* but I don’t think that it is appropriate to sell a jewelery item for more than Rs. 1000 by fooling people to this extent. What happened to believing in God? To the traditional method of Nazar Utarna. I agree everyone does not know how to do it, but still I wouldn’t say the Evil Eye Protector can be justified.

I tried searching for the local video that I had watched but found an Indian Version instead. Watch it to see what I mean. Also note THE RAYS that link one’s evil eye to the person. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8-F_qKetSs&feature=player_embedded#!

TOYO Plastic & Washing Machines? Oh No… Not again!

If you have witnessed the recent advertisements from TOYO, then I can say with full surety that either you would have fallen off your seats laughing or cursed the advertisement agency for coming up with such an ad. I experienced both!!

If I get into explaining what exactly happens in the advert, I might loose track of what I actually want to say so I am going to leave you with a bit of suspense so that you are glued to your screens to witness the state of a few of our ad agencies.

With the growth of the advertisement industry in Pakistan, such advertisements really disappoint a marketer and those who wish to be marketers. When our products are competing to be the biggest brands and improving their quality to stand out, we still see the communication errors and that too quite visibly. Say for example, we have seen recent talk about Kashmir Premium Gold with ‘Hur Ghar main Basa Pyar’ and their seductive approach to selling Cooking oil, the Slice advert, Stillman’s advert with the little boy yelling CHACHU GORI!

Where is the fault? In the brief that these agencies get or in the brainstorming that the agencies do? I fail to understand.

Also, shouldn’t there be some advertising standards or guidelines. A minimum acceptable standard that the advertisement should meet to be sent on air? I think just like PEMRA steps up every time someone raises a voice, there should be someone actually approving the ad and this criteria should be based on advert executive with respect to the product and not lower the advertisement standards.

Coming back to the TOYO advertisement for the plastic chairs and the washing machine, just the way the model feels the chair with her hand and says TOYO would make one want to puke! If you think I’m overreacting… watch the ad and then comment!
UPDATE: The ad was discovered online and shared below. You can enjoy the ad at your own comfort. TO-YO… Seduction OMG!

P.S. TOYO Group of Industries Pakistan ACTUALLY possesses The American International Quality Certificate as well! GOD!

7 UP – Thumbs Up Advertising – Simpler is Better!

Just a quick blog post to refresh your minds. I noticed my previous blogs have focused on criticizing adverts but this one’s a little different and I might not like the drink but I like their concept and execution!

No doubt the ‘Simpler is Better’ advertising must have gone through a strenuous task of coming up with the right communication message and tone for the viewers but I think the ad indeed speaks for the brand. It demonstrates how simpler is actually better. Loved the concept of the refreshing machine and the way the icy water, lemon juice and the normal dryer try to freshen the dude… it develops the perfect brand connection.

Thumbs Up to 7UP indeed for this one… sigh if only I was a fan of their taste I’d just go refresh myself!

What are students taught at Universities like MAJU?

Refer to the 2 images in my blog. One was posted on August 31, 2010 and the other one on September 29, 2010. If i ask you to chalk out the differences between the 2, it will be quite obvious to point out what i am trying to hint at.
A friend posted the MAJU image on my wall today and i was shocked. If a university student likes the idea of another university marketing society, he can atleast amend it before publishing it. By amending it, i do not mean just changing the name of the university, but i mean changing the text, graphics and colours AT-LEAST. If our students aren't taught the basics of plagiarism and using their brains, then what worth is a degree? If by simply copying stuff, one tends to benefit from a few "compliments" would this last? Would this guarantee a place in an organization? Would you be able to prove your worth and survive in the competitive job market? I doubt!

So a piece of advice to all SZABISTIANS.. Do not ever do what MAJU just did..coz it takes years to create goodwill for yourself and your institution and a single act of yours can lead to a negative image for your alma mater.

Maria B. on "Islam Hum Sab Ke Liye" (Hum TV)

What would come to your mind if i link designers with a purely Islamic show? I don't know about you but it certainly makes me lose the credibility of the discussion of the show. HUM TV has started a transmission by the name of "Islam Hum Sab Ke Liye" starring Maria B and Khaled Zaheer. I mean Maria B dressed up with a dupatta on her head acting all Islamic was kind of a turn off for me.

I tracked the show down on Maria B's profile page on facebook and just as i expected,people's comments on the show advert were more negative than positive. To Quote, one of the fans had even commented that they are creating their own version of Islam to accommodate themselves. I could not agree more.

And for those who think the linkage between Maria B and the Ramadan transmission is great, don't think too much. Why? Because the positive comments on the programme relate to her looking beautiful, dresses looking awesome and her way of speaking being admirable. I mean hello!! Viewers are to concentrate on the Islamic preachings being discussed and not the attire. I wouldn't blame them. This is what you get when you have a fashion designer as your host!

Several questions rummage through my brain when i try to make sense out of it. Questions like, would this mean that Maria B will have her new stock of clothes as Shariah Compliant? Can we assume that there will be no rip off strategies for the customers? Are all clothes going to be full sleeves and non-transparent?

For all those who think i'm anti-Maria B.. Relax, i like a few of her dresses.But that still does not qualify her as the right host for a Ramadan based Islamic transmission.

If someone has answers to my questions, feel free to post and comment!

From do talwar to teen talwar.......

From do talwar to teen talwar, I happened to be on the same public road with a government official! I know its surprising and a bit thought provoking on how this could be possible. How did I manage to drive my car side by side the official with a green number plate? Here’s how…

I was enjoying the beautiful cloudy weather this morning as my driver drove me to office and while being driven, I collected my thoughts on the work to be done at office, the deadlines to meet, began planning my day, when the peace in my brain got shattered by a desperate siren. There was a police van (dark blue in colour) honking at us from a distance urging us to move. There was space at the right and it could have easily overtaken us (ignoring the public service messages placed everywhere that read “Caution! Overtaking can be fatal”), but no, it had to use the lane we were on.

My driver, acted responsibly and turned the car in the next lane. I assumed that now I could get back to my planning but the show hadn’t concluded. In a flash, there were 3 cars that drove past us at a speed that was horrifying. Two of them were police vans, the same blue ones, and one of them was the GS green number plate car with a flag. *Why wasn’t I surprised* The cars drove past us and my driver returned to our old lane again. (First mistake). We got back on track and again the siren. This time we had a white police van behind us, honking at us to move. My driver, frustrated, turned the car in the other lane again and this time recklessly!The white van also passed by and i decided to pay attention on why these 3 police vans were needed.

Allow me to describe the strategic placement of the cars: The blue van in front, the GS green number plate car sandwiched in the centre, followed by the other part of the sandwich blue van. The white van would move from left to right between this sandwich to move the cars from being next to this trio. I mean, hello!, it’s our road too..

You cannot just keep on making us move from left to right just cos you want the trio to be on the road ALONE. Oh and what strategy, if the blue van would move from the straight line, then the white van would cover for it. WoW!! And the beauty that they displaced in how *not to drive* was also awesome! It was not just reckless but untidy. If the life of the one sitting in the car was THIS IMPORTANT, and he/she needed security, there was no point of putting everyone else’s life on stake via this *Truckdriver-style driving* which we have been criticizing in all newspapers.

Oh well!!! Who denies that the rules for all not the same!! After all, we do follow the law of the jungle? Or do we? Now that ii have vented my frustration, time to get back to work! Have a good day all!

Coca Cola Initiates the First Ever Live Billboard in Pakistan

And once again Coke proves its *Out of Box* thinking! I bet everyone who’se been following my blog posts must be knowing i live close to sea view so any activity or unusual branding taking place at Sea View is hard to miss! Sundays are the most dreaded days for a person who lives close to Sea View as the entire road, from one corner to another, is crowded with people! It feels as if there is no other entertainment spot in Karachi *which might be an exaggeration but trust me, i hate leaving the house on a Sunday if the route to take is sea view!*. But last Sunday was an exception. While returning from some visiting tours at our relatives, we reached sea view and Walla!! What do we see? Three people dancing on a billboard wearing Coke shirts!! That explained the sound of hip hop coke music that we could hear from a distance. This definitely was better than the traditional regional music one is forced to listen to at Sea View on a Sunday!(I’m intentionally not mentioning the exact type or the owner of the blog wouldn’t accept the post!).

These 3 guys were actually dancing on a ramp made on the billboard, a good number of feets above the ground and there were crowds of people standing there *dumbfounded*. The same instant a thought struck to my mind regarding their safety and then i noticed the foam cushions on the ground and sighed!

I didn’t manage to see the entire performance as i could only convince my dad to stop for a little while for me to take the pic.

On the whole, this was really Innovation *at-least for me* as i have never witnessed people dancing on a billboard! Previously, videos have also been shared about youngsters performing the Keh Do Apnee Soch se Coke Jingle at different outlets like Nandos and that too was a *WOW* factor for me. My message for Coke!! I hope there is more to come…

OlFrute – Going Round the Roundabout!

Olfrute, the new fruit brand launched by Engro, has recently decorated the entire roundabout near their office with fruit shaped standees dug in the garden. Taking a right from Mc Donalds (Sea View), you will first come across the roundabout which once had 2 white horses strategically positioned there but now one horse has been forced to trot away while the other stands alone tail-less. The roundabout following the tail-less horse is the Olfrute roundabout.

I’ve started calling it that as the entire roundabout has fruits shaped standees, umbrellas, Olfrute cartons placed on it and the colours used are no less than an eye candy! I cross by every day while going to and returning from office and the roundabout has the perfect blend of scenic beauty alongside shades for the homeless. Twice i have seen people lying under their umbrella sleeping sound!

Thinking out loud: How long would this roundabout last with all the fruits in place? Is this the right roundabout to decorate considering the fact that not many people cross it and a better one would be with a high brand visibility? I guess we will have to wait and see! All in all…the idea and execution was Fruitastic!

Youth seen picking garbage at Boat Basin

I happened to stop at Boat Basin today evening for about 10 mins as my driver needed to collect mom’s dresses from the dry cleaner. While I sat in the car waiting for the driver to collect the clothes, I noticed a group of youngsters, aged between 17 to 20, collecting garbage from outside the shops.

These smartly dressed youngsters had black garbage bags in their hands and were wearing green masks to cover their mouths and gloves to cover their hands. I looked around to see how many they were and they were spread out in groups of 5 to 6 and in total, they would probably reach 20. I thought to myself that this was the type of youth we need to progress and handle the minor issues we face, throwing rubbish on the streets being one of them. But as I continued to be impressed by these kids, a thought flashed across my mind.

Have people started following them too? Have the audience/spectators started assisting them too? Have the people of Pakistan changed? Are we finally, all, being the change we want to see in the world? And there I got my answer! Obviously NOT! The most prominent spectators of this garbage picking noble cause were the waiters of the eateries (Chips Fast Food, Mr. Burger, Chick and Chips, Nihari Inn etc etc..).

These waiters, who probably are responsible for doing what these kids were doing on a daily basis, were standing in groups ridiculing these kids and pointing out where all the garbage was. I mean,** hello?**, you could pick it up if you see it, rather than considering this youth activity as Entertainment!

Sigh! We really aren’t going to change so soon. I include myself in this statement as i too did not get out of my car and give them a helping hand.

Thinking out loud, if similar activities start taking place at different parts of the city, outside our houses, on the streets, in public parks, in the regularly visited spots, maybe then we will be able to bring out the change. If there are a number of people starting a tradition, it is bound to leave some impact. *i think*/*i hope*

Anyways, All in All, I give these youngsters a standing ovation for owning Karachi!

Cyclone Phet and Sea View-A Great Combo!

I walked out of the office door with good luck and stay safe wishes from my colleagues due to Cyclone Phet which is expected to hit Sindh and Balochistan on the weekend. There have been talks going on about the intensity and the distance it has reached and not surprisingly, there have been frequent changes in the forecasts. From Thursday to now Sunday, this Cyclone, which my friends have named Cyclone Mushtaq and Cyclone Shujaat, for some odd reasons, is expected to hit Karachi.

Rumour has it that there is strict surveillance and ground security spread all over Sea View since the past 2 days but for a person who happens to cross Sea View daily to reach office and return from it, one tends to wonder, which part of Sea View are they Actually talking about. From what I saw on Thursday, there were people walking on the sand with their cars parked near the area behind Salt and Pepper. Plus, there were families enjoying not just the peaceful yet sort of green coloured sea but also enjoying the water. Some security there was…And today, Sea View seemed to have crowds of people all sitting by the shore on the benches with their eyes glued to the sea, as if, they were waiting for the Cyclone to come. Reminded me of the Tsunami and the scene where people were randomly watching the sea when the waves lost their calm. It got me to think, is only stepping in the water dangerous for the public or is it standing on the sand? Cos if the danger is from staying near the sea, then surely the safety in-charge weren’t doing their jobs. They were on Smart Horses though, trotting from one corner to the other but they were just preventing people from stepping down on the shore. If only I had a camera, this would definitely have been a PERFECT Picture.

For people who have got some source in these so-called safety and security guru agencies, feel free to let them know, that the storm doesn’t just hit the sand and the benches, it can reach the road too. An ideal thing to do would be to prevent people from enjoying the sea view (not Sea View) atleast till the sea has regained its senses.