Pakistan is not a country you would consider as a vibrant advertising market. Not if you live outside of it. From the outside, it seems the only real marketing opportunities would be in effigies. The only footage of our country that makes it out into the rest of the world is always groups of enraged men burning effigies. It isn't a fair description of the entire country, but it does hint towards the challenges inherent in advertising here. In a nation that has had more terrorist attacks in 2010 than both Afghanistan and Iraq, we can't just create ads that show the world is all hunky dory. Or can we?
Optimism becomes not just a brand positioning in our context, but a cherished value. One thing that most advertising professionals and brand managers forget is that optimism is only relevant when faced with circumstances that would normally create pessimism. It is a challenge to remain optimistic in the kinds of circumstances that the Pakistani consumer lives under, which is why it is all the more important to show them the way to do so. It's easy to be optimistic when living in, say, Belgium where optimism has no great value. Here, it is a cherished resource.
Commercials in Pakistan, the ones that get it right, provide moments of relief. The brands that use comedy as a platform let us laugh in a manner that can be described as an exorcism of negativity. The brands that show achievement highlight the need to make those achievements, no matter the circumstances.
There is a movement here amongst the more influential brands to create advertising that makes you cry. Not sadness necessarily, but the kind of tears that come from seeing a genuine moment of caring. The best way to describe it is being 'choked up'. Now, normally, associating ones brand with such an emotionally wrought reaction would be considered dangerous. But this isn't a normal market. Viewers who react to seeing moments of sincere empathy are reminded that the world isn't just cruel and capricious. These moments are given strength by their context.
Advertisers in Pakistan have to remind themselves time and again that it's not just about selling the product. In America, advertising has become more about entertainment. Over here, it's all about inspiring. If, through providing those moments of inspiration, we can associate our brand with a loft ideal and positive attitude, then all the better. That 45 second commercial spot is now almost serving as a public service announcement.
Is this a sustainable long-term strategy? We hope not. To need constant inspiration in your advertising is to face a reality in which optimism and hope are scarce. No one wants that. We would love to create advertising that is just fun and escapist. In the end, the reason we enjoy working in this industry is because we get to entertain people and there is a certain joy in achieving that. But, in our current state, that would seem ridiculous, even mocking. And so instead of entertaining, you inspire. There is less joy in that, but certainly greater achievement.