Islamic Republic of Pakistan-Land of the Pure

Located in the important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the greater Middle East, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with an estimated population of 170 million people. The official language of Pakistan is English, but the national language is Urdu (similar to Hindi). An estimated 97% of Pakistanis are Muslim, with the remaining few percentage is made up of small groups of followers of other faiths. Culture life in Pakistan is very different from that in the United States. The Pakistani society is largely hierarchical, with high regard for their traditional Islamic values. With this in mind, how does the Pakistani cultural values affect the advertising media in the country? We will now explore the history of advertising in Pakistan, its effect on society, issues and concerns from the people and examples of different types of commercial advertisements. 

Branding/Advertising

Advertising is a non-personal form of promotion that is delivered through selected media outlets that, under many circumstances, requires for the marketer to pay for message placement. Defined as a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action, it usually includes the name of a product or service and how that product or service could benefit the consumer. Its purpose is to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume that particular brand. Advertising has long been considered as a method of mass promotion where a single message can reach countless numbers of individuals. Advertising is a medium of communication intended to persuade its projected audience through different media such as radio, television, billboards, newspapers and of course the internet. Sponsors usually pay for these messages and their sole purpose is to communicate an idea to a large number of people in an attempt to convince them to take a certain action.

Below please view an interesting video on integrated marketing strategies-

History of Advertising...

In 1947, the advertising industry in Pakistan was depressed and almost non-existent. A number of international advertising agencies opened their offices in different cities around Pakistan during this time. These agencies promoted the business and products of their international clients in Pakistan. The international advertising agencies dominated the market because the local agencies lacked resources and skilled staff. However, due to governmental policies, a number of international advertising agencies closed down their business, which was beneficial to local advertising agencies. After 1950, many new advertising agencies came into existence. One of the first advertising agencies in Pakistan was Manhattan Pakistan Limited (MPL), which opened its doors in 1954 in the city of Karachi. MPL has been one of the most successful advertisement agencies in Pakistan since it opened its doors. With time, many other agencies have become well established and are extremely successful and are recognized internationally. 

Below is a list of the services provided by Manhattan Pakistan Limited -

•    Advertising (Above The Line/Below The Line)

•       Designing and creative management

•       E-advertising

•       Account and brand management

•       Outdoor advertising

•       Account planning

•       Strategic/Brand consultancy

•       Research

•       Direct marketing

•       Media (management, planning, buying)

•       Public relations

•       Event management
•       Sales promotion

Below is the link to the website of MPL.

http://www.mpl.net.pk/

Two other well known advertising agencies in Pakistan are Pirana Group and International Advertising Limited, which started in 1966. Links to their websites are found below.

http://www.piranagroup.com/  and http://www.ialideas.com/

Associations such as Pakistan Advertising Association (PAA) and Marketing Association of Pakistan (MAP) are intended to educate on the principles and codes of advertising in the country. Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS) and Advertising Association of Pakistan (AAP) have formed a joint working committee. The main objective is to address issues to develop a strong client-agency relationship, set industry benchmarks and work in collaboration to raise the overall standard of advertising in Pakistan.

By visiting their website you can learn much about the different aspects of advertising and marketing in Pakistan and view different examples of product and company ads. 

Below are the links to these websites.

http://map.org.pk/ and 

http://www.pakistanadvertising.com/Associations/association.asp?id=12

Billboards in Pakistan

The Code of Advertising Standards...

With the success of advertising agencies in Pakistan also came the problems, issues and concerns of many with regards to the content of the advertisements and their location. Because of the strong Islamic values and beliefs of the country, many protest have started against certain ads and billboards displayed throughout areas of the main cities.

The Code of Advertising Standards and Practice (1985) issued by the Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd gives a detailed explanation of the rules and principles that regulate advertising in the country. The Code urges advertisers and broadcasters to display common sense when crafting advertisements. They advocate to advertisers to maintain and be mindful of the social, aesthetic and moral values of the nation. Ideals are based on Islamic ideology and therefore the ‘Code cannot but be in line with our religious traditions, national aspirations and hopes’. Ethical and moral issues must be upheld including the sanctity of the home and the institution of marriage, human dignity. Attention should be paid to modesty and simplicity in dress, manners and living habits and respect of Islam and all other religions as well as law and order, peace with other nations and the national sentiments of any country or people. The Code stresses to be mindful and careful when using celebrities or cartoon characters to endorse products. When advertising over the radio, the matter cannot be excessively noisy or strident.
Below is a list of certain products and services that may NOT be advertised:

• Money-lenders except duly constituted banks
• Matrimonial agencies and correspondence clubs
• Fortune-tellers
• Undertakers and others associated with death and burial
• Unlicensed employment services, registers or offices
• Private investigation agencies
• Women’s foundation garments such as brassieres etc
• Filmed commercials of jewellery and the jewellery trade
• Students’ guidebooks and guess papers purporting to induce students to bypass the prescribed text books

Advertising Guidelines...

Advertising minutes per hour	None mentioned in the code.
Advertising revenue restrictions	None mentioned in the code.
Tobacco	Allowed with very extensive controls and regulations. Ads must not exaggerate the attractions of smoking, encourage people to smoke more, claim any health advantage . Women must not be shown smoking. See the code for more detailed guidance.
Alcohol	Prohibited.
Pharmaceutical	Allowed with extensive controls. Visual presentation of doctors, dentists, veterinary surgeons, pharmaceutical chemists, midwives etc. which give the impression of professional advice or recommendation are not allowed. Statements by people giving the impression of being qualified are also not allowed. Treatments for certain conditions may also not be advertised or may be advertised only with certain restrictions. Please refer to the code.
Gambling	Prohibited in all forms, including betting tips.
Contraception	Not allowed.
Medical	No reference may be made to a hospital test unless the Medical Committee of the hospital concerned is prepared to vouch for its validity.
Food and Beverage	None mentioned explicitly, apart from that the nutritional benefits of vitamins must not be overplayed
Personal	Advertisements for sanitary protection are not allowed.
Children	Special care and attention needs to be paid as to how children are represented and addressed in advertising. Issues relating to exploitation, security and hazardous situations should be carefully addressed. Children must be shown to be adequately supervised in their activities and be reasonably well behaved.
Women	Ads should only feature females when the product is of relevance to them. Where women are shown the emphasis should be on the product rather than on the female model. Social norms regarding dress, music, men and women together, dancing and music must be observed. Women must dress and be shown in environments consistent with the culture of Pakistan.
Claims	Irrelevant data and scientific jargon must not be used to make claims appear to have a scientific basis they do not possess. Evidence must be produced by the advertiser and their agencies to support testimonials / claims. No advertisement for a medicine or treatment may include a testimonial by a person well known in public life, sports, entertainment etc.
Product Placement	An advertisement must be clearly distinguishable as such and recognizably separate from the programmers. Guidelines are also issued on subliminal advertising which is not allowed.
Government Levy	None mentioned in the code. Publicities states that a Government charge of 10% applies to all television advertising. Selected products such as cigarettes, cosmetics and soft drinks carry a 15% levy.

Pakistan Advertisement in Television, Newspapers & the Internet

Advertising in Pakistan went from just two television channels (PTV/STN) and one radio channel to myriads of television (satellite and cable) and radio channels, not to forget the numerous digital communication methods available. Perhaps the event that provided the greatest push for advertising was the invention of the newspaper in the early seventeenth century. It was in conjunction with the newspaper that the word advertisement first came into use. It was used as a heading for the commercial announcements section of the news. In Pakistan, the typical newspaper is of regular rather than tabloid size, averaging about 20 pages per issue. Most newspapers have a weekend, midweek, and magazine section with several advertisments. All the leading newspapers, including Jang , Nawa-e-Waqt , Dawn , The NationThe News International , and Business Recorder. State-owned Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation were the dominant media outlets, but there are now numerous private television channels. Various American, European, and Asian television channels and films are available to the majority of the Pakistani population via private television networks, cable, and satellite television (43 million Pakistanis have satellite television). Traditional marketing and advertising has become a thing of the past with the innovation and use of the Internet medium. With a variety of options and opportunities, the Internet has become the unique and innovative advertising medium. This medium not only provides prospects for all kinds of businesses and their communication, but it also presents a mean to flourish the message incorporating creative imagination and distinctiveness. Though the use of the Internet is growing at a very fast rate in Pakistan, marketers mostly are unaware of the advertising opportunities associated with this medium. However, you can access all leading newspapers through their online websites.