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