Pakistanis are one of the most charitable nations in the world. Charitable giving this year will exceed $1.5 billion. As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Pakistanis donate at the same level as Canada and UK and twice as much that of India. Even the corporations here do not lag far behind when it comes to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and charity. Some companies roll out special advertisement campaigns surrounding the theme of Ramazan. The holy month of Ramazan has traditionally been the time of the year when public support has reached a peak, and donations, both zakat and non-zakat, have registered huge increase. Below is the review of four advertisement campaigns that are spreading the true spirit of Ramazan.
Coca-Cola — Bottle Of Change
After the demise of Abdul Sattar Edhi, there has been a marked decline in the collection of charity by Edhi Foundation. As a caring corporate citizen, Coca-Cola realized last year that it was their moral responsibility to do whatever they can to support the Edhi Foundation. Following last year’s exceptional response to Coca-Cola Pakistan’s fund-raising campaign supporting the Edhi Foundation, the company has once again announced ‘Eidi for Edhi’ campaign with Pakistan’s leading humanitarian and social welfare services organization during this Ramazan. A key feature of the campaign will be that Coca-Cola will double all donations received during the campaign, up to a limit of Rs25 million, apart from spending a very large sum on a multi-dimensional publicity campaign for this great humanitarian institution.
Although Coca-Cola has remained controversial for one reason or the other specially in the Middle East, it has launched different versions of advertisements during Ramazan globally even if it calls for removal of labels during the campaign.
Pepsi Cola – Litre Of Light
Keeping up with its initiative of illuminating the lives of millions of Pakistanis, Pepsi Pakistan has again come up with a wonderful ad campaign. PepsiCo Pakistan’s national campaign helps light up the lives of underprivileged communities by providing eco-friendly lighting facilities.
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Surf Excel
After a successful ad campaign of 2016 titled ‘MadadEkIbadat’ and ‘NekiEkIbadat’ in 2017, Surf Excel Pakistan has yet again come up with a beautiful ad campaign this year titled ‘EkNekiRozana’. The ad shows how a little boy goes out of the way to bring two brothers together who were not on talking terms. The ad is a perfect example of compassion and empathy for others.
Roohafza
Hamdard Pakistan’s RoohAfza commercial teaches all to appreciate and value the little things in life. It’s all about spreading kindness and inculcating good values. RoohAfza, with its roots as a Pakistani brand, is available in 33 countries and is one of the first Pakistani brands to have been showcased at New York’s Times Square. As a quality-conscious brand with a global outlook, it recently launched its latest marketing campaign for Ramazan, one that happens to put RoohAfza up front and center as the staple drink of the Holy Month, no matter which corner of the globe you are from. RoohAfza’s newest campaign kicked off with a commercial whose central theme is about sharing the blessings that we have with our close and loved ones. RoohAfza’s message resonates with a message of universal love. They have even co-branded with Sprite in a bid to blend the eastern and western values.
Apart from the above, appliances company Haier whose CEO also owns the Peshawar Zalmi franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has announced distribution of 20,000 school bags among children in seven agencies of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK) as part of their first ever educational campaign.
[box type=”note” align=”” class=”” width=””]The writer is a Karachi based freelance columnist and is a banker by profession. He could be reached on Twitter @ReluctantAhsan[/box]