Connecting the Nation Since Inception of Pakistan

Today’s advertising scene is ruled by the monotonous concept and insipid ideas. As things stand at the moment, the so-called creative departments of ad agencies resort to their client’s briefings at the cost of creativity, while the accidental success of a particular ad becomes the benchmark for the rest of the campaigns for an indefinite period.

However, exceptions to the rule do take place in the advertising world as well. We saw an onslaught of ads on Independence Day. It is interesting to see many companies try to associate themselves with Pakistan to promote their brand on this day. Huawei tried to connect with the people of Pakistan by embracing that festive spirit with the Emerald Green version of their newly launched smartphone. They celebrated Independence Day in the perfect shade of Green. However, upon seeing the results on social media, I can say that their campaign did not connect with the people of Pakistan. Although, the effort deserves a round of applause.

Our national telecom operator also released an ad last year that depicted their presence in the country connecting the entire nation. This year, I saw their new ad that was different from their usual commercials. This Independence Day, PTCL brand stood out as a national identity through its vastly huge network uniting the people under one flag.

Taking on an all-inclusive new look, the ad portrays the national carrier connecting the entire nation spread everywhere, be it the heart of cosmopolitan cities, the remote towns in the tribal belt or the far-flung villages located at the outskirts of Gwadar. Nowadays, as most telecom ads focus solely on selling their products, this particular ad, from start to end, rises above the ordinary by featuring Pakistan and its scenic beauty, which ties aesthetically into the ad’s main theme.

Supported by inspirational background music carrying a truly patriotic theme, the ad captivates viewers from the word go, taking them on a spirited journey across the entire country, along with PTCL’s ubiquitous presence that has been beautifully captured in every shot. The ad helps viewers to see the bigger picture that PTCL and its communication infrastructure is everywhere –  telecom towers, dish and satellite radars, data centers, cloud infrastructure, internet routers, landlines, broadband-enabled ATMs, airspace communication systems, emergency services and underwater submarine cables.

The ad establishes that Pakistan is digitally connected. Based on the unifying single theme that PTCL connects us all, the ad ends in a well-knit collage, featuring an emotional connection that PTCL enjoys with its domestic and corporate customers spread all over Pakistan. Besides zeroing in on PTCL’s corporate side, the company has been established as a B2C (business-to-consumer) service provider as well.

Within only 5 days this ad reached over 5 million views, which was inspiring and entertaining as this ad feels like a breath of fresh air for viewers, who are very much bored by stereotyped TV commercials. It is rightly said in this campaign that ‘Isi liay PTCL bana un sab ka itebar, jin pay hay apko itebar’ as Pakistan is well-connected at all times and we as customers rely on those companies for our daily connectivity needs, who in reality rely on PTCL.