Of smooches and kisses

There is one sector that has defied all odds to emerge as a clear champion during all those years. Undeterred by the social and cultural barriers, the imposed foreign sanctions, adverse interest rate and foreign exchange rate movements, economic downturn or political instability the dating industry has flourished bigtime in each and every regime.

I desperately find myself short of any convincing numbers or data to prove my point but let me assure you it is not just a mere “ gut feel” or a “hunch” that makes me present my case here. As an indirect evidence I can quote the ever increasing number of unsolicited emails from unknown sources and invitations to join online dating communities that keep finding their way into my mailbox despite all the activated junk filters as a proof to qualify my statement. As a result I can only conclude that there is a big booming business out there!

Our morals and values continue to evolve as we desperately hunt to discover our identity. Swerving like a pendulum from one extreme to the other, we have come a long way from the achkan and burqa clad “ castle of Islam” of “Ameer ul Momaineen” of eighties to the flag bearers of “the land of enlightened moderators” of the current era. Unmindful of the prevailing state of affairs, dating has found refuge in every possible unorthodox or orthodox shelter like a university cafeteria, a bus stand, a corner shop, a restaurant, a cinema hall, a picnic spot or a hill resort, a popular hangout, a public entertainment park or a calm and quiet parking lot in every smothering or enlightening era. However, it has assumed various shapes and forms while shifting its dwellings from the thick bushes of “Rose and Jasmine Garden” to the cozy lounge of CTC, Hot Spot or Gloria Jeans.

While there was much hue and cry raised when a bunch of damsels waved their hands to appreciate a pop band at a live concert less than two decades ago, there are hardly any eyebrows raised with much more liberal and possibly vulgar shows, gatherings and parties being thrown out today.

I wonder whether the concept of “metamarketing” applies to this phenomenon whereby a number of industries are making big bucks while cashing on the fulfillment of one “basic consumer need”. The more closely clustered ones and the major gainers are of course the mobile telephony, Internet, food, coffee shops and gift shops. Talking of Lahore alone its not just the Salt n Pepper, Copper Kettle or Zouk of 90s. We have a fully developed and a thriving virtual food street at MM Alam road comprising of outlets like Freddy’s, Café Alanto, Nando’s and a number of foreign food franchisees amongst numerous others that do not possibly even care as to what percentage of their earnings are they making out of this particular “clientele” or “consumer segment”. The overwhelming crowd at “The Shoppe” on the Valentine’s Day can prove to be a good indicator.

Times have changed, we have changed and so have the norms and the world around us. The beliefs, attitudes and social behaviours are no more the same and neither are the demographics and psychographics of our society. There is a major shift in the composition of the social fabric underlying our living and setup. We have progressively moved from the joint living of yester years to a more individualistic society of today. People are now arguably more aware, more affluent and educated but less social and candid.

Everyone has access to the multiple channels of prompt and first hand communication and we are now residing in a period of information overflow. Emerging globalization has shaped our lifestyles and preferences and induced our acceptability of an evolving “global culture” and we continue to drift towards that mainstream of that global tide. MTV successfully adhering to its global policy of airing 70% global content with a local mix of only 30% across various destinations and still being able to maintain its appeal and popularity amongst the “global youth” proves the point.

The regulations and legal restrictions if any have only softened and made the things more conducive for the “love birds” and “couples” to materialize their innocent intents and designs. Convergence of technologies, particularly revolution in cellular and Internet technologies has minimized barriers and enormously enhanced possibilities of a communication and exchange. With a lot more breakthroughs in the offing and more “customized solutions” coming our way I have only reason to believe that the industry would continue to thrive and prolong its course of accelerated growth along a steep curve.