I, Consumer

Re: # 35

farheen,

``Consumerism is creeping in our society and killing our values. It`s about time we raise our voice against it.``

.......... do you even realize how dumb that sounds ! ........ if consumers don`t consume, producers won`t produce and we will all be back in our mud huts with our `values` .......... and why do you have to raise your voice - why don`t you simply not buy the product that you don`t like ?......... the folks in advertising are simply doing their job by trying to sell their client`s product - if the product is harmful or illegal than the government should regulate it .........

.........this article is a piece of garbage and has nothing to do with advertising or marketing or product liablity ....... you are simply trying to push your islamist political agenda and seventh century morality down our throat ........... if we let you have your way all we will have is mullahs advertising maswaq and fat women in hijabs and niqabs showing off victoria`s secret lingerie ............ now, that is a disgusting thought !

tahmed,

....... you are never going to get me to back down from my position that white, specially with a nice tan, is more beautiful than black ....... it has got nothing to do with colonial politics as malik suggested, it is all about aesthetics .......... i know it is not politically correct to say such things - specially when ms saminasha is around - but it is the goddamn truth and no amount of denial is going to make the truth go away ......... i don`t care how healthy a body and mind you have, if you look like gandhiji nobody is going to bed with you, unless you can talk a poor niece into it ...........

in #36 the reference to hamidm is an attempt to get him to write another one of his interesting posts on this board. Not necessarily to just pick on him. :-)

The worst are the cigarette ads. Which sell people lung cancer by packaging the cancer-causing agent with healthy activities like sports.

But in general I agree - these ads actually promote stupid notions of ``beauty`` that many pakistanis have. And yet can never explain why billions (and several hours every month by many people) in the west by people trying to tan themselves to brown. Nor can they explain why black women are as much in demand as white women in the world of high fashion.

The fact is (contrary to what hamidm seems to think) that a healthy body and mind is what makes a person attractive. By detracting from this important point, ads in Pakistan (and elsewhere) work to the detriment of the health of the population.

The central point of this article is, as pointed out very correctly by malikjahanzeb, band karo yeh fahashi.

Ads are one of the most powerful tools of communication. My objection is at what these ads are communicating to the public. Why show something which the majority of people cannot relate to? The Olwell ad was what triggered me to write this piece. An ad that shows everything to a country where most of the people live below the poverty line and thus, cannot relate to it. Even those who can actually afford Olwell, the middle class of this country, lead lives that are very remote from what is depicted in the ad. And as far as those people are concerned who actually lie such a lifestyle, well they are a niche. And you don`t show your ad 24/7 on all channels if you are engaging in niche marketing.

There are many such ads, talkshawk being another one, that is revolting because it makes a mockery of consumer IQ. The sad part is that most of these people in MNCs are graduates of good universities and a vast majority belong to the middle class. Yet, when it comes to making ads, they either make something absolutely outrageous or copy from India.

Ofcourse, there is some brilliant work being done out there as well. MCB Visa, as mentioned in the article is one such example. The UBL Islamic Banking campaign is also an example of good marketing. The message of the ad is simple, everyone can use Islamic Banking and this is put forward in a brilliant tagline, ``Main bhi Ameen hoon``. And they don`t use any western models.

We need to ensure, somehow, that these marketers out there know that they can`t just keep on fooling us. Consumerism is creeping in our society and killing our values. It`s about time we raise our voice against it. Otherwise our future generations will never understand the true value of money. They don`t understand it even now, what with young business graduates flashing their credit cards everywhere and thinking they are the epitome of success.

The focus of this article was not Fair&Lovely.

Farheen Zehra

I think the central idea of this article is:

`` Band kero yeh fahashi.......``

Re: # 8
Sir you are always right I think except you feeling about liquid refreshments and tonics.
I again say Liquior is poisnoius than Cobra venom.

Re: # 8
My cats has really become obase. I tried diet on them but they do not like healthy food, they just do not look at healthy food.. Just like for people whatever is good taste bad to them. But cats do not look bad like fat people they just look healthy and little fluffy and fortunately they loose and heirs and weight in summer and it happens every time. Can any Vet why this happens. Thanks in advance.

Re: # 28
NB this multinationalhas created that butteriing poison called ``Dalda`` . More people must have died by cosuming so called ``Vanspati``. Millions must have died eating that stuff and pouring hydrogeneted in their blood vains. Instead of G man ot J man multinational need to be forced atleast publish warning og stuff like of smoking products. But this good MNC and gives all other products of good Quality.
I have accounting question. Unilever heard is largest corp in this in Pakistan and India. Then wonder revenue of Indian Pakistani groups more than parent company in ``ton` of product sold ?
I neveer touched that poison or allowed to be used and had very hard time but as head of house one should not allow any body indulge in such bad food.

Re: # 29
Sindh has MQM governer medical doctor who was wanted for little things like, frightening people , killing etc but he became Kosher after MQM helped general and general rewarded. Punjabi and MQM is controlling ``govt`` and army has god sent part which controls Karach and hyderbad so Sindhi nationalist can not have such say in Largest city. If in future (which I doubt) if Jiye sindh starts trouble Karachi will be supporter of Army and Punjab interests. The demographic situation just like Russian Enlave of Kaliningrad which surrounded by baltic republic. It is possible in future new province for ``new Sindhis`` like strip joining Karachi and sindh and urdu speaking. No body knows these things only fate decides such thing and many times simple little things.

Re: # 27
The last Ruler Dhair was slaughtered b y MO bin kassim and his queens and daughter were taken to Damascus and due to some misunderstanding about sexual affairs with royals women, ruler of Damascus slaughtered Mo Bin. Dahir was Brahmin king and name of Capital was Brahmanabad. Budhist supported MO Bin and after he took care of yellow robed hindus also.
There something called Bhaiband. Most Sindhis know more classify related to places from where they came from. There are efforts going to capture tourist potential of Rich hindis specially new generation if they want visit place called Sindh which had Sindhi language as LinguaFranca. Now Karachi and hyderbad both are Urdu speaking and Sindhis retreating from 1947 and it appears they are loosing one citadel after another. Most so called sindhis are poor ``red Indians`` of sindh. ( Even sukkar, even Bhuttos places are under demographical metamorphism. They are not match for dynamic MQM followers and Punjabis has more Interest in MQM than sindhis as now Sindhis have MQM Governer. Its cruel world and dosile people are left behind. Most of Sindhis who lived in Karachi were Hindus and most educated of Sindhis. Sindhis made mistake by cutting or decapatting intelluctual class by ousting and they got what desired and are suffer and will suffer for recklessness combined with simplton attitude. Its history Sindhis are nothing in Sindh where it counts- Karachi.

I have a vested interest in this-you mention Unilever and a close family member is very high up in the company. While working in India,we would talk about Fair and Lovely-he was very proud of it-it only does so well because it works, he`d say. I don`t think the company is responsible for the light skinned obsession. Indians have always used natural products-sandalwood powder, almond oil, uptan, etc both to improve their skins and to lighten them. I don`t even think it is as much of an obsession as it was 20 or 30 years ago, btw.

Re: # 26
I thought all the Sindhi brahmins were killed..or almost all!

Re:shah2#24

[..I am sure there might be more dark brahmins than milky white ones....there r brahmin Oriya,south indians Marathi ...millions of them....]

Yeah, but I am a Sindhi brahmin. So you bet we have fair skin.

Anyway, I was just kidding around with hamidm....

fair doesn`t necessarily mean lovely, just look at Dubya, even Jessie Jackson has lips

#23
When we brahmins protect our white skin``????????????


I am sure there might be more dark brahmins than milky white ones....there r brahmin Oriya,south indians Marathi ...millions of them