I, Consumer

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.

I think the central idea of this article is:

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

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

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.

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. :-)

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 ...........

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 !

Hamidm Sahib –

I always thought you were born in a wrong religion and a wrong country. But after seeing your interacts on this board, it is clear as day that you were born in wrong skin too. Maybe that explains your relentless attempts to act whiter than whites, since you could not be one physically.

You, Hamdim Sahib, are the Michael Jackson of Chowk......except that he managed to look whiter than whites and even have off-springs from white women. Whereas all you, the pseudo-white Hamdim, have to show for your whiteness are your worthless promotions of democracy, western values, and western dresses.

What a loser!

hamidm: White + Tan = Brown. :-)

You are merely associating civilized behavior and outlooks with white and primitive behavior and outlooks with black. Behavior has nothing to do with skin color.

I dont care about political correctness - which I consider to be merely a way to avoid ugly facts. Thus, while this is like saying the emperor has no clothes, the fact is that blacks seem to seeking attention in public places in the US (talking loudly in public places as if everyone around is interested in their witticisms, ignoring the customer while singing and dancing behind the cash register as if they are paid to be glamorous rather than provide service - all of which I have seen. This has nothing to do with skin color but merely an attempt at compensating for an inferiority complex resulting from a history of being treated like subhumans. Some of the most dignified blacks I have seen have been in Africa, e.g., one of whom even pointed out to me when I was visiting Africa his disgust with such behavior on the part of some american blacks. but dont confuse behavior, which in turn stems from historical circumstances, with skin color

Re: # 40

malik sahib,

Roo-e-sukhan kisi kee taraf ho to roo-siyaah
Sauda nahin, junoon nahin, vaihshat nahin mujhey

If I have made a sarcastic comment on any body my face be black
I am neither demented, nor lunatic nor savage

............. are you suggesting that ghalib was born in the wrong skin ?

Re: # 41

tahmed,

.......... i am not talking about behavior or attitude - that is a totally different discussion ........ i am simply talking about aesthetics : barack obama is better looking than charley rangle and harold ford is better looking than obama - the more white blood you have, are the better looking you get .......... it is just chemistry, for god`s sake !

........ and please don`t make me dig through ancient urdu and persian poetry to prove my point that this is a universal standard that precedes the colonial era ........

malik#40 instead of resorting to personal insults to hamidm (which say nothing about hamidm, and plenty about you) if you have a reasonable argument, present it. every man has a right to an opinion presented in a reasonable manner - and if you cant respect that, then you are just another bakra that seeks to follow the herd and cant stand to see someone you consider to be a bakra like yourself straying from the herd and so resorts to namecalling.

#43 hamidm: what is ``better looking``?? beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and your notion of beauty is way too simplistic. How else do you explain that black models are paid millions to get photographed??

#43 hamidm: and ever seen those blobs of white skin in gyms?? beautiful?? give me a break!! think ``healthy``, not ``skin color``.

tahmed # 41 writes - ``the fact is that blacks seem to seeking attention ..... (talking loudly in public places as if everyone around is interested in their witticisms, .... while singing and dancing .... as if they are paid to be glamorous ...This has nothing to do with skin color but merely an attempt at compensating for an inferiority complex resulting from a history of being treated like subhumans``

This very much defines Hamidm`s behaviour on chowk.....he too tries to come across as being witty, as if we really care what this nigger has to say.

I had already diagnosed his behaviour to be resulting from a history of our ancestors being treated like subhumans. But I guess I am not white enough for him to take my diagnosis seriously.

#47 malik: hamidm could not, even if he wanted to, sing and dance on chowk. and in addition, he is not paid to be of service on chowk. he is here to kill some time chatting, and and if he can do this with good humor without being personally offensive, more power to him.

so, dont confuse things by comparing two very different situations.