Is Dancing compulsory for advertising your product?

“Har Cheez Meezan mai Achi Lagti Hai” You must have heard this line while channel surfing and have visualized men and women dancing like crazy. In case you are wondering what is Meezan? It is a Cooking Oil Brand. Similarly, we never knew that we possess a National Biscuit by the name of Gala until Actress Noor danced off her feet to declare it!

Long gone are the PTV days when catchy jingles would grip the minds of Pakistani audience to make them buy consumer products. The new mantra of selling is DANCING!

As competition in the local market has grown fierce and tough, companies are competing to gain a lion’s share to stay in the business. We have witnessed that advertising campaign today have jumped up to four minutes of air time from the conventional thirty seconds advertisements.

Pakistan might be the only country in the world where milk, tea whitener, mobile phone and even cooking oil is sold by dancing. However, it is vague and unclear in most of the cases; to whom and why are these absurd ads targeted to?

Let’s have a look at a few lame advertisements of some popular brands.
 

Tarang Tea Whitener

Women dressed like brides and men like grooms! This is not a situation for a movie scene or bridal shoot; it is the sequence of Tarang’s new TVC. Extravagant clothing, make up, jewellery, lavish sets dancing are the hallmark of Tarang ads. The pioneer of dancing phenomena in advertisement started with Tarang, a tea whitener brand of Engro Foods. Tarang might be “Chai ka Sahi Jor” for the tea but it is certainly not a brand that can appeal to literates of our society. Who would prefer to put Tarang in their Tea after witnessing a Filmy Style dancing in the ad?

Mezzan Cooking Oil

Women dancing while cooking and men dancing while eating! Wondering what you are actually watching, it is a TVC for Meezan Cooking Oil! Everyone is grooving and dancing enjoying their meal. I never thought cooking oil can be sold by dancing; Meezan’s TVC proved me wrong.

Lipton Tea

Pakistani advertisements make you believe that people are dressed in brightly colored attire with an inherent talent for dancing who are just waiting for a cue to show their moves in the middle of the street on a hot day. Referring to Lipton’s Ad featuring Ali Zafar this lame ad was shot in Turkey where people decide to sip tea under the scorching sun and dancing on their feet as the electricity turned off! I wonder who comes up with such Genius ideas!

Gala Biscuit

The legacy of lame advertisement is followed by “Mere Des ka Biscuit Gala”. Well if tea whitener can be sold by dancing then why not a Biscuit? Especially if it is your National Biscuit you should pay tribute by showing your dance moves Right?

QMobile Sound Series Phones TVC

The feeling of grudge grows more when u witnesses a mobile company following the dancing phenomena in their advertisement. The current TVC of QMobile Sound Series featuring Sohai Ali Abro and Danish Taimoor are dancing to a desi number in a mayoon event set up promoting the lower-end series phones S200 and S250. People might be lost in the glitz and glamour of the dancing rather than the specs of the phone.

QMobile X4 with Battery Boast

QMobile X4 “Battery ka Badshah” featuring Mekal Zulfiqar is another lame ad with irrelevant dancing. This ad seems influenced from Bollywood flick Dabbang, as Mekal is dancing with street children convincing that this is the best battery boast phone.

QMobile G400

QMobile G400 “Lambi Nahi buhat lambi baat” is yet another ad inspired by Bollywood. Lame dancing and cheap style of presentation, QMobile fails to create an impact in this low budget phone ad

Q Mobile E8 & E9

QMobile continues the legacy of cheap dancing ads with QMobile E8 & E9 featuring Sara Loren. At a first glimpse you will feel that you are watching a clip from an Indian movie, until she displays the brand in her hand to give you an idea that this is product advertisement.

Focus of Advertisements

From wedding functions to Banaspati ads, the focus is to grab the user minds with glitz and glam. The ‘dancing brand’ phenomenon is more popular with FMCG’s, it is becoming more and more of a trend in the advertising industry. The ad agencies are taking advantage of the lack of Pakistani presence in the filming industry- an easy mix recipe to keep people desire for happiness.

Does dancing sell?

After watching those dancing based advertisements, I wonder who will be convinced to buy the brand. Are we all entertainment hungry that we even get influenced from irrelevant dancing? Ad agencies have developed a stereotypical solution for collective marketing needs and have ignored the true essence of business – to think out of the box!

It has become almost difficult to be creative within the business ethics. The agencies should revise their strategies and quit believing that Pakistani audience will stay convinced to buy after watching dancing ads.

Public Response

Public doesn’t seem convinced with these dancing theme advertisements. For an average Pakistani, moral values and ethics are utterly important. The sentiments of Pakistani families are hurt by such advertisements. The roots of religious teachings have grown deep among common man and they reject anything that breaches them. Advertisements mentioned above are criticized widely by masses as they promote vulgarity and boldness in the society.