Industry stakeholders take on Pakistan’s media crisis

LAHORE - This year Synergyzer’s 2019 Annual Edition scrutinizes the core reasons behind the dismal state of Pakistan’s ever so bourgeoning and powerful media industry.

The annual edition puts across views of various reputable stakeholders and uncovers factors lurking in the background that are contributing to the shrinking bottom-line of the media industry.

Following are the powerful views expressed by some of the top stalwarts in this regard

Javed Jabbar

“In a free market, one or two groups can become dominant. That is why we have the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), whose duty is to monitor various sectors, and if a particular sector is not being monitored, its stakeholders can appeal to the commission to take notice of the situation and give a fair verdict.”

Sabir Sami.; MD- KFC MENA, Pakistan, Turkey & Asia

“The focus in Pakistan is on buying, not on planning and strategy development”

“Clients in Pakistan do not always have a detailed understanding of media strategy and media efficiency; they just look at the cost per rating point and tend to be over simplistic, considering the job well done if they saved money on the exercise”

Ali Mandviwalla- Chairman of Pakistan Advertising Association

“PAA is the sole representative body of all advertising agencies. We represent all advertising agencies including some of the media planning & buying agencies. It’s not possible for one entity to achieve everything. That’s why I mentioned that all stakeholders: PBA, APNS, PAA & PAS as mentioned above have to work together to tackle these challenges together above all personal interests”

Duraid Qureshi, CEO- Hum Network

“The focus should be on implementing subscription-based models as they will have a massive impact on the overall growth of the medium”

Zulfiqar Ali Shah, CEO – Hot FM 105

“It is now time that the media bigwigs, who are otherwise more interested in safeguarding their own interests first, need to come together to assess long-term implications, formulate strategies and take pre-emptive measures, taking onboard national as well as regional operators, so that the industry is able to gear itself for the tough times ahead”

Shakeel Masood – CEO Dawn News And Chairman PBA

 

“Three major challenges in the industry. One, shrinking advertising spends; two, the lack of ease of doing business; and three, the rapid growth of digital media at the expense of other mediums.”

Numan Nabi, CEO – The Brand Partnership & Vice Chairman PAA

“Had those involved understood the dynamics of the system and how it works, this lopsided status quo would not exist today and all the stakeholders would have flourished even more”

Fouad Hussain- CEO GroupM

“The main reason for the bubble bursting in our industry is a poor use of resources. The media industry invested in hiring people but did not go after technical skillsets. This is a pool-based buying system; if clients are unable to spend to their potential, then how can we get the best for them?”

Qashif Effendi- CEO AtReem Rice Mills (Pvt.) Ltd, A 100% Multinational JV Of Al Ghurair UAE And Al Mohaidib KSA



“The advertising world has also seen its fair share of brain drain so the quality of ideas has also suffered immensely. With mergers and acquisitions, global media giants have created virtual monopolies. These have created the situation where 80% of the business is hogged by 20% media houses, leaving little else for smaller boutique agencies to play with. If these hegemonies were producing stellar work, one could applaud their creation. Sadly, they have done more damage than good. Allegedly, the culture of benefits traded for work has grown exponentially, which has been responsible for a lot of mediocre work seeing the light of the day”

Raihan Merchant, CEO-ZDC

“TV audience measurement (TAM) system issue was exactly this: ratings were manipulated to please the clique. They decided that certain channels will not get the right ratings reported.”

Anonymous Media Industry Expert

“The responsible people are not raising their concerns, nor are their deeds translating into actions that can create some positive ripples in the industry and work towards its revival”

“Some TV channels took the initiative of bringing in foreign properties like Pakistan Idol, Master Chef Pakistan, however, advertisers chose not to pay due premiums merely because they have been trained to meet only the stiffest CPRP numbers”

“Clients are chasing certain KPI’s only, which are derived on currency that is hardly present or being utilized incorrectly, resulting in zero innovation. Quality GRP’s and branded AFP’s (Advertiser Funded Programs) are lowest on their agenda”

“PBA, currently, comprises of a few channels that have come together and formed a gang”