Firstly, let me begin by encouraging you to visit this article to find out more about 021 Disrupt 2020. I specifically attended a panel geared around creative marketing campaigns hosted by Huma Mobin. Huma Mobin is a well-known name in the Marketing industry and was named the top creative in Pakistan this past year. She has nearly a decade of experience and is currently the Creative Director at Contentory Inc., which is a content marketing agency.

Here are the 11 things I learned while watching her session:

1. Brand recognition in terms of viewers is no longer the idea of success for a brand. Instead, engagement with consumers is.

In the past, the more times that consumers saw an ad for a brand, the more inclined they would be to invest in their products. However, today, the more engaging the content is from the brand, the more a consumer is inclined to buy.

2. TVCs vs. social media campaigns were also discussed on this 021 Disrupt 2020 panel

In general, it is recommended for companies to come onto social media from a marketing perspective for a slew of reasons and that TV campaigns are now a thing of the past, but many companies still heavily rely on TVC to reach their audiences since traditional marketing is still very relevant in Pakistan. TVCs are actually used to reach more than just the consumer. Distributors are also a target to show the presence of a brand.

3. Using idioms from everyday life helps to connect with consumers in a natural way.

Pieces of everyday conversations and natural language help to convey messages and to help ideas connect.

4. A limited budget is not always a hindrance, as explained by Huma Mobin on the 021 Disrupt 2020 panel.

With a limited budget, often companies will allow marketing agencies to get creative and use their own ideas to create promotional content.

5. TikTok is the most used social media platform in rural areas.

While there is an assumption that people from rural areas do not have access to social media, there are millions of people from these areas that are on TikTok and actively upload and engage with the content being posted.

6. There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration in marketing. 

Many marketing agencies are afraid to “steal” ideas from other marketing campaigns, but to take inspiration and acknowledge where the idea is coming from is the best form of flattery.

7. International/national/larger scale campaigns can be translated to more defined, local campaigns.

The best example of this is the Lay’s Smiles campaign. Countries and marketing agencies all over the world took to this campaign to promote a centralized charity, Operation Smile.

8. Companies had to carefully plan campaigns in 2020 during the pandemic to ensure safety was also being promoted.

The number one thing that needed to be included in campaigns this past year was the focus on SOPs to ensure consumers were being reminded of how important it was to stay safe and to keep others safe.

9. Originality was also emphasized upon on this 021 Disrupt 2020 panel.

Huma’s main idea throughout the session was to stay true to the brand and its consumers rather than trying to meet some unrealistic views in order to come off more like what society is starting to expect.

10. An unofficial way to gauge the success of a campaign in Pakistan is to check whether the campaign is being actively shared on WhatsApp.

In Pakistan, the use of WhatsApp to share content is very vast and if a marketing campaign ends up on WhatsApp, it is usually a standard of success for a brand.

11. Many companies and brands came together this year to focus on the success of society as a whole.

Burger King came out with a campaign encouraging consumers to buy from its competitors to ensure restaurants were able to afford to pay their employees and to keep their employees on board and keep their jobs. This was a way to bring people together and have a centralized goal, which won the hearts of consumers all over.

Let us know if you had the chance to attend any panels or sessions!

021 Disrupt 2020 To Host 5000+ Innovators, Entrepreneurs, And Disruptors In Pakistan

Cover image via Via 021 Disrupt 2020/The Nest I/O