Branding Pakistan 2014
"A Budding & Essential Role For Every Pakistani"
Initiated by NOP (National Outreach Program) Under
LCCI (Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industries)
• Mr. Kashif Anwar– Vice President ( LCCI)
• Ms. Saeeda Nazar (Former Vice President LCCI)
• Mr. Awais Saeed Piracha (Chairman LCCI Standing Committee)
The speakers like:
• Mr. Kamran Lashari (Former Civil Servant/Bureaucrat)
• Mr. Rehmatullah Javaid (Former Executive Committee Member LCCI)
• Ms. Tosheeba Sarwar (COO - Imanagers)
and the team of expert panelist like:
• Mr. Nadeem A. Malik (Director - Enterprise Business at Huawei Technologies)
• Mr. Mr. Abdul Wahid Qureshi (CFO – Berger)
• Ms. Hummaira Chaudhry (AVP- Senior Relationship Manager - BOP)
• Mr. Jamil Barry (CEO – Barry Sons)
• Mr. Assad Ullah (Former Civil Servant)
creates a really thought provoking three and a half hours atmosphere for all the participants of various domains.
The influential speaker Mr. Kamran Lashari’s speech regarding Branding Pakistan was very simple but strong and able to create a charisma. He just share his last 15-20 years of professional experience, that how he did small things in bigger way to brand the local product within Pakistan and abroad by successfully launching food street’s concepts of Gawalmandi - Lahore, Anarkalli - Lahore etc. Then the flower shops of Liberty Market -Lahore and preserving the beautiful sites of Margala hills of Islamabad through Monal, Daman-e-Koh point.
He make us realize that being a Pakistani we should have to start doing productive effort without giving a weight that how big it is. We are now around 20 crore (200 Mil.) of population, just imagine that our individual little effort will collectively produce revolution. We just have to stand up and start performing our roles.
Mr. Rehmatullah Javaid shared his own success story that after 1947 how his family business started from no where and how they bring first Pakistani battery with the name “Guard battery” in shape of brand.
Ms. Tosheeba Sarwar is a renowned name in the domain of Marketing. Her grip towards her professionalism clearly reflects in her presentation. Her short but precise presentation explains that every nation has its own entity; it is like a personality which defines through its rich culture, heritage and art. According to her Branding truly, has the power to change the world. It has the power to change the way we view the world and the way we choose to see one country in contrast to another. As branding is a promise, therefore we have to promise to deliver economic performance and power; create rational emotional desire and demand; pick consistent approach across all touch points and drives the world forward. As per her views being a Pakistani we believe that we by our self is a Pakistan. Every entity should have to start his/her own self-realization so that collectively we will produce effective results in the shape of peaceful region and stable Pakistan.
While digesting such wonderful approach, my mind is sticking towards the philosophy of Dr. Allama Iqbal’s poetry “Khudi”, which is basically self-realization. As per Iqbal, the acts of a common person may took him/her to the peak of any kind of glory, what we need is confidence and self belief:
“Khudi ko ker bulnad itna ke her taqdeer se pahle //
Khuda bande se khud puche bata teri raza kya hai”
And then after rising a common person to sky high, he then ask him /her to be with his/her roots – The futility of “Takabur”:
“Mitta do apni hasti ko ager kuch mertaba chaiye //
Ke dana khak mai mil ker guloo gulzar hota hai”
Now let’s talk about the panel discussion that was held with the topic “Branding Pakistan – A Global Vision”. All the members of panel, as the ambassador of their local and international brands they are working with, share their views, personal findings and their role towards “Branding Pakistan”. This live interaction session is all about the development of Pakistani image Glocally. As per panelists, it is true that Pakistani businesses have failed to grab their due share in the world market because of poor branding. Pakistan has all the resources in abundance and quality wise its products are good. What we need is a little focus on branding which could do the miracle at the economic front of Pakistan.
Nadeem A. Malik (Director - Enterprise Business at Huawei Technologies) explains that due to non awareness and weak marketing of Huawei brand local people of Pakistan hardly knows that it has its existence in seventy countries all over the world and sale wise globally Huawei brand stood at third position. Now a days as they are extensively working for the brand in Pakistan therefore the brand equity goes up day by day.
Overall I would say that the session was excellent in its rating and participants enjoyed many shades of this topic. So being a Pakistani this is my promise that first of all I will make things happen positively from my side and then will look towards other. In this manner I will try to do something extra which should be a value addition for my country. I hope if someone after reading this blog will start doing a little effort, the time is not far away that collectively we will get far better results. Khudara try to promote things positivity, try to find out the strength we have, if we know our weaknesses this is the blessing but don’t promote it; work on it and try to convert the feeble areas into your strengths. And if you know the weaknesses of others don’t play with them. Let me summing up with ending note that for better Pakistan we have to Think positively, Feel positively and Act positively, because we by ourselves are Pakistan.
Pakistan Zindabad – Pakistan Paindabad…
Regards
~Khawaja Imran
