Peek Freans Sooper becomes Pakistan’s 1st National Brand to Break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ By Karachi Chronicle

Peek Freans Sooper has officially broken the Guinness World Records for the Largest Cookie Mosaic in the shape of Pakistan’s flag made with  more than 150,000 cookies measuring 226.51 square meter  (2,438.15 square feet).  

Dr. Zeelaf Munir, Managing Director and CEO, EBM and the team with the Record-breaking Cookie Mosaic made with more than 150,000 biscuits 

Peek Freans Sooper perfectly embodies the spirit of the nation on the 70th independence day of Pakistan. As the highest selling biscuit of Pakistan, the brand has grown into a household name for its quality and wholesome goodness, as well as for its positive and memorable campaigns over the past two decades. Pakistan itself bears the same positive spirit that is often kept out of the mainstream conversation - the fact that it is a land of immense opportunity, and brimming with talent that has continually defied odds to surpass barriers.

Peek Freans Sooper, Pakistan’s favorite biscuit, wanted to unite the country under one umbrella with the inspiring and positive message of “Sooper Hai Pakistan”. On the 70th Independence Day, the EBM family came together to do the impossible… to set a new Guinness World Record! By making  world’s largest cookie mosaic in the shape of Pakistan Flag to give a resounding message to everyone that how Sooper a nation it is. 

The team worked with great fervor and passion as they slowly pieced together the mosaic, block by block, biscuit by biscuit using Peek Freans Sooper cookies. With hard work, dedication and a Sooper attitude, the flag mosaic was finally completed after a determined effort of six hours and thirty minutes. 

Safety and hygiene were of paramount importance and the team ensured that the strict quality standards employed by Peek Freans were followed throughout the process. The record building process was overseen by independent witnesses including a health and hygiene inspector and a surveyor from Islamabad .

The biscuits used for making this mosaic were packed in custom built containers and distributed to prominent charities operating across Pakistan.

Dr. Zeelaf Munir, EBM Managing Director and CEO said, “We are a nation that is continuously rebuilding, reshaping and pushing forward – no matter what the odds. Our campaign, ‘Sooper Hai Pakistan’ seeks to highlight this national positivity by disseminating content that is the exact opposite of what the popular media continues to cover.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ayesha Janjua, EBM Head of Marketing said, ‘Pakistanis are brimming with raw talent; surpassing the world’s expectations on each and every pivotal moment and the participation of EBM sales and marketing team in this historic event demonstrates the true spirit of every Pakistani.”

This record breaking event was attended by a number of celebrities including Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Adnan Siddiqui and Hareem Farooq. They came out to support the efforts of Peek Freans Sooper and were seen cheering for the team and encouraging them throughout the event.   

As the Guinness World Records team announced the result, the participants were finally rewarded with the confirmation that Pakistan & Peek Freans Sooper had made the history books by making a Guinness World Records on the day of the country's 70th Independence Day.

Episode 2 of Coke Studio Season 10 features mega stars and memorable songs

After setting the mood for its milestone 10th season with the first episode last week, Coke Studio builds up the excitement further in episode 2 by featuring mega music stars like Ali Hamza, Ali Noor, Ali Zafar, Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch, Rahat Fateh Ali and Salman Ahmed, along with rising new stars, Ali Sethi, Jaffar Zaidi and Waqar Ehsin.

In line with Season 10’s concept of each episode featuring a tribute song, episode 2 features Jaan-e-Bahaaraan by Ali Zafar, as the tribute song to renowned music composer Master Inayat Hussain, who passed away in 1993. Master Inayat had composed the music to the original version of this song, the lyrics of which were written by Tanveer Naqvi. For episode 2 of Season 10, Shuja Haider has directed the music with the re-imagination of the song staying true to the theatrical and dramatic nature of Pakistani film music, while Spanish musical motifs in its styling has been subtly infused. Ali Zafar proves himself as the perfect cast for the roll of a love-struck beau with his captivating vocals and pronounced stage presence. As Zafar convincingly professes his devotion and adoration for his Jaan-e-Baahaaraan, a powerful string section packed with a punch of percussion serves as the perfect backdrop for this ditty.

The other three songs featured in Episode 2 are Tinak Dhin by Ali Sethi, Ali Hamza and Waqar Ehsin

Faasle by Jaffer Zaidi and Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch, and Sayonee, rendered by the immensely formidable combination of Rahat Fateh Ali, Ali Noor and Salman Ahmed, the founder of the Junoon band, which originally released this song in April 1997.

Speaking about how it feels to bring back Sayonee onto Coke Studio, the biggest musical platform that Pakistan has, Salman Ahmed stated, “What I did not want to do was to rehash a hit song. It had to have an organic feel to it. This is the 20th anniversary of the song. The two connections I have with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Noor, one is when I was playing with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab, Rahat was sitting on my left, and to see that journey, to be so inspired by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab and write this song ‘Sayonee’ because of the music that he inspired me with and then today singing it with Rahat. And twenty years back, Ali Noor and I connected; he also sang a Junoon song, Ghoom Tana. And so him coming, bringing this rock presence into it. And the entire Coke Studio band; I was in a state of mystical ecstasy. Main ghoom raha tha bilkul!”

This episode is thus a heady mix of highly memorable songs and some of the biggest names in Pakistan’s music industry, and is sure to generate huge excitement in Coke Studio fans, both in Pakistan and across the world.

Deepika Padukone brings a surprise for the fans – The OPPO F3 Deepika Padukone Limited Edition

OPPO, together with its brand ambassador, the famous style icon Deepika Padukone, brought a surprise for the fans during a live streaming on OPPO Pakistan’s Facebook Page; the OPPO F3 Deepika Limited Edition. Priced at 29,899, the OPPO F3 Deepika Limited Edition will be available for pre-order from August 11, 2017 till August 19, 2017 in offline stores nationwide.

Commenting on the launch, Deepika Padukone, OPPO’s brand ambassador said, “Opportunities like these are always fun and exciting! Rose Gold is one of my all-time favorite colours! I love the way the phone looks and I hope my fans like it as much as I do!"

Adding greater excitement for the consumers through this campaign, the camera phone brand OPPO has collaborated with the leading beauty brand, L’Oreal Paris. All customers who purchase the OPPO F3 Deepika Edition will get a L’Oreal Paris Moisture Matte lipstick as a gift, in a specially designed box. Those customers who pre-order from 11th – 19th Aug, 2017 will be eligible to be part of the first sales activity to be held in Packages Mall, Lahore on 19th Aug, 2017, where they will get an exclusive makeover from L’Oreal Paris.   

Speaking on this collaboration Mr. George Long, CEO OPPO Pakistan said, “We are delighted on this partnership with L’Oreal Paris on the launch of F3 Deepika edition signature phone. Technology has become as conspicuous a statement as fashion itself and it is the first time a smartphone brand in Pakistan has collaborated with a premium makeup brand to offer a unique experience to our customers. I am sure the #BeautyMeetsTech Campaign, will add excitement in the lives of the modern women of today by enabling them to capture their exciting moments by taking selfies, group selfies to look beautiful, feel young and be who they are.  

To further enthuse consumers, OPPO has announced that the first 10 customers to arrive at the venue will be awarded a signed photo frame by Deepika. The entire campaign will be amplified through the hashtag, #BeautyMeetsTech .

Speaking about this association, Farooq Ahmed, General Manager (Consumer Products Division) at L’Oreal Pakistan said that, “We are excited to collaborate with OPPO for the launch of their Limited Edition F3 Mobile Phone. Innovation & technology have been a core component of the L’Oreal Paris product range in the beauty business and beyond. For instance, our Makeup Genius app gives women the opportunity to virtually try on makeup and design their own looks. #BeautyMeetsTech thus truly represents the perfect partnership between two brands, which enable the modern day woman to look beautiful, feel good and stay connected.” 

The OPPO F3 Deepika Padukone Limited Edition phone is available in Rose Gold which is considered fashionable and trendy. Along with Deepika’s laser signature engraved on the back, OPPO together with Deepika, have also designed the logo with a letter D outside and a letter P inside, which represent Deepika Padukone. The logo is made with polished metal which not only creates the shine of mirror effect but also adds the glamour of the rose gold color.

Besides its exquisite appearance, the OPPO F3 Deepika Padukone Limited Edition Phone also inherits the superior group selfie and photography ability of the original F3. Together with the same powerful specs, it can provide you a flawless user experience.

OPPO is an ever-evolving global smartphone brand dedicated to delivering customers with the most extraordinary experience through innovative technology, meticulous design and camera expertise. 

For the last ten years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO was the first brand to launch smartphones with 16MP front cameras.  OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. 

In line with its deep insight of young people's behavior, OPPO first launched selfie-focused smartphones in 2015 - Selfie Expert F series in Pakistan. Its first batch of products received a warm welcome and the brand leads the trend in the industry. In 2016, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. By now, OPPO provides excellent camera phone photography experience to over 100 million young people around the world.

Peek Freans Sooper attempts to bring glory to Pakistan on its 70th Independence Day:By Karachi Chronicle

People hold their breath as Peak Freans Sooper attempted to break the World Record for the ‘Largest Cookie Mosaic’ on 14th August, 2017.

Nation’s favorite cookie Peek Freans Sooper launched a patriotic campaign titled#SooperHaiPakistan across the country.

Hareem Farooq helping EBM's team in their attempt to make world's largest flag

As part of the campaign, they attempted to make the world’s largest flag made out of Sooper cookies on this 70th Independence Day. 

Peek Freans Sooper used more than one hundred and fifty thousand biscuit to make this twenty four thousand square feet mosaic shaped flag shaped in six hours and thirty five minutes.

Peak Freans Sooper has always considered itself to be the nation’s brand, and they consider it their responsibility to play a key role in making the nation proud. This attempt, if successful would not only be a proud moment for the citizens of Pakistan, but would also bring international recognition for the country

200 employees of the EBM family along with Pakistan’s prominent sportsmen and celebrities including Younus Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Hareem Farooq, Osman Khalid Butt, Anoushey Ashraf, Ali Rehman Khan, Mira Sethi and Adnan Siddiqui were part of this activity.

Anoushey Ashraf is all smiles while helping Sooper in its attempt to make world's largest mosaic

Keeping the brand’s vision of being socially responsible, all cookies used for making the Flag were donated to notable charities across Pakistan. 

Ayesha Janjua Head of Marketing EBM, distributing the biscuits to a charity 

English Biscuit Manufacturers has been baking delights for Pakistani consumers under the brand name Peek Freans since 1967. As one of the pioneers of the industry, and a dominating market leader, EBM continues to innovate on each front- product, quality, and communication.

Peek Freans Sooper captures the pulse of the Pakistani consumer’s preference. Being the no.1 biscuit brand, Sooper is nationally loved and admired. With the highest brand equity in the category, Sooper is one of the most iconic brands in Pakistan. It is widely available and penetrates across demographics and geographies. Sooper today is the first choice of the business executive, just as much as it is to the laborer.

Jovago.pk celebrate nation’s 70th Independence by offering discounts up to 70%

Jovago.pk, Pakistan’s first and the largest online hotel booking website wishes Pakistan happy 70th independence. On this national occasion, Jovago Pakistan in line with its commitment, brings amazing announcement for all the domestic travelers. Under its campaign

#DhondoApniPehchanGhoomoPakistan, Jovago Pakistan offers discounts up to 70% on hotels across Pakistan. These discounts are valid for the entire month of August.

Sharing her heartiest greetings with the nation, Nadine Malik, CEO Jovago Asia said, “Pakistan is our beloved homeland and we being the country’s 1st online hotel booking platform, always brings lucrative offers for our travelers. On the 70th birthday of Pakistan, I am happy to continue our legacy. I wish every Pakistani a happy Independence Day and safe travels to avail these amazing discount offers. We take pledge to facilitate domestic travelers with even more reasonable prices and safe accommodation options in coming years with a few more offerings in our recent portfolio.”

Jovago Pakistan takes pride to thank its partners Daraz.pk, Telemart and Standard Charted Pakistan who have supported this initiative. In return, Jovago.pk provides special added discounts to their customers. For more details, visit official Facebook page of Jovago.pk or https://jovago.net/en-gb/independence-day-deals

Why is going after new customers a big mistake? By Roy Osing

There are a number of strategies available to the marketer to grow revenue - raise prices in the face of inelastic demand, lower prices when demand is believed to be elastic, acquire new customers and hold/grow existing customers.

Customer acquisition must be the sexy strategy for marketers because almost every company uses it rather than pour resources into the other options.

In my experience, the customer acquisition approach is short sighted and adds questionable value to the organization over the long term.

The reason: marketers will do almost anything to add a customer with the belief that new customers will bring new revenue.

They drop their prices and offer free stuff to entice someone away from their current supplier. Ever seen a special promotion offering a free TV or iPad or 3 months free? We are constantly inundated with these types of offers.

Marketers believe that revenue growth from new customers in the long run will more than offset any price reduction offered or the added costs of the free stuff offered as a switching incentive.

There are two reasons why marketers who believe this are fooling themselves.

First, why wouldn't the customer who was attracted by the special promotion leave and go elsewhere for a better more compelling proposition?

Since they accepted your special deal they have qualified themselves as a switcher who is motivated not by the value offered by the supplier but by the savings they can get.

Rest assured they will leave you in a heartbeat for another special offer ; they shop around and show no loyalty to any organization.

Second, there is a huge opportunity cost with this strategy; it comes from the current base of loyal customers who are not offered any special deal - "they don't qualify for the special promotion".
These loyalists discover that the deals are being offered to people who have never been a customer with the organization, and what's worse it's been kept a secret to the existing base of customers.
The upshot is they get pissed off and leave, sharing their negative feelings with as many people they can. And revenues go DOWN as a result.

In my book, the hold/grow option is the best long term solution to grow revenue.

Invest in preventing your loyal customers from leaving by continuing to provide them with meaningful solutions that solve their problems and scratch an itch that they have.

Offer THEM all the special deals and promotions FIRST to show them how much you appreciate them and their business.

Forget the marketing sizzle. It costs much more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. And the added revenue results are questionable if not downright imaginary.

Marketers - be boring. Devote your energy into earning the continued trust of your current customers each and every day.

They will repay you with a revenue stream that grows.

Sastaticket.pk Offers Mega Travel Deals this August!

Sastaticket.pk plans to launch incredible discount deals for Independence day this year. The gazetted holiday will fall on a Monday this time around, and the long weekend will undoubtedly give citizens just another reason to celebrate!

Those who know how to seize an opportunity can head out on a road trip over the weekend and make this Independence day extra exciting!

In the spirit of celebrating the holiday, the owner and CEO of the company Shazil Mehkri said “It is a privilege to be born a Pakistani and to share the joy of 70 long years of independence with our fellow countrymen. Sastaticket.pk has always taken pride in associating itself with national patriotism, and this year we plan to commemorate this milestone in our country’s long and tiring journey by launching exciting travel deals!”

Last month Sastaticket.pk launched a 50% discount deal on assorted hotels. The overwhelming response of that deal has motivated the sastaticket.pk team to offer its valued customers an even greater offer that promises to make traveling more affordable than ever before.

By offering cutting edge discounts on flights' tickets and hotels, Sastaticket.pk hopes to promote traveling trends in the right directions and help liberate the common man from the burden of unbearable traveling expenses.

Sastaticket.pk will proactively be offering cheap International Holiday Packages in the coming weeks and the sastaticket.pk team is extremely excited over the upcoming deals that they have to offer! Also, more deals are expected to be launched for domestic flights and hotels in the near future to cater to the increasing demand of traveling and tourism in Pakistan.