Ever wonder what would happen if the clients are not connected to the right people? Or the ads don’t appeal to the respective audience? Or no research analysis is done on what’s hot and what’s not? Where would you get your news? And the entertainment?
Ever wonder what would happen if the clients are not connected to the right people? Or the ads don’t appeal to the respective audience? Or no research analysis is done on what’s hot and what’s not? Where would you get your news? And the entertainment?
Being associated with a media organization has its perks. You get to meet all sorts (ok, not all) of people from celebs to college-going students. It didn’t take me long to realize that not all heroes are given the spotlight; you don’t get to see them showered with praises, or lead a life of glitz and glamour. They won’t be the most important people at an event, save when a press release has to be issued and requests for pictures are to be met. Yes, i’m talking about those in PR (public relations) and communication roles.
Some things never change, though. There are still stereotypes about women in media. I may be biased when it comes to writing about these girls but then you can decide yourself, too. Is it really too much to ask to do what you love minus the drama and judgmental behaviour?
You don’t opt for commerce
So, the first discrimination that Amara Ashraf, Marketing and Brand Management Professional, faced was back in her college days, which is like seven or eight years ago. She had switched from pre-medical to commerce. Of course, people had to comment: “Only those students whose percentage is poor go for commerce”; “She couldn’t manage to get an admission in a medical college hence the switch!” It was hard to digest the simple fact that a girl could genuinely be interested in business studies.
Itna exposure larkiyon kay liye theek nahi
The change was for the best though; Amara’s communication skills improved - a lot. Whether it was coming up with innovative ideas for product launch (a pepper spray and an energy drink, for example), she handled it all, grateful to interact with people from such diverse backgrounds in the four-year BBA programme she enrolled into.
This she feels is important when you wish to enter the corporate world. Her advice to young people is to at least do one diploma course so that they become familiar with the culture. Her own sister who chose to do MBA after becoming a qualified engineer agrees that the interaction definitely improved her networking skills. These days, it’s all about how well you can sell yourself to the prospective employer, irrespective of it being through a resume or an interview. Soft skills, you see.
In her opinion, a person can learn anything except people management which you acquire only with experiences. Like she did. For every two or three cases that went awry because of her, there were two or three that she handled beautifully as well. You cannot talk with B in the same manner as you did with A. Some you can persuade; others you have to be assertive with in order to get the ball rolling.
Your professional life is not the same as your personal one
Hmm this reminds me of that phrase - do jism, ek jaan. Melodrama much? But it’s just another myth Amara debunks. How is it humanly possible to sift your personality traits as you continuously move between your personal and professional persona? If you are an honest person, you’ll be honest in all your dealings, irrespective of your settings and roles. You won’t see her at office at nine in the morning, but the quality of work she provides does not leave room for any complaints at the manager’s end. Her philosophy is simple: give your 100 percent and there’s no stopping you to become ‘crazy successful’!
Stick to one organization
It’s utter nonsense when you realize that there’s no use of sitting idle at your current workstation, waiting for the miraculous appraisals to happen. If your learning has stopped, which it probably will after two to three years, it’s time to consider a new job. Look for new experiences, unless you are at the stage in life where you want to settle down in your career. Every organization needs new people to bring their individual ideas, especially in PR and marketing departments, as the kind of work they do is subjective in nature and not objective like finance where a set model defines what you do and how you do it.
So before she joined Movenpick, the campaigns for the hotel included a lot of events. Coming from a pure marketing background, her strategy was to strengthen the brands. She is talking about restaurant reviews, spa coverages, etc, using local mediums to stimulate the local market rather than relying on paid content to build the brands’ credibility because it doesn’t. However, it needs to be stressed here that you have to groom yourself according to the organization; be unique but keep in mind that the organization won’t be changing its policies for you; therefore, you adapt as much as is possible for you.
That means promoting something that you personally don’t agree with. Amara used to work for DKT International, which deals with reproductive health, and contraceptives was her brand. Not something many girls feel comfortable with. Now, people who know her won’t believe it, and she herself didn’t find it appealing. But she was the brand manager and had to understand the target market and think from her audience’s perspective (whether they want aspirational ads or relatable ads) and all this was possible because of her strong people skills.
Girls are not - cannot - be warriors
Surprise, surprise! Amara’s been a very rebellious person throughout her life. Her father died when she was in college and her older brother assumed his role. It was he who raised her that way, taught her to be accountable for the decisions she made, allowed her to set her own boundaries. When she started her career in early 2014, she received a lot of job offers from renowned FMCGs. And while she was contemplating, she came across DKT’s ad and told her brother she wanted to work there. Initially, she had no idea about the company, but her brother knew. He advised her to go through their website first and if she still felt comfortable with it, he would support her.
When the brand manager chose her out of all the other candidates who were interviewed there, the country director wasn’t sure if it was the right decision. Yes, she was young, had completed her education from a good university, was comfortable (or eager) to work with them. But there were reservations of sorts. She was a fresh graduate who had no know-how of how things worked in the corporate world. “You have to be prepared to unlearn and relearn a lot of things when you start working. The business models you read in books are useful to an extent only; beyond that, it’s all about practical knowledge, and learning from mistakes. Don’t expect your seniors to spoonfeed you every time. It’s a very cutthroat industry and you’ll see politics at play everywhere. Everyone would undermine you if you don’t know anything, even if you are the newbie and they have been working on the same brand since forever. They would make real efforts to embarrass you until you give up,” Ammara reveals.
Looking back, the fact that her boss took a month off after she had joined seems like a blessing in disguise. They had to launch a radio campaign in two days and she didn’t know what to do until the country manager told her to start asking questions and explore. It was a life-saving (or life-changing?) moment; perhaps, it was both. After all, nobody can help you if you don’t seek help in the first place!
Then she was sent on field work. At the time, she was 21 years old, had never travelled alone, never been to Islamabad and all those villages she had to cover. It wasn’t like there were family restrictions; it was simply a new challenge. The moment she stepped out of the Islamabad airport, a random guy threw a paper at her with his number. This is how her work travel started. When she returned to Karachi after almost a week, people (read men) at her office were stunned. They had not taken her seriously and were impressed. Two months after that, her brand manager resigned and Amara took over as acting brand lead for DKT for more than a year. Her ads were flawless, her radio campaigns and PR articles knew no end.
Why did I feel the need to share Amara’s, Hira’s and Hiba’s stories with you guys? Let me ask a question in turn: why is a girl or a woman brought down? If only we as individuals and as society are more accepting, if we don’t live in our own comfort zones, if we come out of our bubbles and learn to appreciate and help girls write their own success stories, perhaps then I would have done my part in these chocolate friendships.
A decade (and counting) of PR
It was an internship at British Council in 2005 as a communication assistant right after graduation that set the ball rolling. A job in an international NGO and (now) association with an esteemed education board came later, and Hira Sajjad always wanted to be in this field. There were no second thoughts, no confusion.
The journey, as she puts it, has been a good one. The job involves getting to know people from all walks of life (from government officials and senior officers to villagers and farmers). Besides, there are multiple projects to work on (education, social, health, development, etc.).
Blessed with the best in terms of managers and comfortable working environment, what frustrates her the most? “People who never understand the amount of work I handle on a regular basis. There are always comments like ‘Aap ko karna hi kya hota hai?’ ‘Aap ko to bas story likhni aur colours kay sath khelna hota hai.’ ‘It’s such a chill job - travelling, taking pictures when working on field ...maza aata hoga!’
Organizing a conference with a theme is no easy task; you have to keep all branding inline, arrange media coverage, see that all timelines are met catering to international and external audience. These experiences change you as a person.
So, the next time someone asks you “what creative work?” simply quote this successful lady: “You don’t have to bust myths or something like that; girls are making progress and if you are contributing in any way to their growth, remember you are nothing short of an achiever yourself.”
Take a chance
“Well, I think you’re a lot like a firefly. You know why?” I asked.
The worry on her face lifted. She looked at me hopefully. “Why, Mama?”
“Because you shine from within.”
How many of us desire to be acknowledged this way? How many of us are the fireflies whose talents have not been officially recognized with certificates and awards, whose triumphs have remained unacknowledged and unappreciated?
A firefly might be the one who works for corporate clients and connects them with media persons; a firefly because you are waiting for someone to notice your light among all the butterflies (the brilliant, colourful and talented ones) who are noticed.
Hiba Zubairi dreamt of becoming an architect one day. She even got the admission but life had a different plan. She had to switch due to some circumstances and the only two choices available to her were statistics and mass communication. And she went with the latter despite the fact that she didn’t have any knowledge of mass communication.
What started off as happenstance became an amazing part of her journey. She is currently working as Manager Client Services and Media Affairs at Mediators. There is something new to do every day, which is why she never feels bored.
The case, however, is far from the picture-perfect image we think it to be. In our culture, working in the media is really difficult. Further, people think this field is not appropriate for girls. The initial days were tough because it did not make much sense to some of the people around her. It was only because of her parents’ support that Hiba could fight against this bias not just in the society but in her family as well. She took a stand and now people who know her are proud of her.
