THINKING OUTSIDE THE

BROWN BAG
Publisher: Aurora Magazine by DAWN
Issue: Sep –Oct 2021
Article Writer: Sadia Kamran
Khairkhwah

■ NGO based in KHI

■ Established in May 2020
■ KhairKhwah is a communications platform with the aim to make difficult
conversations easy in a bid to address pressing societal problems in Pakistan (Mainly
through Social Media Platforms such as Facebook, YouTube etc.)
■ Other awareness campaigns include Health-related issues such as COVID-19
Marketing Campaign

■ Marketing Campaign
– Soch Ko Khaki Lifaafey Se Azaad Karo, Baat Karo.’ (‘Liberate the Way You Think
From the Brown Bag; Talk to Each Other.’)
■ Target Audience
– Young and married couples who already have a child.
– Parents and older siblings, who may be able to influence the couples
■ Marketing Agency
– M&C Saatchi World Services Pakistan
■ Advertisement (Click here)
Topic

■ How we see it:

– Family Planning, Birth Control.
■ What we not see:
– Maternal Health, Child Mortality, Lack of Knowledge, Socio-Economic challenges
of a household and at large.
Customer behavior and Campaign’s aim

■ Customer Behavior
– Family planning is considered as a private topic
– People see brown bag as a positive thing as it protected their privacy when they
purchased ‘sensitive’ products
– Men in rural areas find it easier to talk to their male friends regarding family
planning than to their spouses
■ Aim
– To ‘normalize’ talking about family planning
How is family planning a marketing issue
in Pakistan?
■ Communication do and don'ts marketers at “Creative” end
– Societal norms/considered a stigma
– Religion (No Sweeping Statement)
– Carefully chosen vocabulary (powerful message in subtle way)
– Product specification can not be highlighted in a pronounced manner
– Expression should be crafted to not clash with values
– Prescriptive and authoritative messaging should be avoided
– Focus should be on creating awareness
Cont..

■ Communication do and don’ts for marketers at “Media Buying” end

– Airing sensitive content is not recommended during religious and children shows
regardless of high TRPs
– Airing low frequency of sensitive content during religious months such as Ramzan is
recommended (Click)
– Picture in picture (PIP) is less likely to educate the illiterate consumers
– Social Media posts are comparatively more effective
– Airing during all time slots is recommended. Airing during Pre-prime time, prime time,
super prime time and post prime time are as important for social marketing as for other
goods and services (Click)
– Same precautions to be adopted during print and social media buying
Cont…

■ Do and don’ts for marketers at “Sales and Customer Service” end

– Active sale to individuals and couples in stores is not a practice neither
recommended. Demand of product is common
– Placement near cashier counter or a dedicated corner is preferred
– Colored packing (Khaki Lifafa) is practiced, transparent packaging is not
recommended
– Customer service shall be provided through dedicated platforms e.g. POOCHO
helpline
– Refrain from providing consultation in personal capacity
Your thoughts on metrics used to gauge
effectiveness of the Campaign
■ The campaign’s effectiveness was set to be measured based on three main metrics:
1. Knowledge and Information
2. Changing Social Norms
3. Intent and Uptake
Lesson learned

■ Disintegrate the Issue

■ Study things from multiple perspective
■ Design smart content
■ Employ right resources
■ Engineering long-lasting behavioral change is difficult but possible
■ No matter how subtle the messaging is you might end up offending someone, that’s ok
THANK YOU