Marketing is all about creating a hype, pushing boundaries and having a *shibang* effect on your audience. Taking that as a cue, advertising creates a buzz, looping in various psychological factors for maximum appeal. Pakistani brands have been doing just THAT in recent history. Arguably, moving away from a cup of tea that made you have three costume changes in two minutes and dance to the beat of the dhol was MUCH OVERDUE.
Taking the baton forward from Ufone, what with their quick-witted and humor-driven advertisements, industry giants like Lipton and Tapal got creative. And by creative, I mean REALLY CREATIVE.
And thus, a national phenomenon of “CHAI WARS” was born.
Tapal took the lead in discrediting their competitor with this quirky piece
“Chai ka label Yellow ho ya Orange, strong chai to Tapal Danedar hi hai”
Lipton was equally responsive, bringing in their big guns with the controversial star Hamza Ali Abbasi as the face of their campaign
“Lipton ek baar, bhool jaogay Daanaydaar. Maza na aaey to paisay wapas!”
Tapal OWNED the show with their next retort
“Thak jaogay paisay waapis kar kar kay. Jo peetay hain tapal daanaydar din raat, wo suntay nahi kissi aur ki baat”
HOT. DAMN.
Your favorite Mangoes couldn’t help but jump in…
We gave our own two-cents on the raging chai wars
And then, we got REAAAAALLY into it…
Bet you didn’t expect that crazy ending?
Okay so…It didn’t end there. Brands from all over Pakistan wanted their two seconds of fame by using chai wars as a theme for their campaigns.
1. Everyday
“Chai lajawab ho ya danedar, only Nestle Everyday makes it khaas!”
2. Mezan
“Laraee jhagray main nahi, Har cheez Mezan main achi lagte hay”
Notice them incorporating those colors? Priceless. Total phupho move.
3. Interwood
“Chaahay Chai jo bhi ho, rakhi tou hamari table pey jati hai”
Munasib.
4. Hilal Cupkake
“Danedar chai ka Lajawab saath”
Diplomatic much?
5. Lu Classic
“Chai jo bhi ho janaab, humara maza Lajawaab”
6. United Snacks Oye Hoye
Let’s first applaud United Snacks on one helluva brand name. Oye hoye oye hoye oye hoye.
“Chai, doodh aur biscuit main jo bhi ho. Chips main sirf, Oye Hoye”
7. Kaybees Ice-cream
” Chai Chahey jo bhi ho, per ice cream tu Kaybees ki
8. Cafe Chatterbox
“No more takraar, let’s have some coffee mere yaar”
Suffice to say, all this was very entertaining for the customer base. The advertising community could learn a thing or two from this friendly chai-takraar. We could use some more eye-catching marketing mavericks in Pakistan.
