On a day when several global players took the stage, the star at AdAsia 2003 was a dynamic woman from Karachi. Seema Jaffer may not see herself as an ambassador for Brand Pakistan in the ad arena, but those present here have placed the crown on her reluctant head.Much of the interest in Jaffer, creative director and chief operating officer of Bond Advertising, is because she defies the stereotype of a woman from Pakistan. ‘‘I have a three-year-old daughter who I have left back home with my husband. He is actually dying to be here but I said no’’, she chuckles. ‘‘See, we aren’t from the Dark Ages.’’Jaffer doesn’t bat an eyelid as she says that tension in the subcontinent is standing in the way of building India and Pakistan into global brands.Nor does she hesitate when asked why the perception of Islamic nations continues to be contrary to progressive thought. ‘‘It’s partly due to stereotyping, especially post-9/11, partly the failure of the Islamic world to change that perception, and partly because of media portrayal. The burqa-clad woman constitutes exotica. The educated liberal majority is too boring to be written about.’’Jaffer — also editor of Pakistan’s premier marketing magazine Marketing Review — has spearheaded award-winning campaigns at Bond, including a AIDS-awareness initiative. She produced The Big Idea, Pakistan’s first TV programme on advertising and marketing, which made her the first woman to receive the “Exceptional Contribution Award” from the Pakistan Advertising Association.So, does Brand Pakistan exist in the global worldview? ‘‘Because of the regional situation, altered international perceptions post-9/11, and the war in Afghanistan, the image of Pakistan in the world media has been more negative than positive,” she says.‘‘There is a sense within Pakistan that India has marketed itself well. Walk down a London street and you will see the kurtis, bandhini work. There’s a mystique that has worked for India, perhaps because of yoga, tourism and alternative systems of medicine.’’
