So last week I happened to watch the Jazz Jazba Mobile Internet commercial on repeat to figure out what on earth was the point of such a ridiculous concept.

Speaking of concept, I fail to understand how Mobilink can so blatantly talk about Jazba when the logo itself is copied.

For those of you who are unaware, the Mobilink Jazba logo, which happens to talk about immeasurable passion with the tagline ‘Such Apnao, Jazba Jagao!’ is a rip-off of Zagora logo, created in 2005.

It is a common practice in Pakistan for companies to shamelessly copy logos and modify it to their liking, but with the Jazba logo, the horror didn’t just end there. There is actually a tutorial available to create this logo by the Brazilian designer, Fabio Sasso himself. So voila! Ripping-off a concept was just made simpler! Now all those sales managers who love to ‘design’ in their MS Excel sheets can do so with so much ease.

If you’ve digested that news, let’s go back to this new TVC. The ridiculous opening line ‘Ali, mein tumhain kabhi nahi chor sakti’ bizarrely executed by Nargis Fakhri nauseated me. After the scene cut, Nargis calls out to her driver for the car. I’d be really impressed to see any actor do that in real life. The chauffer driven slick car wasn’t so slick anymore, when the bonnet got all smoky. The car typically broke down at the wrong time.

But wait! We do have a hero.

Ali, who appears to be less of an actor and more of a gali ka gunda, jumps at this opportunity and rushes to the damsel in distress on his bike. He also proved to be a typical Karachi ka bike wala, roaring his bike and juggling his way through tiny lanes leaving everyone hassled. Is Mobilink trying to imply that their internet speed is so fast that it actually leaves people stressed?

Are you confused? Me too.

Upon accepting Ali’s offer, Nargis realises ‘script nahi parha’ when Ali hands her his phone to download it with Mobilink’s fast internet and read it on the way. But who can read (let alone memorise a script) when they’re in the middle of a life-threatening motorbike ride?

And in case you missed out, Nargis was on the Google map all through the ride. Maybe the internet really wasn’t fast enough for her to download her script.

In the end, Ali drops off Nargis literally at the aircraft’s doorstep. No wonder she promised him she’d never leave him. Who can leave a guy with an impressive motorbike that he rides with a solid gunda attitude and can drop you off at the airplane hangar? Oh, and let's not forget, previously he had also heroically saved her from a restaurant fire.

I honestly have no words to explain my revulsion at the tagline in the end, Youn chalay ke life balley balley. Are we to assume that Ali’s life took a turn to becoming balley balley after he dropped off an extremely impressed Nargis at the airport?

So after watching the commercial on repeat, did I actually find my answer?

Yes I did.

When the foundation of your brand is a hoax and a rip-off of someone else’s creativity, how can you ever be original about concepts or the development of your product?

Your brand is your brainchild. The least you can do is be loyal to it.

Follow the Advertising Analysis series here.

 


The writer is a New Media Design Manager at Dawn.com

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