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Rina Chandran

Ms Seema Jaffer, CEO, Bond Advertising, Pakistan, speaking at AdAsia on Friday

Jaipur , Nov. 14

The 22-strong delegation from Pakistan received the loudest applause when the leader, Mr Jamshed Qureshi, was introduced to delegates at AdAsia 2003. On his first visit to India, although he has been to AdAsia conferences for the past 20 years, the warmth of the people has been "touching" and "overwhelming," he told Business Line.

Originally from Punjab, Mr Qureshi, who is the Chairman of Bond Advertising, is also delighted that he can speak to his driver here in Punjabi.

While the visas to the delegates — for Jaipur and Delhi alone — were granted without much of an ordeal because the AdAsia organising committee moved heaven and earth, the delegates still had to endure a 22-hour journey via Dubai to get to the Pink City.

But it was well worth the effort, said Ms Seema Jaffer, CEO of Bond Advertising, and a speaker at the convention. The exposure to Indian satellite television — on which there is a ban currently — and a relaxation on rules has led to a rapid growth in advertising in Pakistan, she added.

"The industry (centred in Karachi) is not as big, and we don't use as much humour as you do in our advertising, perhaps because it's been so restrictive in the past," said the US-educated Ms Jaffer, who would have also liked to visit Mumbai. "But tensions with India, and the Afghan war, and the Iraq war have taken a big toll on the industry, from which we hope to recover now."

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