Today is an auspicious day—a defining moment in the history! It is not only a day of facilitations for me and my team but a historic day for many important reasons. Firstly, today while addressing as founder and CEO of Brands Foundation, it is a matter of great ecstasy and contentment that a very small team of The Exhibitors Private Limited which embarked on 26th August 2006; on a great journey of “Nation Branding of Pakistan” at national and international level---in a very difficult situation and with scarce resources --- has completed five extra-ordinary eventful years with unmatchable accomplishments.
Today by the grace of God, all of us are gathered here in this impressive and historic building of Governor’s House of Sindh, to celebrate the fourth edition of awards distribution ceremony of “Brands of the Year Awards 2010” ---- to pay tribute a to express our gratitude to all the winners for their unrelenting struggle making their brands an outstanding success. On this great occasion heartfelt congratulations are due from me and the members of Brands Award Council --- to all the owners, guardians and winners of “Brands of the Year Awards 2010”. This monumental success is great evidence that your brand is the number one choice of majority of the consumers of Pakistan. All winner brands have got the status of most acclaimed and trusted brands in their respective industry categories. This is the fundamental reason that majority of the Pakistani consumers and experts of Brands Awards Council have chosen your brand for the “Brands of the Year Awards 2010”. No doubt you are the well deserved contenders for this highest acclaimed award and honor.
The day of today is historic for another reason also ---that in last five years the milestones of popularity, recognition and acceptance achieved by the “Brands of the Year Awards” are unmatchable by any other such activity in the corporate history of Pakistan. This activity which started with the mission “to identify and promote brand excellence and to create brand culture in Pakistan” after an struggle par excellence encompassing a period of five years has surmounted the greatest milestone on 10th November 2010 when government of Pakistan in recognition of these efforts and struggles bestowed our organization with the new blossoming entity of “Brands Foundation” –a not for profit public company licensed under section 42 of companies ordinance 1984.
Many thanks to Allah the most beneficent and the most merciful
With the issuance of public company license, Brands Foundation has been assigned with the nationwide legal mandate of certain strategic tasks; some of them are as follows;
- To promote brand culture through healthy competition among brands operating in Pakistani market.
- To conduct brand quality and Intellectual Property survey.
- To conduct brand audit ratings and establish international standard scientific labs for brands quality assurance.
- To develop expertise in brands research and establish best brands practices in Pakistan.
- To act as sponsoring body for a University dedicated to develop expertise and create awareness for brands research, brand empowerment and groom brand leaders and managers capable to confront the challenges of the new millennium.
Afore mentioned assignments reflects not only the exceptional legal status of Brands Foundation but it is a matter of great satisfaction that before the issuance of first public company license; Security and Exchange Commission enquired from all relevant government departments, and ministries regarding our qualifications and competence and asked them for No objection certificate for this license. All relevant departments and ministries expressed their highest satisfaction and trust on our performance. We are extremely grateful to all of them in general and in particular to IPO Pakistan, PSQCA and Ministry of Industries and Production for imposing confidence in our capabilities. We are once again grateful to them and assure that with this new identity of ”Brands Foundation” they will observe distinctively better changes and futuristic sense of responsibility in our activities. It is great that all these three institutions are the strategic partners in this remarkable activity of “Brands of the Year Awards” but apart from this, it also enjoys unconditional endorsement and support from more than ten ministries and departments. It goes without saying that without guidance and cooperation of all of them it would have been an uphill task.
In the newly transformed scenario of existence of Brands Foundation as a public company various additional authorities and responsibilities have been assigned on us. In this back ground all those tasks related with”Brands of the Year Awards” which previously we were unable to execute as organizer and used to get accomplish through third party --- will now be executed under the direct administration and control of “Brands Foundation”. We undertake that “Brands Foundation” with this strategic and vital mandate will play the front line role to carry out objective efforts in line with the international rules and regulations to bring about positive and far reaching impacts in economic and financial disciplines of Pakistan. We will transform “Brands Foundation” into such a platform which will equip the business and corporate community and related institutions of Pakistan with the latest information and techniques to confront with the global economic warfare ---and will provide the brand owners with all possible awareness, information and resources to market their brands in the global markets. Brands Foundation will introduce the business community of Pakistan -- not only with the latest philosophies of “Brand empowerment”, Brand promotion and Brand equity development but also make them acquainted with the promulgation of new laws and changes taking place at the global level.
With reference to the Brand equity development, Brand marketing and Brand promotion: Brands Foundation is initiating a training and development project for Pakistani businessmen and industrialists so as to provide them with the knowhow to get their products registered as “Brands” and all legal and technical advisory to accomplish this immense task.
In line with the objectives of “Brands Foundation” a flawless line of action has been decided and a coordinated short term, medium term and long term program have been devised which has resulted in various new and such projects which were never undertaken ever before. With this reference in the first step and for the first time in the economic and corporate history of Pakistan----a novel project with the identity of Brand Index of Pakistan has been introduced to undertake the ranking of institutions and rating of their brands after a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis under the guidance of experts in their fields. The first edition of this index will constitute rating of one thousand brands operating in the Pakistan market. It will be made public through our website along with various features and reports by close of this year.
Second, but the most important, Brands Foundation is conducting the first ever Intellectual Property survey in collaboration with the IPO Pakistan and shall lead to the compilation of maiden IP directory of Pakistan. This directory will conclude that how many institutions of national, international, local and international level are participating in the trade; how many brands of them are working in the IP network and how many are without IP registration. It will provide us guideline that how to make these institutions understand the importance of IP protection so that they can be brought into IP network.
Third, and yet another important, project of Brands Foundation, is the introduction of a multifunctional website “Brandbook.com.pk” being developed on the style of famous social networking web portal “facebook” and its launch is due very shortly. This website will offer an exclusive online platform for brand community professionals, stakeholders, students and consumers so that they can establish their relations with each other and can share their opinions, priorities, reservations etc about branded products and services available in the trade sector of Pakistan.
In the midterm program, Brands Foundation has the determination to establish the Brand Quality Assurance Labs; with the out reaching objective to acquaint the Pakistani consumers with “WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG” in their larger interest. Another important project in the midterm program is the design and development of Brand audit and Brand quality survey. Impeccable quality, performance and reliability are simply the cost of entry to most modern marketplaces – thus the brand has become a critical factor. Whether the product being sold is tangible or intangible, intellectual capital developed because of quality plays a vital role by adding value to the product.
In the long term perspective, Brands Foundation has a responsibility and commitment of establishing the first ever “Brands University” in the world. It will be a guidepost for all the junior brand leaders who wants to travel farther to new corporate frontiers.
Dear Readers,
All these efforts and activities are directed towards promotion of brand culture in Pakistan and to structure a positive brand image of Pakistan at national and international level so that the economic stability of Pakistan can be ascertained and the contemporary and imminent perils and challenges can be confronted in a professional manner. A country’s brand image impacts virtually every aspect of its international engagements, and ultimately plays a critical role in its economic, social, political and cultural progress. When, as a result of objective leadership all the stakeholders share a common vision of the country’s identity, and achieve a good degree of harmonization, there is a far greater chance of the country’s image positively reflecting its present reality. If the indicators like tourism, export, literacy rate, people attitude, direct foreign investment, culture and heritage, government policies and good communication facilities are developing positively then the international public opinion is definitely to form a positive opinion of the country.
The journey of nation branding is on with full momentum while the destination is a bit far, but we are confident that if the cooperation of public and private sector continues as it reflect in our partnership then the day is not that far when we will see the drastic improvement in ranking of Pakistan of “Country Brand Index” tabulated by the BBC World. At present Pakistan is ranked at 141st number and we are committed to bring it to the group of top twenty five countries of the world.
God bless all of us!!!!
