HabibMetro Bank defines the nature of freedom and patriotism
BY ALI NAQVI –
Is it enough to celebrate a day which gave us independence? What good is freedom if we remain slaves to our own prejudices, ignorance and slothfulness? Independence Day campaign of HabibMetro Bank has thoughtfully tackled the themes of freedom and independence.
Though there is no executional brilliance nor a storyline is employed for a dramatic effect yet the idea Badlo Bartao is powerful. The campaign, developed by Synergy Dentsu, recaps the last 7 decades that were wasted by our inability to solve our problems and progress at the socio-economic level.
The video starts with children dressed up in the national flag. “Azad hain, azad hain khud to badalnay ko (we are free to change ourselves)” is the opening statement made by them. This strong statement sets the tone for the rest of video. We cannot blame others for our backwardness, nobody stops us from doing anything. We are free!
HabibMetro Bank has stepped out of the clichéd patriotic themes to talk some sense. The seriousness of the theme gets a bit softened with the presence of children in the video. Their innocent and honest way of talking leaves a sharp impression on our minds.
There is no pride in being free if we are not mindful of our duties as citizens. The campaign highlights matters of great importance like education, tree plantation, waste management and water preservation. The point is that nobody is stopping us to work on these issues. But the problem is that we don’t want to change ourselves. HabibMetro Bank has emphasized on this very idea that we should change ourselves “Azad hain khud to badalnay ko”.
This year few campaigns were developed for 14th August. The campaign of Coca-Cola was taken off air by PEMRA after a lot of criticism on associating the concept of extremism with Pakistan. Badlo Bartao by HabibMetro Bank is by far one of the best campaigns developed on the eve of Independence Day. It is hoped that this campaign will play a positive role in changing the mindset for the progress and betterment of our country.
