The AGM was attended by all the major advertisers of Pakistan. Chairing the meeting, Asif Aziz, Chairman PAS and Chief Operating Officer, JAZZ welcomed all the members and said that this is the first virtual AGM of the Society and shows the business continuity by adapting to the changing times.

The Executive Director of PAS, Mr Qamar Abbas, presented key initiatives of 2020 and some of the important industry issues like ad-content regulations, benchmarking and surveys, webinars and international networking. He said the pandemic has allowed connecting with international counterparts which have increased our learning and knowledge about what is happening in other parts of the world and how we can join forces for the overall good. The agenda for 2021 was also proposed to the members.

Some of the important initiatives set out were Retail Study, Cross Media Measurement and initiating a discussion forum to start conversations around current practices and issues on an industry platform with the hope that it will help us shape our future practices, set higher standards of communication, effective marketing and bring transparency in our day-to-day practice.

A presentation followed this on the second Effie Awards Pakistan by Afsheen Rizavi, Project Head and General Manager, PAS. Recapping the Effie 2020, she said that the virtual award ceremony was a huge success that was appreciated in our industry and was well received by Effie Worldwide and World Federation of Advertisers. She also shared the plan for Effie 2021. Dr Zeelaf Munir, Vice-Chair PAS and CEO and MD English Biscuits Manufacturers highlighted the importance of the platform and how it can shape the entire marketing and advertising industry.

Farheen Salman, General Secretary PAS and Board Director, Foods and Refreshments, Unilever Pakistan said that with initiatives like Retail Study and Discussion Forum, she sees PAS developing in a leadership position, which is the need of the day. Members also shared their views on building a stronger PAS brand catering to all sizes of companies so we can truly contribute towards building a vibrant marketing and advertising industry.