Category: World Service

Date: 28.02.2005
Printable version

BBC World Service has launched a major marketing campaign to meet its Urdu audiences across Pakistan and promote BBC Urdu's flagship programme, Sairbeen.

Throughout the month-long campaign, BBC Sangat. Kahain Aap Sunain Hum (You Say, We Listen), the BBC Urdu team will visit 10 towns, engaging local communities in discussions about issues central to their lives, such as water shortages and women's education.

Debates will be broadcast on BBC Urdu's popular evening news and current affairs programme, Sairbeen.

The campaign editorial is supported with BBC Urdu TV commercials on Pakistan's national and regional TV stations such as PTV, ARY One, Khyber TV, KTN and Indus Vision.

There are also print ads in the national and regional press, including Jang, Naw-i-Waqt, Khabrain, Mashriq and Express, as well as hoardings, banners, posters and leaflets.

The TV advertising was produced by Waqas Ahmed, a leading name in Pakistan's TV commercial industry.

Karachi-based Blitz DDB was appointed by BBC World Service marketing team to deliver the creative and audience participation events.

Acting head of BBC Urdu, Mirza Waheed, is looking forward to the opportunities to interact with the audiences: "The BBC Sangat campaign captures the essence of the BBC Urdu programming, which is for our audiences and about our audiences.

"It will bring us closer to the listeners in Pakistan and will directly channel their voices and their views to the millions of listeners across the region."

Alan Booth, Controller of BBC World Service Marketing, Communications & Audiences, says the aim of the campaign is to further boost BBC Urdu listenership in Pakistan: "BBC Urdu performs exceptionally strongly in Pakistan, receiving higher ratings than other international broadcasters for trust, objectivity and relevance.

"However, as TV becomes an increasingly available and popular medium, we want to reinforce our listener base in Pakistan, connecting to them and engaging them in a dialogue on important issues."

Campaign creatives are available on request.

Notes to Editors

BBC Urdu broadcasts three times a day. Its flagship programme, Sairbeen, airs seven days a week at 8.00pm Pakistan Standard Time and provides 60 minutes of news and current affairs.

Jahanuma¸ which starts at 6.30am, is a 30-minute daily breakfast programme which sets the day's news agenda.

At the end of the day there is Shabnama, a 30-minute round-up of the main events starting at 10.30pm.

In addition, BBC Urdu brings listeners weekly magazine features on sports, science and economy that can also be accessed through its popular website - bbcurdu.com.

BBC World Service broadcasts programmes around the world in 43 languages and is available on radio and online.

It has a global audience of 146 million listeners.

BBC World Service is available globally on short wave; on FM in 140 cities; and selected programmes are carried on around 2,000 FM and MW radio stations around the world.

The BBC World Service websites receive around 280 million page impressions every month.