Karachi, October 15, 2011- With the aim to showcase the evolution in advertising, media and marketing industry the “Transform 2011 Conference” was held at a local hotel today.

Under the aegis of the IBA Marketing Club, the Council with ten members and three faculty of the IBA Marketing Department attended the conference.

The speakers at the conference were renowned industry experts like Ms. Zainab Ansari, CEO, Xenith Public Relations, Mr. Haseeb Ihtisham, Head of Marketing, Nokia Pakistan, Mr. Shoaib Qureshy, CEO, Bulls Eye Communications, Mr. Amin Rammal, Partner, The Brand Crew, Mr. Rai Umair, Visionary & Director, Maventor Australia, Mr. Mansoor Nawaz, CSO, Dynamic Marketing Concepts, Mr. Afzal Shahabuddin, Managing Director, Resource Edge & Mr. Amer Sarfraz, Partner & VP of Business, BRAMERZ who shared their thoughts on the latest trends in the field of social media, marketing, advertising and technology.  The attendees of this conference were students and teachers along with noted members of the national and multinational business fraternity.

Ms. Zainab Ansari, shared her thoughts on how “the rapidly changing communication landscape is forcing the media and marketing industry to shed its long held beliefs and practices. We have witnessed drastic changes and innovation in communication methods in recent times. Marketing communication has evolved over the years from simple advertising to tools like public relations and social media. Public relation has emerged as a reliable medium to win the trust of important stakeholders.”

Mr. Haseeb Ihtisham emphasized the need for companies to understand the new media and work with it rather than against it. He talked about how “With the advent of social media the industry now stands at the threshold of a media revolution in Pakistan. Social media with its targeted personal approach has changed the dynamics of how people communicate. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and now Google+ with each new addition we have more areas to explore.”

The one day conference was a lively experience for all the participants. Award winning campaigns from the Abby Awards, 2010, were also showcased to the audience. The speakers highlighted the importance for the Pakistani professionals to take inspiration from the international campaigns and adopt best practices in the local communication.

The new channels and forms of communication present exciting challenges for the marketing industry which only became mature a few years ago. The “Transform 2011” conference was an initiative to improve and modernize the industry practices and bring international standard communication styles to the experts and newcomers alike.  

At the Transform 2011 conference all the professionals and participants left with renewed hope and ideas to bring forth.