There is no place like home
The 3 minute Shan Foods ad is no less than an emotional ride.
The ad that beautifully depict the feelings of those who are living away from their home has become an instant hit all over Pakistan. The whole theme of the ad to celebrate and cherish the precious moments of life with love ones.
The three-minute long commercial, conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather Pakistan, has gone viral on social media. It tells the story of two brothers, living away from home and missing family during special festival of Eid. The ad starts off with a sad-looking the younger brother, who tells his elder brother how he misses home and his Ammi’s food.
The elder brother then sets out to give him a little taste of home, miles away from home in what appears to be a city of Portugal. He heads to the local grocery store there, picks up fresh goods along with Shan masalas and attempts to cook a delicious meal for Eid just like his mother used to cook back home.
As the younger brother comes back, he is all surprised to find a home cooked dinner and his mother on video chat on the dinner table.
Paired with impeccably timed music and visually enticing production value, this one by Shan Foods is a real winner.
Those Pakistanis who are living abroad and had to live without Mother’s cooking know really well how these masalas are lifesavers. Pakistani expats are particularly moved by the ad more than local viewers.
“I live in Canada and no matter how many times I watch this commercial it makes my cry. I even showed it to my ammi and we both cried together on skype. It reminds me of that quote that we left our home to make our dreams come true and somewhere in the middle of the journey going back home becomes a dream,” says an emotional Zeeshan Ejaz.
Pakistanis love the refreshing concept of Advertisement in Pakistan
Pakistanis feel the new ad has brought in a beautiful, emotional genre of ad that connects more with the audience rather than usual husband-wife ad or grand dance sequence ads.
“What a fantastic, concept, finally shan has taken a step that was missing from our commercial industry, emotions win more heart than words do,” says Zaad Yasin, who is in Sydney away from family. He was excited and emotional to see a Pakistani ad that truly reflected his feelings.
As opposed to typical ads about couples, the new Shan Foods ad concept resonate well with those living away from home. Family and home-made food is what they miss most and this ad touches on the very real life of Pakistanis living abroad.
“A paradigm shift! Amazing concept, brilliantly executed and emotional to its peak. I must say well blended recipe to make us al realise how important immediate relations are,” says Hasan Azim, He added: Congrats to Shaan and its creative team for taking a leap in proving that you don’t need dance sequences ads to connect with audiences!
Here is what Pakistanis are saying about the new ad on Twitter:
What a Phenomenal Execution by Shan Foods. Heart Touching, exhilarating #ShanFoods #khushiyanChakhLo pic.twitter.com/ucYj6AxJmr
— Nisha Mazhar Sidiqui (@NeeShaww) June 22, 2015
Got so nostalgic while watching the #KhushiyanChakhLo ad! Reminded me of my exchange year in USA when I used to Shan for all food seasoning — Adeeqa Lalwany (@ade_nazir) June 24, 2015
Shan food ad turned me into tears. I miss Pakistan a lot especially in Ramzan. Home is home. Thank you Shan. — Umaima G (@umaimaghori) June 21, 2015
I can actually related to @ShanFoods TVC because I have lived away from home and missed Ami key hath ka khana so much! #KhushiyanChakhLo — Bushra (@filmyjoyo) June 23, 2015
Why Shan Foods preferred Indian actors?
The only downside of the advertisement is that Shan Foods chose to features Indian actors instead of local actors and that too at a time when Pakistan’s TV industry and advertisements are doing exceptionally. This point has also been highlighted by some Pakistani on social media:
LOL Shan ad is a Pakistani one but they have Indian actor in it Salute!!
— UMER (@umer_hull) June 26, 2015
In case you have missed the ad or would like to view it once again, here it is: