We run holistic campaigns integrating public service messages, radio & TV programs, press adverts, articles, and outdoor publicity content.
Dil Say Pakistan
The Pakistani youth has been in a quest for dignity, recognition, identity and respect, not only for themselves, but also for their community and culture.
Pakistan’s first Transmedia campaign, Dil Say Pakistan came into being in response to this quest.
The campaign encompassed all communication media including print, radio, television and the internet. The aim was to instill pride in being a Pakistani, to instigate healthy social interaction using story-telling and community mobilization exercises, and to reclaim public narratives from the erstwhile negative messaging.
It was a 16-episode TV Travelogue named ‘Dil Se Pakistan’
COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM
Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs) in Pakistan in general and in South Punjab in particular have effectively used a blend of media tools to spread their dangerous message among communities.
DAI and Black Box Sounds partnered on a Radio and TV campaign supporting the state’s initiatives for countering messaging by VEOs, encouraging communities to come together to fight violent extremism, and providing them with a counter narrative for promoting peace and tolerance.
Program goals and objectives devised by BBS were:
Objective 1 (Output): To broadcast TV talk shows focused around countering extremist narratives.
Objective 2 (Outcome): To increase the acceptance of positive narratives amongst the targeted community.
Objective 3 (Impact):To develop and empower a diverse network of individuals, organizations, and government leaders that can advocate and implement initiatives to counter violent extremism in Punjab.
The campaign was extremely successful, and lauded internationally.
Think Twice Pakistan
The Think Twice Pakistan (TTP) Campaign was designed with an aim to provide a counterpoint against religious extremism and violence. Also to inspire Pakistanis to channel their energies towards positive pursuits.
The campaign was widely successful. It gave a voice to the victims of terrorism, shifting the focus from the terrorists to the targets.
It also made Pakistan’s people realize the potential they held. The campaign brought into light the great work a lot of them were doing, making a difference in their own lives and the lives of their communities. It sang for the unsung heroes.
1. Karwa Sach (The Bitter Truth) – 15 Documentaries
A series of 15 true stories, interviewing families of victims of those who had died as a result of suicide/terrorist attacks. The idea was to give names and faces to the figures shown on TV after every suicide attack and thus create space for the voice of the victim.
2. DHAMAK (Blinding Glow) – 13 episode TV and Radio Drama
With the aim of creating a space where the voice of the victim could be heard, BBS produced a series of TV and Radio Dramas, featuring true stories of suicide attack victims and their families.
3. Agli Rut Ki Dastak (Towards the Next Blossom) – 10 Documentaries
This was a series of 10 documentaries featuring outstanding women from across Pakistan who had dared to defy the norms of society and achieved something by following their dreams.
4. Main Hoon Pakistan (I Am Pakistan) – 10 Documentaries
Main Hoon Pakistan was a series of 10 documentaries, each featuring the unsung heroes of Pakistan; Pakistanis who were committed to making big difference in their small worlds by paying service to fellow Pakistanis.
5. Zindagi Toh Tum Bhi Ho (You Are Life Too) – 10 Documentaries
This was a series of 10 documentaries, each interviewing a renounced terrorist; who or what had pulled them into the acts of terrorism, their regrets, and their plea to the youth of Pakistan to not get pulled into such acts of terror.
6. KAHO (Speak Out) – 32 episode Interactive Talk Show (TV and Radio)
Speaking directly to the youth of Pakistan, experts were invited to speak to students from across the country on bold and thought provoking issues such as religion, identity, fundamentalism etc. These were then recorded and aired on TV and radio across Pakistan.
7. Za Pakhtun Yum (I Am Pakhtun) – Pashto Drama (TV and Radio)
A 13 episode TV drama, whose success could not be defined. It has to be seen for one to realize how powerful it was and the impact it had. The drama very boldly condemned terrorism and received huge responses from the Pashtoon, and even non-pashto-speaking audience from across the globe.
8. KAHO Mind Mapping Sessions – On ground Youth Engagement
BBS decided to take the KAHO speaker’s recorded sessions to Universities across Pakistan and reach out to students so as to gauge their mindsets and leave them with questions to ponder upon. These were so successful that some Universities have asked BBS to make this a regular exercise.
Aman au Mina (Peace and Love)
Aman au Mina (Peace and Love) was a campaign designed to capture the work done by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) for conflict resolution through dialogue and mediation in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
It featured stories of ‘Peace Promoters' who, after training received by SFCG worked in their communities for conflict resolution and peace.
The campaign featured a song, documentaries on each of the seven Peace Promoters, and audio shows inviting guests to participate in a discussion about the need for conflict resolution and the role of each individual towards it.
Uss Raah Par (On that Path)
Uss Raah Par (March 2017 to August 2017) aimed at raising awareness on the risks and dangers associated with illegal migration, and educating people on ways to migrate safely and legally.
The campaign was designed to draw on multiple primary and secondary data sources about the dynamics of illegal migration. It engaged and informed potential migrants and their families on both cognitive and emotional levels.
It featured stories of migrants who had taken the dangerous and life-threatening journey of ‘Dunkey Lagana’ (migrate illegally), and their families who had been left behind, oblivious of their whereabouts, dead or alive.
These stories and other content were disseminated through Radio, Posters and Community sessions. A mix of on-line social media, off-line broadcast media, and on-ground activities maximized the reach of this content on to the target audiences’ daily lives.
FATA Visibility Campaign
(FATA Secretariat, IOM, 2015)
The FATA Visibility Campaign Khushaal FATA, Khushaal Pakistan was launched during the war-struck times of the region.
It was to draw the attention of the rest of the country to FATA, create an empathy for their population, and to convey a sentiment of solidarity for the people of FATA.
The campaign included documentaries, Public Service Messages, Public Service Announcements, Radio Magazine Shows and community sessions.
Videos Highlighting Projects
(PAS Department, U.S. Consulate General Peshawar, 2016)
BBS produced a series of seven videos for the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of he U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar, to highlight U.S. Government (USG)-funded projects in Northwest Pakistan.
A key goal of PAS Peshawar was to better inform and promote the range of U.S. Assistance, projects, initiatives and support in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (KP/FATA).
Social media was used to reach the audiences, with the videos being featured on Mission Pakistan’s official website, Facebook and Twitter pages of the PAS Peshawar.
Saaf Sehat Mand Pakistan
The campaign was launched in December 2016 to promote healthy living in Pakistan. It was aimed at empowering members of the society with knowledge to change harmful practices linked with water, sanitation, and hygiene.
This campaign was led by WaterAid Pakistan. It was aimed at breaking the myth that the hazards of poor sanitation and bad hygiene practices were restricted to individual physical health. It was to convey the fact that children suffering from continuous bouts of diarrhea or other infections resulting from poor water and sanitation were more likely to fall behind in their school or drop out altogether, limiting their ability to grow as educated and accomplished adults.
The campaign was launched by the Federal Minister for Climate Change. Black Box Sounds organized the entire launching event.
The media products made by BBS included Public Service Messages (TV), Public Service Announcements (Radio), the Clap Song (TV/Radio), and an info-graphic video upon policy advocacy.
Empower Women – Mass Media Awareness CampaigN
(Aurat Foundation through USAID Supported Gender Equity Program, GEP)
The objective of this campaign was to increase women empowerment by expanding knowledge of their rights and opportunities for exercising their rights in the workplace, community and home.
The campaign encompassed:
Pre-and-post campaign survey including 250 visual interviews and 500 survey forms.
Production and nationwide airing of 9 TV PSMs in Urdu and 20 PSMs, 5 each in Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi and Seraiki.
Production and nationwide airing of 9 radio PSAs in Urdu and 20 PSMs, 5 each in Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi and Seraiki.
Documentaries
Press Ads and articles
URAAN (Flight)
(Cultural Department, U.S. Embassy Islamabad, 2015)
The theme of this project was to show a cultural connection between Pakistan and the U.S.
BBS produced 3 minutes short documentaries for US embassy featuring students who went to America via an exchange program so they could meet their counterparts in the U.S to provide an opportunity to learn from, and of their respective cultures.
The idea was to show the change that program brought in their lives and personalities after this experience.
Stop Stunting Campaign
(UNICEF, 2006)
Nearly half of all children in Pakistan are at serious risk due to chronic, severe nutritional deficiencies which is known as stunting.
There is substantial evidence that, through its permanent effects on mental development, a stunted child will have more difficulties learning, will have lower educational attainment and lifetime lower earnings/productivity. Stunting can and will affect the entire GDP of a country.
This video was produced to raise awareness on the fact that stunting can be prevented or reversed but only in very young children under two years of age.
Everyone Campaign
Black Box Sounds partnered with Save the Children to launch the Everyone Campaign in 2012-14. Everyone campaign was a global campaign by ‘Save the Children’ to tackle preventable child deaths, and to protect mothers and children during childbirth. It comprised of TV Ads, Radio Ads, TV talk shows, a documentary, photo exhibition and media briefings.
The campaign and its message were very close to our heart and the partnership proved extremely successful as changes were observed at the grass-root as well as legislative levels. The campaign included print and electronic messages, city branding, events and social media campaigning.