In this week’s sizzling summary of the week’s best culture and marketing stories, a bank in Pakistan exposes the small print in bridal contracts, an airline for pampered pups takes off, Italian crisps get damned for an irreverent campaign, while another Italian brand is all about good (recycling) behaviour.
Bridal contract small print blown up
Illiteracy rates in Pakistan remain shockingly high, particularly among women. And if that doesn’t raise your feminist hackles, this surely will: many young women can’t read their marriage contract, or ‘nikahnama’, leaving them unaware of their rights for divorce and financial stability.
Easypasia, the largest mobile banking provider in Pakistan, decided to do something about it and they might just be changing society for the better.
Back in January, Easypasia released an audio version of the nikahnama on a dedicated hotline where the contract is read aloud. Then, they broadcast the nikahnama on radio stations, and used door-to-door promotion in urban areas and beauty salons. The hotline received 35,000 calls in its first week.
The campaign has entered its second phase with a petition for a law requiring that brides understand and acknowledge the terms of the nikahnama before getting married.
We didn’t have ‘bank takes down the patriarchy’ on our social-change bingo card either, but we love it!
Fur-st class flight
BARK Air is a new airline designed for four-legged friends to be pampered and prioritised while delivering a ‘white-paw’ flight experience. Serving New York, Los Angeles and London, flights will take off from May 23rd and you can park yourself and your pup on a plane for a whopping $6,000. Fur-tastic features include custom flat lay beds, doggie Champagne (chicken broth), dog doughnuts and meaty snacks… bone-apetit!
While some airlines do offer dog transport, options are still limited – often, dogs are checked in as luggage which comes with a number of risks. Could this new business venture have the potential to revolutionise pet travel and eliminate ruff flying?
BARK say that their ‘mission is to make dogs as happy as they make us’. They plan to also eventually lower their prices, as right now, one of the main drivers of cost is the fact their planes can fit only 15 dogs and their humans.
Check out their a-dog-able promo video here. And don’t tell Michael O’Leary.
Christ, that’s crunchy!
Amica Chips –one of Italy’s biggest crisp brands – has been banned from Italian television and damned by the Catholic community for a commercial that is deemed a bit too… packreligious.
In the ad, a cloister of nuns is about to receive communion, but a mischievous mother superior has swapped the holy wafers for the tastier – and crunchier –crisps. Call the God Squad!
The backlash from numerous Catholic organizations in Italy was immediate, as they swiftly demanded that the commercial be banned from Italian TV, protesting that “Christ has been reduced to a potato chip”. As if that’s the worst publicity the catholic church has ever received!
The ad – and the controversy around it – has caught the attention of the world, and the results are stuff marketeers can only pray for.
Repackaging Pasta-bilities
Pasta royalty Barilla has enlisted lifestyle guru Marie Kondo to encourage customers to repurpose their iconic blue boxes for sending parcels — a simple yet impactful way to reduce waste. Through engaging tutorials, Kondo demonstrates the endless pasta-bilities of how simple folding techniques can transform discarded packaging into space-efficient containers.
According to the Economist, consumers believe that brands have as much responsibility as governments to create positive environmental change and Barilla is one brand doing its bit.
We love a bit of Barilla marketing – whether it’s their Spotify playlists timed to different pasta shapes or the #LeftoverPasta TikTok Series, the Barilla team are always putting penne to paper and coming up with new ways to market their pasta.
Try Marie’s Tips here.