Mortein Fights with Dengue & Chikungunya in KPK

Reckitt Benckiser (RB), makers of Mortein, partnered with the Ministry of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to increase mass awareness on how to fight mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya after the recent outbreak in Peshawar. The two organizations collaborated to educate masses on how to reduce these diseases from their source and what are the necessary precautions one must take to prevent them.

Dengue and chikungunya are both debilitating mosquito-borne diseases caused by closely related mosquito species. Due to the alarmingly high incidences in the country over the last few years especially this year where the number of people infected crossed over 5000 in just KPK, it is extremely important to take immediate steps to stop these mosquito-borne diseases from happening.

The partnership between RB and the Ministry aimed to create public attention towards such mosquito-borne diseases and what could be done to prevent them. Thousands of catchy awareness posters were put behind rikshaw vehicles educating masses about the small steps they can take to reduce dengue and chikungunya. These steps were also distributed door-to-door in the form of pamphlets to thousands of households across Peshawar. The consistent message throughout was to demonstrate basic precautionary actions to help prevent dengue which includes: 1) Ensuring drinking water is covered and there is no clean water standing outside houses 2) Maintaining cleanliness inside and outside your house 3) Wearing fully covered clothes to prevent mosquito bites and 4) Using good quality pest control products.

Fahad Ashraf, Marketing Director of RB Pakistan, stated about the partnership, “This collaboration between RB and the KPK Government is yet another testament of our pledge for a healthier and cleaner Pakistan as part of our national campaign “Hoga Saaf Pakistan”. Through this specific initiative under Mortein, the idea is to make people aware that they can themselves ensure a healthier, mosquito-free and the disease-free environment by adopting small steps for themselves and those around them.”

Did you know? Sunsilk Conditioners Provide the Perfect Solution to Tame and Smoothen Unruly Tresses

Sunsilk, the global haircare brand, brings to the Pakistan market a range of glossy conditioners to nourish all hair types and to give the consumer a best in class hair wash experience. Conditioners are known to nourish and protect, style and smoothen frizzy, unruly hair and the Sunsilk Conditioner range focuses on highlighting the many benefits of silky smooth hair.  

The main message is the need to condition unruly hair and therefore conditioners need to be used in conjunction with shampoo. #shampooaloneisnotenough was launched with a fun event held at the recently opened, luxury boutique salon, Bellagio by Sadaf on Saturday, September 9th. Prominent media members including stylists, fashion bloggers and other key influencers attended this event. 

The charismatic, Anoushey Ashraf hosted the event, keeping the audience’s energy alive throughout. The event started off with an informative session on the functionality of Sunsilk Conditioners conducted by Muhammad Zaheer, the R&D Expert at Unilever who explained the technology of conditioners and how they work on hair to nourish and moisturize them which makes them smoother and healthier. 

This was followed by a live demonstration by Sadaf, the talented owner of the Bellagio Salon, who skillfully worked on various models’ hair using the Sunsilk Conditioners to create magnificent before and after looks. An interactive hair talk then took place by a panel of highly experienced hair stylists. Amongst the panel were; Palwasha Yousuf, a freelance stylist who has also styled celebrities for films and commercials, Tehmina Ali, hairstylist and colour technician with over eight years of experience in the hairstyling industry, Shazdeh Ali, trained from Toni & Guy London who has worked closely with the Fashion guru Tariq Amin for the last nine years, Nida Khan who has worked with Tariq Amin for 9 years and Sanaa Awan from the Hina Y Salon. These renowned professionals offered hairstyling tips and techniques that kept the audience informed and engaged. While everybody was educated about the do’s and don’ts, a series of hair solutions were offered to the audience. The final engaging activity was called Smoothest Hairstyle where the audience styled salon girls who usually style them. This was an interesting experience for the participants since it gave them a chance to express themselves working with some of the best hair experts of the city.   

“The event was fun, exciting and informative at the same time. Not only did I enjoy hosting it but was also thoroughly enlightened about the critical use of Conditioners,” said Anoushey Ashraf. 

The soiree was an enjoyable evening and was a success according to Rabia, Assistant Brand Manager of Sunsilk who said, “Through this event, we tried to create awareness about hair care by informing consumers about how necessary it is to use a good conditioner. Hair is personal and important to everyone and I’m glad everyone had a wonderful time and left armed with increased hair care knowledge.” 


About Unilever Pakistan 
Unilever Pakistan is a subsidiary of Unilever Plc, which operates in over 100 countries. Established in Pakistan in 1948, the Pakistan business is amongst the country’s largest consumer goods companies. Unilever’s brands such as Lux, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Sunsilk, Surf Excel and Wall’s are known for their consistently high quality & value and are trusted & consumed daily by millions of people across Pakistan. Unilever’s brands strive to create a better future every day for consumers across Pakistan. Lifebuoy reaches out to thousands of children through its hand washing campaign, raising standards of hygiene; Lux promotes the film, fashion and music through the iconic Lux Style Awards; Sunsilk partners PFDC in the fashion weeks and Blue Band supports nutrition. As one of Pakistan’s most preferred employers, Unilever directly employs over 2000 people across the country and indirectly contributes to the employment of many thousands through its nationwide sales and distribution network. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) provides the framework for Unilever’s ambition to double its business whilst reducing its environmental footprint and enhancing its positive social impact. In Pakistan, Unilever is engaged in a number of initiatives to enhance livelihoods, save water, energy, carbon emissions and to cut waste and promote recycling. 

For more information about Unilever and its brands: www.unilever.pk 
For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.pk/sustainable-living/ 

Veet Introduces a Grooming Platform Aiming to Reach More Than a Million Girls Across Pakistan!

Self-grooming a necessity in this fastest era, no one should be left behind due to lack of confidence and communication. For the first time in Pakistan, Veet introduces a grooming platform, Veet Academy, which aims to reach more than a million girls all across Pakistan with the intent to shape them into self-assured, passionate and confident beings who constantly thrive to bring out the best within themselves. All across the country, Veet is reaching out to more than a million schoolgirls in an on-ground activation which goes to 4500+ schools and colleges. Along with that thorough courses and modules are also available online on Facebook, at Veet Pakistan and YouTube where these courses can be accessed easily, students that take the online Veet Academy courses are also given the opportunity to receive certificates.

The entire Veet institution is based on five values; Confidence, Charm, Communication, Health & Fitness and Intelligence. Veet Academy has vigilantly chosen mentors for each of the five values, these celebrity mentors are the living examples of what they preach, namely Sarwat Gilani, Massarrat Misbah, Sidra Iqbal, Hareem Farooq and Aamina Sheikh. During the activity, school girls also get a personalized message from Mahira Khan which aggravates the excitement and builds a connection with their favourite celebrities. Zainab Raja, last year's Miss Veet winner is a part of this campaign which includes a number of motivational talk sessions across several girls’ colleges and schools with the aim of grooming them into poised and charming individuals.

The first grooming session took place at Sir Syed Girl's college Karachi, where Zainab conducted a brief but highly inspirational talk. Short videos supporting cleanliness, skin care and staying fit were shown to build an interest of personal hygiene in young girls. Also, Zainab spoke about young individuals and the impact of 5 Veet values, and the care traits which are interlinked. She further explained the role of fitness and health in building self-confidence.

"I always dreamed of giving motivational speeches in schools and colleges, especially when guest speakers would visit her own college. However, she didn't know that her dreams would turn into reality that quickly. Hence, reminding those young minds seated in the hall that "you shouldn't stop dreaming and believing that those dreams will come true." Zainab Raja- Ms Veet 2016 Winner

BLUE BAND MARGARINE AND SPECIAL OLYMPICS PAKISTAN JOIN HANDS FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE SOCIETY

‘AchaiBarhnay Do’ this year with the aim to create a more inclusive environment for kids all over Pakistan. Blue Band is Pakistan’s leading spreads brand enjoyed all over Pakistan for over 25 years. It is a daily source of essential fats and vitamins that help children to grow, develop and thrive.

The brand has long been an advocate of children’s growth and development. Society puts a lot of focus on child’s health and wellbeing which is imperative, however, often the most important lessons of empathy and acceptance that are essential for character building are missed. Blue Band aims to reinforce the importance of social inclusion for parents/guardians to teach kids the idea removing barriers for differently-abled kids through this initiative.

Blue Band has not only started the conversation around inclusion but is making an effort to further the discussion by joining hands with Special Olympics Pakistan to organize the ‘Both Buddy & Me’ race. The race will be conducted at Pakistan’s largest inflatable race course where kids will be paired up in a buddy system with differently-abled kids to finish the obstacle course together as a team. This will help bring the kids closer, whilst reducing barriers for differently abled kids through an opportunity to showcase their skills in sports and games.

The race will be held on September 17th at Beach Luxury Hotel.

Director Foods & Refreshment Unilever, Farheen Salman said, “This event will not only bring the topic of inclusion to the forefront but also provide the start of an actionable and meaningful movement about character development. Children are the future and we need to make every effort to nurture an environment where people of all abilities feel safe, included and accepted and are given a chance to participate to create a more tolerant and well-rounded Pakistan.”

Founder Special Olympics Pakistan Ronak Lakhani expressed her appreciation for Blue Band’s initiative, adding ‘This event is a step towards spreading awareness. Join us on 17th September 2017 to celebrate inclusion and spread the goodness. AchaiBarhnay Do.’

CFA Society awards Reckitt Benckiser for the ‘Best Gender Practices’

 Reckitt Benckiser’s ‘DARE’ platform with its powerful gender diversity and women empowerment initiatives, led it to win the ‘Best Gender Practices’ award, at the CFA Society’s 14th annual ceremony on August 30th at Pearl Continental, Karachi. ‘DARE’ is definitely a winner as it focuses on various purpose driven themes that aim to transform women into more daring individuals by empowering them through both external and internal organisational practices.

DARE is a Reckitt Benckiser initiative to encourage more and more women to step into the workforce and by getting recognized on many platforms, it can serve as a best practice for many organizations to follow. 

With a vision to achieve that, RB Pakistan launched ‘DARE’ as a platform to Develop, Attract, Retain and Engage talented women. As part of the internal empowerment series, ‘lean in’ circles were introduced, revolving around key themes such as Not Afraid, Breaking Stereotypes, Sexual Harassment Training, Bold for Change and Lean In Together – the ‘He for She’ Campaign.  These Lean in circles served as a networking opportunity for women with the purpose to support each other and learn from one another. With each lean in a circle having a different take on things, this exercise proved to be a rather innovative and interesting one in some cases, especially for lean in together, ‘He-She’ campaign – where females dared their male colleagues to perform the actions that were generally considered stereotypical for women to do. Hence creating awareness among men about the dual careers that women have to manage and the things they take for granted.

Along with this, RB also launched a mentorship program that focused on women in senior positions supporting talented women to overcome hurdles to progress.The themes for mentoring meetings involved having powerful conversations, networking, balancing responsibilities, dealing with changed perception, dual careers, work-life balance, child care, building relationships with key people and much more, making it easier for women to be better equipped with what’s expected of them. To ensure that women feel welcomed and not out of place after coming back from long maternity leaves, part of this program was also having policies that help these women get back in the game and allow them to occasionally work from home so they can balance work and home, in a manner most suitable for them.

Last but certainly not the least, under the DARE umbrella, DARE Academy was also launched, a platform that expands the folds of DARE to the external community by targeting young girls who are talented and ambitious but lack the opportunities to grow. 

AIESEC joins hands with Reckitt Benckiser for ‘Hoga Saaf Pakistan’

AIESEC, a renowned international leadership development organization, recently went into partnership with Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the makers of Dettol, Mortein and Harpic. The two joined hands for the ‘HogaSaaf Pakistan’ campaign comprising of various initiatives that aim to create a healthier and cleaner Pakistan. This campaign was launched on 14th August 2017 and since then, it has received immense support and appreciation by key influencers, celebrities and the public.

There’s no denying that the youth of today are the mindful leaders of tomorrow, they have the power to restructure our society in ways that others have previously struggled with. Keeping that in mind, this partnership is a well-thought step taken by RB to inspire the youth to own the cause and work towards a Saaf Pakistan. AIESEC Pakistan is an entirely youth-run organization with over 500 members nationally and presence in all the major universities of Pakistan; affiliated with AIESEC globally. Additionally, AIESEC Pakistan carries out more than 800 exchange programs and community and social projects annually. The organization firmly believes that youth leadership is not a privilege, but a great responsibility to inspire change for a better society and the world to live in. With this partnership, RB aims to create maximum awareness amongst the youth about the importance of cleanliness and how it should evolve from within each Pakistani while simultaneously taking action and spreading the message of Hoga Saaf Pakistan as a whole for others to join the cause.

“Through Hoga Saaf Pakistan, RB and AIESEC together, aspire to create mass awareness, especially with the youth by embedding Saaf Pakistan as a vision which then can become a reality. The idea is to take action and inspire others to join the cause. Several big initiatives are planned as part of this collaboration which includes but is not restricted to cleanliness drives in different cities, workshops and think tanks across universities to encourage students to come up with sustainable ideas for a Saaf Pakistan and a lot more. These big initiatives will be much more inclusive for the general public to support the cause and pledge their time for a healthier, cleaner Pakistan. Milkay lagayeigne jaan, tau Hoga Saaf Pakistan!” said Fahad Ashraf, Marketing Director of RB Pakistan.

Sarwat Gilani's new venture on confidence building through digital videos under the banner of Veet Academy:

Social media starlet Sarwat Gilani is all set to be your mentor through digital videos under the banner of Veet Academy. Sarwat is an influential personality on social media for sure, rest her acting is impactful and intense. Her short role in drama serial Zakham opposite to Faysal Qureshi was a girl who spent her life after marriage as an underdog and her recent attempt at being a mentor through digital videos for confidence building was much needed.

In the digital era mentorship is way too easy and Veet, the brand aims across women of all ages is known for feminine campaigns and programs took a step forward and initiated a digital influential campaign. Veet recently introduced its grooming institute called Veet Academy that enables girls to cherish their persona and helps transform them into successful, passionate and confident individuals, through online courses. These courses revolve around five Veet values led by five celebrity experts. The celebrities, who are living examples of each of these values include, Sarwat Gilani for Confidence Building, Aamina Sheikh for Intelligent Behavior, Hareem Farooq for Health and Fitness, Sidra Iqbal for Effective Communication and MasarratMisbah for Charm.

Sarwat Gilani, begins the Veet Academy modules by conducting a thorough course on confidence building through digital videos. Through the course, we also discover Gilani’s other passion; her love for interior designing. Linking confidence building to interior designing in interesting ways. Sarwat, therefore, believes that colours, patterns and other elements around you can also affect your mood and boost your confidence.

The course also lays emphasis upon the sphere of self-worth that enables the audience to understand the importance of discovering self-awareness and self-acceptance. Through the online program, Sarwat is inspiring young women by teaching them how to embrace their lives and making the most of each situation. Hence, the course is a blend of her wisdom and experiences, being imparted towards a younger audience with the hope that it will mould them into a confident being. The underlining message is that once you learn to love and accept yourself, you’re headed towards the right track.