While commercial breaks are common between television news bulletins, a recent news broadcast from Pakistan that had anchors promote a juice brand on air has left netizens confused. The 'news' report particularly left journalists unhappy.
The clip from the AbTak news segment was posted on social media and it soon went viral.
In the video, the news anchors are seen welcoming the viewers back to the bulletin while taking a sip from juice cartons and promoting it.
On Twitter, the clip has garnered hundreds of comments. While many found the advertisement “unprofessional” others thought that it was an effective marketing strategy. Some even called it “innovative”.
Reporter Shazia Hasan, @HasanShazia, shared the clip and wrote: “Is this for real? Or someone's idea of a […] joke? Well, ok I never saw news anchors as genuine journalists but selling juice during a news bulletin? This is insane! #news #anchors #journalism #JournalismIsDead #marketing #juice #Advertising #Pakistan”
Twitter user @NadiaSuleman thought that the news anchors should not be held responsible for what is aired: “News anchors don’t make editorial decisions, they have no choice if they want to keep their jobs.”
Whereas, tweep @QureshiAsadAli thought it was a unique way of advertising: “What's the big deal here @Nestle is paying @AbbTakk for this advertising and they are getting peak visibility during news hour. Some cynics always find faults with innovation!”
However, not everyone appreciated the advertisement. A doctor and columnist Mohammad Taqi, @mazdaki, wrote: “The bipolar world we live in: Anchors peddling … while the news ticker underneath records morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 in KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa].”
