People were caught pulling their hair out of their head because of the incessant replaying of the ridiculous Chilli Milli advertisement featuring the ever-annoying Fahad Mustafa this week, but that was not all that was on people’s minds. Falling bubble gum sales taught us a scary lesson, we once again turned to a certain Prince for help, and the PSX’s new system crashed. Ariba Shahid brings you all this and more in this week’s social media roundup.
Changing times
Chewing gum sales have declined 15 % in th US since 2007. We’re so consumed with our phones, we’re no longer looking around for stuff. pic.twitter.com/kDSnR9eSvf
— Hansal Thacker (@hansalthacker) June 29, 2017
For those that don’t know this, the reason grocery stores place bubble gum, chocolates, and other small items next to the cash register is so that while we’re waiting for our turn in line to pay for the things we are buying, we look around and pick up things that attract us. However, we’re so consumed by our phones now that there are massive dips in the sale of bubble gum.
Similarly if you’re embarrassed by the contents of your shopping or over how you’ve only bought an item, chances are that you add a pack of gum to it as well. However now when you’ve got a phone to stare at to get over the long wait or avoid meeting eyes with the cashier, bubblegum sales are down around the world. Maybe this is why boom boom bubble gum had to call in the big guns by making Afridi their brand ambassador?
O Prince my Prince
This is not the first time we have ‘begged’ and will not be the last. Many celebrated the same in 2018 and many more in years before. Every single time, it is the same old story. Surely, countries which escaped this curse were run by martians.
— Ahmed Jamal Pirzada (@ajpirzada) October 27, 2021
The rupee made quite the slide until earlier this week. Our saving grace was Arab money pumped into our reserves. This may not be the last time we needed to be “rescued,” especially since our last attempt to rescue ourselves with a $1.2 billion injection did not work at all. Of course, as journalists it leaves just a slightly sour taste in our mouths when we see the Prime Minister profusely thanking MBS for the dollar injection.
Do better PSX
In this day of technology, Pakistan only capital market has to shut down during middle of a trading session for some “known” faults in the new trading system #PSX did multiple mock sessions n several problems were identified but not all are fixed
SECP is just sitting and watching— Ali khizar (@AliKhizar) October 27, 2021
We’ve talked about this in detail but this tweet makes it here because we’re wondering how an investor felt when their trades were held. Especially those seeking immediate liquidity. This is not the way exchanges work, and the PSX really needs to step up its game if it is to be the kind of exchange it claims it wants to be.
All gifts go to charity
When I was in brokerage I bought a client a thank you basket after we closed a deal.
He sent me a note that gifts are a bribe and that he was donating it to charity.
— StripMallGuy (@realEstateTrent) October 25, 2021
To all our fellow brokers and journalists: please don’t accept anything that can cloud your judgment. Your word is gold. No one should be able to buy that. This scribe, however, does not think twice before accepting mugs and notebooks. Those don’t really count. Money to make certain tweets, however, very much does count. It is a dishonest practice that is unfair to your readers and unfair to your own credibility.
Expensive covid tests
PM @ImranKhanPTI, healthcare is a subject very close to your heart.
Why then is your govt allowing a few private labs & hospitals to loot the citizens of #Pakistan? Is there no one in @OfficialNcoc who can see what’s happening next door in #Dubai?@zfrmrza @fslsltn @Asad_Umar https://t.co/DAVhDxE5Wu pic.twitter.com/2iuou0gMo4
— Fahd Sheikh (@FahdSheikh3) October 25, 2021
It’s been a while. Covid tests aren’t as rare as they were in the past. Why are they still so damn expensive and burn holes through pockets?
Enough said
One of these only sells its goods from a handful of barricaded stores in a few cities that are closed on Fridays, and shut down at 10pm. The other two sell at millions of stores with no restrictions. The profit of the first one is a quarter of the other two combined. Just saying. https://t.co/NhOe93oKte
— Gulraiz (@gulraizkhan) October 25, 2021
Without commenting on the nature of business, it’s pretty impressive if you manage sales with intense restrictions.
Oversea Pakistanis at it again
When someone calls you unpatriotic and asks you to “just leave Pakistan then” for criticising the government, but the government itself says overseas Pakistanis are even more patriotic than regular Pakistanis. pic.twitter.com/o90bLiu9ho
— Salaar Khan (@Brainmasalaar) October 23, 2021
Wait. If I’m unpatriotic I should leave the country so the govt classifies me as more patriotic than locals? What vicious cycle is this? This is typical favourite child treatment on the government’s part, once again.
Chilli Milli ads
https://twitter.com/kbitterposts/status/1452316033738551300?t=U4oNWuHc6dw9gqNMCZ5VWg&s=19
Remember when a certain singer who is not worth naming asked everyone to send dancing videos so he could make a music video for the PSL because he couldn’t get over the fact that there were other singers out there that the PCB engaged to sing the anthem for the PSL?
As silly and petty as that futile exercise was, it at least planted the seed for a new idea that has now blossomed in the creative minds of us here at Profit. I think we all need to join together for the collective good of the country and make an ad for Chilli Milli. We need to hurry up because I don’t think we want to see Fahad Mustafa between overs much longer, especially when one sees too much of him on a certain channel (still less compared to Wasim badami).
{Editor’s note: Any claims of creativity on the part of the staff of Profit are their personal opinions that do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization}
More than performative wokeness
Here is my Nani speaking at an APWA meeting in Sukkur, circa 1954. Although Begum RLK is dismissed as an elite individual, the work done by APWA was all about financial independence, health and education, and increasing participation of women in the society. https://t.co/q5GOYqk7RW pic.twitter.com/aUdn7qoKNI
— Sophia Hasnain (@sophasnain) October 30, 2021
APWA wasn’t performative. It was legit. We’re thankful for all the women at APWA that worked for financial inclusion.
