PTI and PML-N advertisements focus on party leaders, the decision makers. PTI advertisements show only Imran Khan while the PML-N advertisements show footage of Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif only; however conspicuous by his absence in adverts is the PPP decision maker Asif Ali Zardari with Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his late mother and grandfather Z A Bhutto featuring in all advertisements.
"This just shows that the PPP leader has no ego problems," so stated PPP stalwarts on condition of strict anonymity. "There is no doubt that the Bhutto name still sells in the electorate," they added, "And Asif Ali Zardari is astutely capitalizing on it."
Representatives of all three parties declined to disclose the exact amount of money they are spending on advertisements to Business Recorder. According to Elections Act 2017, a candidate for the National Assembly can spend up to Rs 4 million and for provincial assembly seat up to Rs 2 million on the election campaign. All candidates are required to open a separate bank account to maintain their election expenses and then submit the report to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after the elections.
There is, however, no bar on spending for party advertisements. An advertising agency official told Business Recorder that a medium-sized channel is charging from Rs 200,000 to Rs 250,000 per minute for the paid content. The top-rated channels are charging from Rs 350,000 to Rs 400,000 per minute for the paid content of the political parties.
He said that all TV channels, radio stations, newspapers and magazines have been getting a great number of attractive political ads from different political parties ahead of the elections - in some the same jingles and songs by well known singers that are used in their public gatherings to energize their supporters.
He said that due to tough competition among the three major political parties, all three are spending a huge sum of money on production and airing of their advertisements.
The advertisements being broadcast by PTI, PML-N and PPP are unrealistically promising to fix all problems facing the country today ranging from education and health to elimination of corruption and provision of other necessities of life like clean drinking water. Rasul Buksh Rais, political analyst, maintained that "Advertisement is an effective tool to reach the voters before elections and this indeed helps voters to decide who they would vote for."