We asked 25 respondents from advertising, media, marketing and PR to tell us what they will remember 2015 by, and the trends they expect to see in 2016.
Read on for peer predictions – on agencies, long format films, the 30-seconder, digital, mobile, e-commerce, technology, people... Here's part five
‘2016 will see lot of action in rolling out into newer markets across India’
Manas Mohan
CEO – publishing, ACK Media
2015 was quite an incredible year for us because it afforded me, and several in my firm, to learn new things, win big challenges and look forward to a bigger, brighter 2016. This year will see a whole lot of action in rolling out into newer markets across the country – especially our Indian language titles. We will up the ante on our digital initiatives.
‘I see the return of comedy’
Vasudha Misra
Senior creative director, FCB Ulka
2015 can be called – the year of long formats and overabundance of emotions. Every brand wanted to tell a long story and wanted you to grab a tissue while they did so. I guess it started in 2014 but, it reached its peak in 2015. While the adoption of digital as the medium to reach out to people was great, but, how it was done just became a formula.
I see us going back to 30-second formats, and a return of comedy. Weirdly enough, the best ad of 2015 wasn’t an emotional one but a funny one – the Ambuja Cement ‘Khali’ ad.
‘WhatsApp groups will become a potent force’
Naresh Gupta
CSO and managing partner, Bang in the Middle
2015 was the year when mobile came into being in a very big way. Mobile is a moving, evolving category, and till now has refused to get boxed in by boundaries. Five years back Angry Birds was possibly the first ever consumer brand that was available on mobile only. For a brand to only exist in the virtual world was path breaking. 2015 has seen not just brands, but categories exist as mobile only categories. Today almost everything that is exciting is on mobile. Mobile lets commerce become hyperlocal, serve deals that are location-based. The offline world is now actively moving to online platforms, brands are helping them go online in a big way. Music, travel, social networks, fashion, food, entertainment – everything is powered by mobile.
Along with all the convenience came the downside of being on mobile. Privacy is now something that is unknown. Brands know when we are travelling and where to, they know if we bought the dress for that favourite occasion, they know if you took your special person out for a candle-lit dinner. Remarketing on mobile tracks you and leaves you with no choices. Now they also know if you were indiscreet for whatever reason; they put your name on the whole world wide web.
Apps define the way we live now, apps track us real time to know who we are.
2015 was the year when Apps became a mainline word, and redefined consumer lives. 2016 will be the year of social networks, but the social networks themselves will change. WhatsApp is already challenging the numbers of Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram. Till now social networks were more about friends and followers; Whatsapp has changed that already. Whatsapp is not the place to collect followers and fans, but the place where you interact with people you know. Whatsapp groups will become a potent force in coming year. Brands will have to become far more intrusive to keep their fans and followers engaged with them.
Mobile will be far more intricately integrated with consumer lives in 2016. This would be a fresh new challenge for the marketing fraternity.
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